Page 61 of Brutal Crown
So who killed Cassian? Who silenced the seer before he could speak again?
I glance at the note again, at the secret that could destroy our world if it got into the wrong hands. I toss it into the flames, watch it curl and blacken until the words vanish with a hiss.
Cassian didn’t kill himself. That much is obvious. He was already dead when they strung him up and left his body for me to find.
And whoever did it—Society or not—wanted a message delivered.
The door slams open.
Marco walks in, his strides easy, but I can tell something is simmering beneath his calm facade.
“I heard what happened,” he says, walking toward me. “Cassian. Dead. In our house.”
I wait for him to get to the point.
“Was it the Society?”
“I don’t think so.”
Marco laughs bitterly. “Of course you don’t. You don’t think anymore. Not when it comes to Lia.”
I stiffen. “What are you talking about?”
“You think I didn’t see you?” he growls, stepping closer. “Following her at your own engagement party. Whatever the hell happened to the smart brother I used to know? What if someone saw you?”
“Is that why you’ve been parading her around for the whole household to see?” I shoot back, annoyed. “You’re claiming her for the public to see.”
“I am.”
“You shouldn’t be,” I seethe through clenched teeth. “Rosalia is out of bounds for you just as much as she is for me.”
“At least you’re aware she’s out of bounds for you,” he chuckles to himself.
I rise from the chair slowly. “She’s not yours, Marco.”
“And she sure as hell isn’t yours either.”
My voice drops, quieter and more dangerous. “This is not the time to play smart with me. Cassian had a confrontation with her, and now he’s dead. From my observation, the next person in line is you if you’re not careful.”
Marco scoffs. “Are you so jealous of us hanging out together now that you’re threatening me with… death?”
I grind my jaws together. “That was not a threat. It was a warning. You think you don’t have as much responsibility as I do because you’re not engaged to a woman? Think again. You can never be with a woman whose existence is powerful enough to break this family apart.”
Marco’s eyes darken as he steps closer.
“No. You are the one who should stay away from her, Francesco. You’re engaged, and your union with Silvia is a delicate thread that holds our family’s secrets together. Focus on your relationship with Silvia instead of watching what I do.”
I take a threatening step toward him until we are face-to-face. “You don’t give me orders.”
“No,” he says, tilting his head to the side, “but if you drag her down with you, if your obsession gets her killed?—”
My hand curls into a fist. “Don’t.”
His voice drops to a near whisper. “I’ll bury you myself. Now,thatis a threat.”
We stare at each other in the dim firelight, two halves of a cracking mirror. I’ve never seen Marco this angry, this honest, this… dark.
Then he turns and walks out, slamming the door behind him. I sit down again and stare at the fire until my vision blurs.
