Page 86 of A Mastery of Crows

“Burn in hell,” I whisper. “Tell Salvatore I said hello.”

Or not, considering.

We’re out of the way, directly underneath the red oak tree. Matteo’s blood soaks into the ground as I drag myself to my feet and turn, looking for them.

Dante finds me first. He grabs my shoulders, his eyes on my face. “Your face – whathappened—,”

I point behind me, and Dante swears as he sees Matteo’s body. “Marco’s men are here – others, too. It’s enough, Cat. We’re done. He’s fuckingdead.”

He walks over to check, and I drop the knife I’m holding to the ground in exhaustion.

It’s done.

It’s over.

Dante wraps his arms around me. “Tentazione—,”

He jerks against me, nearly toppling us both.

His mouth opens, those green eyes blinking as he looks at me. “Cat.”

I try to take his weight as he collapses against me, his knees folding like the strings of a puppet.

No.

I lower him to the ground, my hands running frantically over his body. “Dante – no.No.”

Blood.There’s so much blood, everywhere, all over my hands, and I can’t work out where it’s coming from and why there’s so fucking much of it—

Warm hands grip mine, slippery with his blood. “Tentazione.”

“Fuck off.” I scream it at him. “Don’t you fucking dare.Don’t you dare.”

Don’t say it. Not like that. Never like that.

I’m sobbing as I push him to the side, see the scarlet spreading across his white shirt. So much that I can’t tell where it’s coming from. “Help me!”

Screaming. So much screaming. And he’s looking at me, and I’m gripping his face, screaming at him to stop being so fucking stupid and stand up.

I’ve messed up his face. There’s blood on his lips as he coughs.

I try to wipe it away, but more of it appears.

His fingers brush mine, and they feel so cold. “It’s okay.”

No.

It’s not okay.

It will never be okay.

I fight as hands pull me away, kicking and screaming.

This is not how it ends.

This is not how we end.

And I scream. I scream over and over as my heart rips and shatters, as my soul cracks, because Dante V’Arezzo isnot allowed to leave me.