Page 55 of Deathless & Divided

“Of course,” Damian said.

Damian hadn’t even turned away from the table completely before Serena let out a shriek. Her rage boiled over, pitching her voice high. Damian should have known better than to turn his back on his aunt when she was angry and drunk. Actually, he did know better but his concern about getting Lily out of his crazy aunt’s presence had been more important than the life lessons he learned growing up with an abusive alcoholic for an aunt.

“You … you little bastard!” Serena screamed.

Damian barely caught sight of the wine glass flying in his and Lily’s direction in enough time to react. He stepped in front of Lily as the crystal caught the side of his jaw, shattering across his face and splashing red wine and sharp shatters of glass along his cheek. Pain bloomed as something wet and sticky dripped onto his shirt and suit jacket.

“Oh, my God,” Lily whispered.

Damian blinked, stunned as Lily’s soft hands ghosted over his face. He could hear the sounds of his uncle and the others at the table finally starting to react to Serena’s very public display. While Laurent berated his wife’s bad behavior, someone else was demanding an apology.

Lily kept patting at Damian’s cheek with her fingertips. “Shit, you’re bleeding.”

Damian shrugged. “Just … let’s get out of here before—”

“Tell her, Damian!” his aunt goaded.

“Serena Rossi, you will shut your mouth or I will shut it for you,” Laurent ordered.

That threat didn’t stop Serena.

“Go to my car, Lily,” Damian said. “Please.”

Lily didn’t move. She was too focused on dabbing at the stinging cut on Damian’s cheek with the sleeve of her black dress.

“She’s always going to be that fool’s daughter, Damian,” his aunt warned. “She might be a DeLuca, but she’s still his daughter. A rat’s child—a turncoat’s seed. She’s got traitor marked all over her. It might as well be tattooed on her forehead. It’s in her blood and there’s no bleeding that out. How long will it take before she spills on you, too, huh? Her own daddy couldn’t keep true to the Outfit, what will she think of you when she finally gets a good look at who you are, Damian?”

Lily’s breath caught as her stare met Damian’s. Pain flooded her eyes as tears welled.

Don’t cry, he wanted to tell her. Don’t ever let a woman like Serena Rossi see you cry.

Lily DeLuca was far better than Serena Rossi could even dream of being, regardless of her father’s past actions. Lily, Theo, and Dino weren’t their father. Sure, their parents had made them, but their futures weren’t dictated by past actions. Serena could spout her nonsense off all she wanted, but it wouldn’t make a difference to what Damian thought.

The Outfit was supposed to be about family. Lily’s father might have broken that rule a long time ago, but there were a lot of men—some closer than any of them knew—that worked goddamn hard to bring the Outfit back to what it was supposed to be.

La famiglia.

The family.

Serena didn’t know the first thing about family. Not hers, the Outfit, or anyone else’s. She certainly didn’t know anything about Lily’s or how goddamn much that girl’s brothers cared and loved her.

Damian didn’t have to tell Lily a thing. She squared her shoulders, gave a single look behind Damian at a pissed off, red-faced Serena, and dismissed the older woman with a tick of her chin and the bat of her lashes.

That was it.

Lily didn’t say a word. Her indifferent, unfazed attitude was more than enough. Lily simply rejected Serena in a way that allowed her to keep her own dignity while stripping Damian’s aunt of hers in front of an entire table of people. Unlike Serena’s very vocal disdain, embarrassing and undignified, Lily’s was silent and a great deal louder. A good woman, a smart and strong one, didn’t need to make a scene to shame someone.

She clearly understood respect in a way Serena didn’t.

Damian appreciated that.

Wiping at the slice on his cheek with his thumb, Damian glanced over his shoulder at his aunt. Serena stood at the table, glowering and huffing like a pissed off bull. She looked like a damn mess. Drunk, foolish, and looking for another fight. Damian wouldn’t be the one to give her the battle she clearly wanted.

Everyone else at the table seemed to be having their own moment of shock, unable to speak or react. He didn’t blame them. Sure, they’d all witnessed one of Serena’s moments over the years, but never like this, in such a public place. It was only then he noticed the servers had rushed to the doorway of the private dining area as well.

“Let’s go,” Damian said to Lily.

Lily nodded. “Sure, okay. Let’s find a bathroom first. I’ll clean that mess off your face.”