Page 51 of Devil’s Reign

I eat until I’m embarrassingly full, then call for Boris to take the rest—there’s still an obscene amount left, enough to feed half the men in this hotel. After that, I retreat to my own room to change into something that doesn’t belong to Vanya.

It’s only when I’m pulling on my shirt that it hits me. Vanya didn’t hold up his end of the bargain last night. I didn’t learn a single thing about what happened to my brother.

I bite the inside of my cheek. I’ll need to remember to ask him the second he’s back. After all, that was the whole reason I walked into his room in the first place. Wasn’t it?

I shake the thought away and finish dressing in a beautiful pair of black slacks and new sneakers. Once I’m ready, I leave my room and find Boris standing outside my door. After my escape attempt yesterday, I half expect wary looks from him and the other men.

Instead, there’s something almost like reverence in their eyes. I must be imagining it.

“I’d like to see my mother, please,” I tell him.

Boris hesitates. “Miss Fontana isn’t in her room right now. She left a few hours ago.”

She left? I frown at him. “What do you mean she left?”

“Mr. Petrov made it clear she’s a guest. So when she asked to leave, we didn’t stop her.”

“Of course,” I mumble, a cloud forming over my head. She’s a guest. She can leave. I can’t. Because I’m a prisoner here.

Not for much longer, I tell myself, though I’m not sure I believe it anymore.

Without conscious thought, my hand rises to touch the necklace, and Boris’s eyes follow the movement.

“Let me know when she gets back, please,” I say quietly, then turn and head to the library—the library Vanya built specifically for me. My stomach warms at the thought as I wander between the shelves, indecisive about what to read. Eventually, I choose one of the newest releases from a popular romance author and settle into the window seat.

To my chagrin, I go over the first page half a dozen times before I’m forced to give up. I can’t focus. My attention splinters between the necklace, Mamma, Luciano, and Vanya.

Mostly Vanya, if I’m being honest. Where is he right now? What’s he doing? Is he curious about my reaction to his gift? Was he wondering if I’d accept it or not?

With a frustrated sigh, I drop the book and get to my feet. My fingers mindlessly toy with the pendant as I walk out of the library to where Boris and the other men are lounging.

“Is Vanya around?” I nod towards the door that leads to his home office.

“No, Mr. Petrov left the suite hours ago.”

When will he be back? The question sits on my tongue, but I swallow it, doubting they would know or even answer me if they did. I turn to head back to the library, and, just as I do, the suite’s main door swings open.

I glance up. And there he is.

Vanya.

My heart soars, and before I even realize it, I’m crossing the room and throwing myself at him like I haven’t seen him in weeks.

He lets out a surprised grunt but catches me easily, his arms closing around my body like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

28

IVAN

My arms lock around her waist out of instinct, but it feels too right, too natural, like she belongs here and nowhere else.

My heart thuds against her breast as I look over her head to where Boris and my men are doing a very unconvincing job of pretending they’ve all gone suddenly blind.

I wait patiently until I catch their eyes. One sharp look is all it takes. They leave quickly, the door shutting behind them, and the suite is ours.

“You’re back,” she whispers against my chest, her voice muffled by my shirt. Soft. Almost shy.

My hand slides into her hair, the silky strands clinging to my fingers like they know whose hand it is. I stroke once, slowly, savoring the feel of her scalp under my palm. “Yeah.”