Page 41 of Crown Of Blood

She nods, sniffling. “Papà wasn’t here. And everything was dark.”

I brush her hair back gently. “He’ll be home soon.”

She blinks up at me as I crawl into bed beside her. “Are you staying with us forever?”

The question steals my breath. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I love you here,” she says. “Papà smiles more now. He doesn’t yell as much. I think he’s happier since you came.”

Her honesty breaks something soft inside me.

Then her voice drops to a whisper. “My mama died when I was little. But I know Papà needs a queen to help him carry his crown. And I’m just the princess. That’s not my job.”

My throat tightens. I take her tiny hand in mine. “Oh, sweetheart… maybe you’re right. But even if I’m not your Papà’s queen, I’ll still help him any way I can. And I’ll always be your friend, okay? Always.”

She sniffles, nodding. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

She leans into me, curling against my side, her hand gripping my sweater. I press a kiss to the top of her head, whispering, “Sleep, Sofia.”

Her breathing evens out after a few minutes, small and steady.

And that’s when I feel it.

A shadow in the doorway.

I look up—and there he is.

Dante.

He’s standing there in the half-light, shirt undone, eyes unreadable, watching us.

I don’t move. Neither does he.

Because somehow, in this quiet little room, something just shifted—and we both know it.

Chapter 12

The night’s gone to hell.

It’s past ten when I finally step out of the car, the weight of the day still clinging to my skin like smoke.

The warehouse was a disaster—late delivery, missing product, and a man who thought he could skim off the top without me noticing.

He’s lucky I didn’t end his career—or his breathing—tonight.

I should be thinking about numbers. Repercussions. What to do next.

But instead, my mind keeps circling back to her.

Isabella.

The way she looked this morning, sunlight catching her hair as she sipped coffee in my kitchen like she’d been doing it all her life. The way she told me tobe careful, like she meant it.

I hate that she’s in myhead.

Hate it more that I don’t want her out of it.