Between The Flames ⚜️Il Paradosso Book Two⚜️

Chapter forty

I was lucid. Waking up from an explicitly colorful dream. A nightmare, painted in red. I had my mother's abilities to foresee the worst.

Something bad was heading our way. Something horrid. I felt it in my bones. The feeling grew as the men around the house increased in number.

This place was guarded from top to bottom. End to end.

Niccolo's words had haunted me until I'd drifted off into dementia and fell asleep with a heavy stump on my chest.

What universe had I ventured into? What part of this was even close to normal?

Nothing seemed to hold normalcy.
Gio was watching the gardener water the roses that were sprouting their beautiful petals, the aroma of freshly cut pine trees wandering the air.

He was keeping a good distance from me, his eyes observing the man at work, only raising briefly now and then.

Other suited men scanned the premises, guns strapped to their waists.

I sat on the garden lounge, bouncing Antonetta on my leg as she squealed at her doll, pressing its belly to make her talk. It was a warm, sunny midday and the water was glistening in the lake beneath the dock.

A shadow loomed over me and Antonetta glanced up from her doll, to the towering giant behind me. She extended her arms out to him. She looked so small, almost miniature when he leaned in, brushing against me to pick her up. I felt a shiver coarse through my body at the subtle contact with his chest.

They had the same eye pigment, staring back at me when I craned my neck. Why did he have to be so good with children? He was supposed to be a monster but they adored him. Adrian had fallen asleep on him last night, in the living room. They looked so peaceful, snoring lightly but when I made an approach to grab the baby, Niccolo's eyes had shot open.

It scared the shit out of me. I think I even gasped a little but managed to hide it with a lengthy frown. I knew he would die for them but not even that could make me at ease, with the way I felt around him.

And now he stood in front of me, with my daughter in his arms as she clung to him, twirling the cross around his neck with her tiny fingers.

It was almost soothing, if it weren't for the judgmental look that he was giving me. What had I done now?
I followed his gaze to my strapless sundress, which merely covered my thighs. I gulped, sensing a wave of heat trickling up my spine. His stare turned into a glare.

"I'm not changing."

There were too many men roaming the mansion that was the issue. Although, they weren't allowed to look directly at me, they were men. And men stared. He knew that.
Men who were used to seeing women as a piece of meat. And I was fresh meat, that they hadn't bitten into. The forbidden was always tempting.

I stood up, tugging on the hem of my dress. It was short, I had to admit.
"It barely covers your ass."
His words didn't amuse me as much as one would have expected. This was Niccolo. He had no filter when it came to expressing his thoughts, these days.

"Maybe your eyes shouldn't be wandering in certain places, cognato. There are more important matters that require your attention."

"They wander wherever they please. As for my attention, I assure you that it is precisely where I want it to be."

He shifted Antonetta to his right arm and I slowly moved back a step. The white shirt he had on hugged his figure, its sleeves rolled up to the elbows, with the head of his snake peeking out of the left one.

"It's called self control. You should try it once in awhile." I blinked when his eyes meandered to the pool.

His expression darkened and I knew the only thing restraining him from pushing me into the cool water, was the child he held in his arms.