Submitting To The Devil - The Devil's Snare - Book 2

Chapter Forty Four

Niko

Lucia holds Bianca close; her evident need to protect Bianca radiates from her every gesture. I can see the depth of her concern that she holds, and it tugs at my heart to know Bianca has someone who cares beyond me. It's comforting, in a way, for if anything happens to me, at least I know there's someone else to be Bianca's pillar. Still, I can't shake the longing to rudely intervene and take Bianca aside, not to diminish Lucia's care but to provide her with a different comfort in a more private manner, where she might feel free to express herself without restraint just as she has done in the days before this evening. Most importantly, I need to assess her emotional turmoil.

Instead, I refrain from intervening. I watch silently as Lucia gently guides Bianca toward the sofa. They settle down together, the cushions moulding around them, creating a cosy nook where their conversation can unfold.

"And at last, she shatters," Alexandra cackles, her voice slicing through the air like a knife as she inserts herself into the conversation. "It's truly heartbreaking to witness her relentless struggle. I can't honestly blame Franko for seeking solace elsewhere. I'm sure even the lowest whore would be better suited for the future of the Densels."

"Christ, do you ever just shut it?" Bianca hisses in desperation for Alexandra to cease talking. I dart forward, intent on taking Bianca away from the unfolding drama.

"Now, now," Lucia interjects gently, her demeanour calm. "Don't let her worm her way underneath your skin. Remember the etiquette classes you endured, Bianca. I suggest you learn your proper place swiftly, Alexandra. It appears you've been living a double life, and we won't tolerate that."

"Wrong. I was fully committed to my husband and everything he stood for. I worked alongside him to ensure his visions were met. It is he who disgraced his promises made before our God, and it's solely his responsibility as to why I'm here scraping the barrel to belong to a family I had all but forgotten for him."

"Scraping a barrel?" I ask in disbelief. "You can't expect us to be listening to this. Mitchel loved you; he moved mountains for you."

"Niko," Lucia warns, yet I ignore her because I'm right. He did go against everyone for Alexandra.

"Loved me so much he dropped me like a sack of shit the moment he found out who my father truly was," Alexandra tells me with a stillness that scares me. I stare, incapacitated, at the version of Mitchel she's painting.

He thought hard to be able to marry her; he chose her over this life and risked his father killing him in the process. And yet now she tells me that he abandoned her at the earliest convenience. Something doesn't add up, but I can't exactly go to him and ask for his version of events because, well, that would raise alarm that I've been in contact with her. And if he's in that type of mood, perhaps even I wouldn't be exempt from his anger.

Something definitely doesn't add up, and it is deeply unsettling.

"Why were you all tucked away in here anyway?" Lucia inquires, her tone light but laced with curiosity as the silence stretches taut between Alexandra and me.

"I saw a flicker of light out at sea," Bianca confides, her voice barely above a whisper as if sharing a secret meant for only her ears. I observe Lucia leaning closer, her fingers brushing gently against Bianca's cheek, much as she does with Luca.

"There's no danger from me, Bianca. I'm merely here to collect Alexandra so the two of you can return to your honeymoon bliss," Lucia explains, her tone light and teasing as if trying to lift the heaviness in the air to encourage us to continue bonding.

"Oh," Bianca's response catches me off guard, a hint of uncertainty lacing her tone.

"Do you want to go home?" I inquire, curiosity mingling with concern. I don't want that, not yet. It's too soon.

She nods reflexively, a flicker of hope in her eyes, only to falter and lie by saying, "No."

"A honeymoon should surely extend beyond just a few fleeting days," Lucia interjects.

"The moment they depart, they'll never see each other again," Alexandra adds bitterly, her words sharp and laden with an underlying want.

"My word, you truly are remarkable, Alex. I wanted to resist believing Dimitri—nor anyone else—but you've really slid down the slope, haven't you?" Lucia's tone mingles exasperation with disbelief.

"I," she stutters. "I just want to belong," Alexandra insists, her voice trembling with raw vulnerability as if she's revealing a secret she's hidden for too long.

"Don't we all?" Sven chimes in, his Russian accent thicker than usual, his eyes glinting dangerously. "That doesn't mean we'd stoop so low as to sell out those close to you," he adds, integrating a casual shrug, yet his words are heavy with meaning, and they reveal more of how she came to leave her husband's side. It may be Sven I should be questioning.

"Enough of this chatter. Come along," Lucia commands, her authority palpable as she rises to her feet, encouraging Bianca to stand as well. Together, they walk toward Sven and me, Lucia's hand guiding the way as she pushes open the door, her movements confident and deliberate.

A shiver runs through me at the thought of stepping beyond the safety of this place. The uncertainty of venturing out makes me second-guess Lucia's motives; after all, she's as much my boss as Dimitri. Doubts swirl in my mind about who might have escorted her here. I can't shake the feeling that a small army likely surrounded her, so how did she end up here alone, seemingly unguarded, and so out of the blue?

Fuck, I don't typically dive so deeply into my thoughts like this. Is it just an instinctual drive to protect Bianca, or am I finally starting to emerge from the haze of the drugs that have consumed me for so long? My mind seems to be stirring for the first time, grappling with emotions and thoughts I've vied to push aside for a very long time.

"It appears your mind is racing," Lucia remarks with a knowing smile as I am the last to cross the threshold into the open air. She taps my cheek and turns my face, and there stand Dimitri's men. It's as if she's encouraging me to see beyond, showing me I was right. That I'm still me, that I'm as sharp as ever.

"It is," I concede, nodding in agreement as the cool breeze sweeps gently across my skin. It is a refreshing contrast to the stifling warmth emanating from the safe house behind us. The morning air carries a hint of dew, invigorating and crisp. "Shall I bring her?" I propose, glancing over my shoulder.

"No, no. Let my men handle Alex. Why don't we retreat to the house and indulge in some early morning tea?" Lucia suggests, her voice carrying a soothing balm as she gestures toward the wooded path we used to walk here.

"I'm absolutely starving," Sven confesses, his voice tinged with eagerness as he strides forward with determination. Each step he takes crunches underfoot, twigs snapping sharply, creating a crisp symphony of sound that carries through the air.

But the women seem oblivious to the sounds as Bianca trails closely beside Lucia, her movements almost instinctive, as if drawn in by a magnetic force. And I watch Bianca breathe. It's almost as if she's changing before me. No longer do I see a wife ready to submit, but now I see the girl who refused to marry me and fought me every step of the way until our wedding day.

Did I do that to her?

"You look different," Lucia observes, her voice softening into a comforting, motherly tone once more, her eyes glistening with warmth.

"I feel different," Bianca whispers in response, her voice barely above a murmur, yet it resonates with an undeniable deep part of me.

"Of course you do," Lucia reassures her, a knowing smile gracing her lips.