Stolen: Dante’s Vow by Natasha Knight
Mara
Ican hear the fighting through the closed door of Cristiano’s office when I get to the bottom of the stairs. Scarlett and Alessandro, wearing his eye patch, come out of the kitchen. Noah stands from his chair next to Charlie in the living room, looking pissed off.
They all seem surprised to see me and I remember how quiet I can be. I smile but it’s awkward because in that instant, something slams in the office. Something big. Like possibly one of the brothers.
“I’ll see what’s going on,” Scarlett says, leaving Alessandro with Lenore as she steps toward the study.
Charlie blocks her path. “Leave them.” He glances at me and suddenly, I know they know what happened last night. I know it’s me they’re fighting about.
Scarlett follows his gaze over to me. “What’s going on?”
“Just leave them, Scarlett,” Charlie repeats. “They will work through it.”
For a moment I’m not sure she will but then we hear the sound of a boat, and she finally exhales, relenting. She comes to me, smiles. “Are you doing okay this morning?”
“Yes. I’m hungry, though,” I say, turning to my grandmother. It’s strange to call her that or even refer to her as that in my mind, but I have to. If not for myself then for her. And somehow things feel a little different this morning. A little better.
“That’s good,” Scarlett says as the door opens, and Matthaeus walks inside with a soldier. I wonder where he was. His hair is windblown, and droplets of water have collected on his shoulders. He’s carrying a thick folder in his hand.
After a quick greeting to the room, he turns to Charlie. “Study?” he asks.
“Yeah,” Charlie answers just as something—more likely someone—crashes against the door, rattling it.
Matthaeus’s eyebrows rise high on his forehead.
“I think they need a few minutes,” Charlie says.
Matthaeus glances at me and nods. “I’d kill for a cup of your coffee, Lenore.”
Strange choice of words, I think, but no one seems to bat an eye.
“Everyone come to the kitchen,” Lenore says, cautious eyes on me as she opens the kitchen door. I head in with Scarlett and sit beside Alessandro at the table.
“You’re wearing your patch again,” I say.
He leans in. “I don’t want my uncle to feel like he sticks out,” he whispers conspiratorially.
“That’s very thoughtful of you.”
Scarlett smiles at him proudly and we spend a few minutes talking about the pregnancy as Lenore serves food. She joins us then, sitting beside me. I feel Noah’s gaze on me and get the feeling he’s angry.
Breakfast is tense, considering. Charlie and Matthaeus are busy looking at whatever it is Matthaeus brought with him.
When I’m having the last sip of coffee, Cerberus whines at the door.
“Mara,” Noah says, standing. “Walk Cerberus with me.”
I look up at him, nod, get to my feet. I’m glad for the distraction although something is going on with him.
My grandmother is up, too, and taking a jacket off the rack to put it over my shoulders.
“It’s cold out today,” she says, and I look at her. She’s about three inches shorter than me and I can see she’s been crying. When she brushes a strand of hair back from my cheek, I think she’s going to cry again.
“Nonna?” I ask, wanting to head that off.
That stops her and the ghost of a smile appears on her lips.
“Nonna,” I say again, feeling the word on my tongue. It came naturally. Memory. I’m glad. “Thank you.” I reach down to hug her, but when I pull her tiny frame to myself, I feel a choked sob against me. I cringe at what I’d almost done last night. “I’m back,” I whisper. “I’m back. Please don’t cry.”
She nods, draws away while wiping her eyes with a handkerchief she takes from her apron pocket.
Cerberus whines.
“We’d better get this guy out,” Noah says and opens the door.
I button the jacket and follow Cerberus out, Noah at my back.
Cerberus runs off to take care of business and Noah and I walk quietly along the beach. The wind is cold, like last night, and when we get to the edge of the house I glance up at the cliffs and shudder.
What I did was selfish.
If I’d succeeded, I’d have broken their hearts twice.
“I saw you,” Noah says.
I turn to him, thinking he saw me last night, not sure how to explain.
“This morning.” He doesn’t quite look at me when he says that part and I realize what he means.
“Oh.” I’d slipped back to my room when I thought no one was in the hallway. Not that I was hiding, I just didn’t want to make things awkward or difficult. “Oh,” I say again. “Is that why…” I glance at the windows I know are Cristiano’s office windows.
Noah nods, eyes cast to the sea watching Cerberus carry a big stick out of the water.
“I…it’s strange being back here. Last night was really hard.”
He turns to me, wraps his hand around mine. I freeze, remembering Samuel. Remembering what happened to him. But then I tell myself that he was a liar. Even if he didn’t deserve what he got.
I look up at Noah and I swear I can still see the little boy from all those years ago. We couldn’t understand each other at all, and I wouldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t. Joseph had put me with Noah, told us to play as if that would fix everything.
“What happened to Joseph?” I ask.
Noah’s expression darkens. “He’s dead.”
“Good.”
“Listen, Mara, if Dante hurt—”
“Dante didn’t hurt me. He wouldn’t. He saved my life.” In so many ways.
“If he—
“Stop. He didn’t. I don’t want to talk about this.”
He studies me as if to be sure and then finally nods. Cerberus drops the giant stick at our feet for Noah to throw.
I stand back, smiling at them, liking the simplicity of this, us on the beach playing with a dog.
But that simplicity feels so far off for me. Like I’m an imposter here in this house, this life. They all are in a way. There is nothing simple about the lives of anyone in this house.