Page 17 of Blood Queen

I give a slow, unimpressed glance around the room. “Riveting.”

He smirks. “You always were hard to please.”

I drain the last of my champagne and push up from my seat. “I should make the rounds, see who’s still breathing.”

Leo chuckles, tipping his glass. “Play nice.”

I don’t bother responding.

The air hums with low conversations as I weave through the tables. Every step in this room is a careful dance—smiles edged with steel, laughter disguising negotiations.

At the bar, Adriano Marino, one of Rocco’s right-hand men, leans against the counter, his tie already loosened, his dark eyes tracking me like a hunter sizing up prey. In any other setting he’d be brutally handsome.

“Evany.” His voice is warm, inviting. “You’re looking particularly lethal tonight.”

I arch a brow, accepting the fresh glass of champagne the bartender sets in front of me. “And you’re looking particularly desperate.”

His lips curve. “Desperate? No, just observant. I heard about your little… incident last week.”

I take a slow sip. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

He laughs. “Come on, don’t play coy. Word is, you left some solider bleeding out like a gutted pig.”

I tilt my head. “Is that what they’re saying?”

“I also heard you didn’t even break a sweat.”

I let the silence stretch, watching the way his fingers tighten around his glass. He wants me to confirm it, to give him something to carry back to his boss.

Instead, I set my champagne down and lean in slightly. “Be careful what rumors you spread, Adriano. Sometimes, they come true.”

His throat bobs. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

I give him a slow, knowing smile before turning away.

At a center table, Lucia Scarfosits with a group of other young women, her wedding ring glinting under the golden lights. Her expression is composed, regal even, but her fingers twist in her lap. The relationship between the female family members is a different beast. We’re royalty but also property. Needed but disposable. Except me. I’d made sure Uncle Leo saw how capable I was. I needed action and responsibilities not vacations, sex, and parties. The women in the families are never in line for Boss, therefore to me, they aren’t a threat.

“Lucia,” I greet smoothly, sliding into the seat beside her.

Her eyes flick to mine, a polite smile appearing. “Evany. I was beginning to think you’d ignore me all night.”

“I’d never dream of it.” I glance toward the dance floor, where her new husband is laughing too loudly with his men, already a few drinks deep. Women rubbing all over the lot of them. “Rocco looks… pleased.”

Her smile tightens. “He’s celebrating.”

“Of course. It’s not every day a man gets gifted an empire.”

Lucia inhales slowly, her fingers stilling. “And what about you, Evany? Any plans to settle down?”

I exhale a quiet laugh. “And let some man put a ring on my finger so he can feel powerful? No, thanks.”

Lucia hums. “I used to think the same.”

I study her, the fine tension in her posture, the way her gaze flits toward the exit like she’s already looking for escape routes. She was raised in this world, bred for this moment—but that doesn’t mean she wants it. They never want it. We’re all captive in one way or another.

I lean in, lowering my voice. “I hear the Falcones like their women obedient. If that’s true, you’re going to be a disappointment.”

For the first time tonight, real amusement flickers in her eyes. “Then maybe they should have done their research.”

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