Icy fingers of fear trickled down my spine. Was this what waited for Luc if his House went after me? He’d said he wouldn’t survive losing me the way Dante had lost Maricella. I knew he meant it. I knew losing me would break him in a way nothing else could.
I swallowed hard, not wanting to think about that. Telling myself it wouldn’t happen, that Luc would fix everything and set it right, I cleared my throat.
“Dante, we’re here for you. Me and Luc, Marco and Felicity. Whatever you need.”
“I don’t want anything but to be alone,” he said in a low voice, one that sounded nothing like him, his eyes never straying from the window.
“I know you’re grieving. We all are. It takes time. But Maricella wouldn’t want—”
“Leave. Take the food with you. And don’t come back unless you’re bringing me more drugs that will make me sleep forever.”
My skin chilled. There was no emotion in his voice. Nothing but stone cold truth.
I left the room quietly—thankful there was no balcony he could jump from—and hustled for the stairs.
Marco and Fee were at the table in the kitchen when I found them, quietly talking over two cups of tea. They both looked up with worried expressions when I rushed into the room.
“What?” Marco asked, pushing to his feet. “Is he awake?”
I nodded. “It’s not good.”
“Merda.” Marco reached for the tray of medication on the edge of the table as Felicity stood, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“Not that. It’s what he wants. He told me not to come back unless I had drugs that would make him sleep forever.”
“Merda,” Marco said again, looking at Fee. “Antidepressants?”
“We’ll need to start him on some.” She rounded the counter and headed for a small closet off the kitchen. “He shouldn’t be left alone.”
I wanted to ask how and why they had so many drugs on hand, but the phone in my pocket buzzed before I could get the words out, and I quickly fumbled for it, my heart racing. One look at the screen and relief shot through me like a bullet.
“Luc?” I pressed the phone to my ear, my heart in my throat.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said in a tired voice.
“Oh, thank God.” I pressed a hand to my forehead and sagged back against the table. “I’ve been going out of my mind worrying. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, angioletto. Perfectly fine. Just tired from not sleeping last night. How’s Dante?”
He didn’t sound fine. He sounded stressed, and I didn’t want to add more stress on him when I didn’t even know what was going on there. “He’s fine. Awake. He was sitting up, looking out the window, when I left him.”
“Not agitated or acting paranoid?”
“No.” It wasn’t a lie. I just didn’t think Luc could handle hearing that Marco and Fee thought Dante was borderline suicidal at the moment. Tugging a chair out from the table, I sank into the seat.
He exhaled a long breath. “Good. I was worried. He didn’t look... Well, never mind what he looked like. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Luc, what happened? Did you have your meeting? What did they say?”
“Yes, we had the meeting. It just ended. This is the first chance I had to call you. It took a while, but I got them to agree to sanction our marriage. They still have to sign off on the paperwork, but they will by the morning.”
I closed my eyes and exhaled, a little of the weight on my shoulders easing. “So that’s it?” Tears filled my eyes—tears of relief. “We’re safe?”
“Yes, angioletto. You’re safe. I told you I’d never let them touch you, and I won’t. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure they never will.”
For some reason, his last statement sent unease threading through me all over again, and I stared at the table because I realized why. He’d said you’re safe, not we’re safe.
“Luc…” I shifted in my seat, anxious to see for myself that he really was okay and uninjured. “Please tell me you’re coming home right now.”
He didn’t answer, and as the silence stretched over the line, that unease turned to full-on fear.
“Not yet,” he finally said in a low voice. One I picked up on loud and clear. “The Knights are meeting in the morning to vote on Dante’s insubordination. They... I’ve been asked to stay tonight to meet with the advisory committee to discuss tomorrow’s vote and what they’re going to recommend.”
His words made sense, but something in the way he said them put me on instant alert and made me think he was holding back.
“You’re not alone, are you?” I asked.
“No. I’m not.”
Which meant they were watching him, and he couldn’t tell me exactly what was going on.
I swallowed hard. “Just tell me this. Please. Are you in danger there? Because if you are, I want you to leave and come back here to me right now. Don’t stay and—”
“I’m fine, angioletto,” he said softly. “I will be fine. As long as I know you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”
Tears burned my eyes because that definitely made me think something was happening that he didn’t—or couldn’t—let me know.
“When are you coming back?” I asked, fighting to keep my voice steady so he wouldn’t know I was on the verge of crying.
“Hopefully tonight. If so, it’ll be late.”
Oh please... “I’ll wait up for you.”
“No, don’t. You need sleep. And I’ll do better here knowing you’re dreaming about me.”
“I always dream about you.”
“Ah, angioletto. You know how to melt me with only a few simple words. You’ve always been able to do that, right from the start. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, but I am so very thankful you found me. I was nothing before you. A shell of the man I am now and only a glimmer of the one I want to be for you. Believe in us no matter what happens. I love you. I will always love only you. Promise me you won’t forget that.”
Those tears I’d been fighting spilled over my lashes, and I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision, trying not to give in to the urge and sob. His words sounded like goodbye, not like I’ll see you in a few hours, and that impending feeling of doom came rushing back, stealing my breath, making me frantic to see him and hold him and reassure myself he was okay.
“Luc, I...” I swiped at the stupid tears and swallowed hard. “I love you too. Nothing and no one can change that.” My voice hitched when I whispered, “Please come home to me.”
He drew in a shaky breath. “I will, vita mia. As soon as I can. I promise.”
A muffled voice sounded in the background, then steadier, Luc said, “I have to go.”
The line clicked off before I could respond, and dazed, I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it, fear and worry and all kinds of trepidation spinning in my belly.
Footsteps sounded in the kitchen, then from the end of the table, Marco said, “Was that Luc? What did he say?”
I swallowed hard and slowly looked up at Marco’s tanned face through damp eyes. “I-I don’t know. Something’s happening, but I don’t know what. He said he got them to agree to sanction our marriage, but he didn’t say how.”