Page 258 of Legacy
“…and then I added these little flecks of gold leaf to the canvas,” she says. “It was so tedious, but I think it makes the piece come alive!”
I nod, smiling faintly. “It sounds beautiful. I’d love to see it sometime.”
Her face brightens, her whole body leaning into the moment. “You will. I’ll make sure of it.”
She’s so easy to like when I let myself relax.
Warm. Honest.
Somehow soft without ever being weak.
And it makes me feel worse.
Worse for how reluctant toward her I was.
And guilty for bringing her here under the pretense of friendship, knowing tonight isn’t just dinner, it’s a detonation.
Before I can say anything, I hear the low thud of approaching footsteps.
Angelo and Santo enter the room together, and the shift is instant. Like two weather fronts colliding, one heat, the other ice.
I watch Angelo’s face, cautious. Nervous. I feel him.
I catch Vasilisa’s face soften as Santo pulls out the chair beside her.
“Dea,” he murmurs, voice low.
She reaches for him without hesitation, their fingers intertwining easily. The touch is instinctive—anchored, intimate. I look for Angelo as he sits next to me, his hand trailing along my back soft, warm.
“Oh, the gala,” Vasilisa says, looking back at me with that hopeful brightness “You’re coming right?”
My head tilts slightly. “A gala?”
She nods. “Next month. It’s an art event I’m hosting to show some of my new pieces. Santo set it up for me.”
She beams at him like he built the Louvre just to hang her canvases
Angelo leans back in his chair, his hand softly gripping my shoulder, eyes sharp but curious. “When do you have a gala, Tiny?”
The air tightens.
Santo’s jaw ticks. “It’s for Vasilisa’s work,” he says, tone clipped. “It’s an opportunity to display and sell her pieces.”
“But it’s only for women,” he adds pointedly.
Vasilisa waves that off with a snort. “Santo aren’t you going? Nico’s going, Luca’s going. I’m not throwing some kind of exclusive coven circle.”
Santo’s expression shifts, the edges softening as he looks at her. “Of course I’ll be there.”
“And Nico’s going mostly for Luna,” Vasilisa adds, rolling her eyes affectionately.
I catch the slight raise of Angelo’s brow.
“I’ve been waiting for your response,” Vasilisa says, turning to me again. “I thought you already knew.”
I blink, surprised. “I hadn’t heard.”
She glances toward Santo. “Didn’t you send out the invitations?”
