Page 25 of Depths of Desire (The Emerald Dagger Mafia #3)

My father’s anger, white-hot, flashes through the bond. I will not endanger all that this family has created over a woman.

Renzo, quiet until now, speaks. Father, you can’t let the past—and what happened with Mother—dictate your actions now.

The silence is instant and brutal. No one mentions Mother. Ever.

I freeze, and I know Luca does the same. We wait for the explosion. Instead, my father exhales. I am not letting what happened with your mother dictate my actions.

You are, Renzo presses. But if you look at this logically, Nico and Luca are right; if we let Luna go, it’s just another nail in our coffin.

We must fight for her. We must find a way to protect her—and protect our people.

Then we hold Malrick accountable for everything. It’s the only way we survive this.

My father is silent, but the rage roiling through him is palpable through our connection. However, he’s thinking now. What would you have me do? he finally asks.

We have to find out what our options are, Renzo says.

I already did, I admit.

What do you mean? my father asks sharply.

I asked Kael to dig around. He laid out the options.

Renzo frowns. And?

We don’t have many. If Malrick’s already called the Council, he’s stacking it with his supporters. Kael suggested we do the same.

Luca chimes in. We won’t have many supporters left. Not if people think we’re crumbling.

My gut twists. He’s right. Vampires are like sharks around\ a sinking ship. If they smell blood in the water, you’re done.

Then we try for neutral, my father says after a pause. Fine. We’ll aim for neutrality.

Any other options? Luca asks.

There is one, I admit. I could marry Luna.

But that would make the curse come true, Luca fires back.

Not necessarily, I say.

My father’s presence sharpens.

I continue. The curse says ‘the sisters three.’ Luna isn’t a sister to Mia and Pippa.

That’s splitting hairs, Luca says. They will all be sisters-in-law.

Curses are all about hair-splitting, I counter . Sisters -in-law don’t count. Luna is not a sister, but Mia and Pippa are. They’re sisters by blood. Our blood. It runs in both their veins.

The silence that follows is deafening. I can sense shock from Luca and Renzo, but not from my father.

You knew, I say to my father.

Yes, he answers without hesitation.

So much more I could say—but I don’t want to say it in front of my brothers. There will be time later, after all this. My father has kept many secrets over the years. It will soon be time for many of those to come out.

There’s no doubt in my mind, my father says. Pippa and Mia are considered sisters in the eyes of the prophecy. Because you three saved them. You put your blood into their veins. That’s why I advised against marriage in the first place.

But Luna isn’t one of them, I argue. Just because I marry her doesn’t make her the third sister.

The issue, he says gravely, is whether you can promise—under no circumstances—to put your blood in her veins. Because the moment you do that, she becomes the third sister. And the prophecy comes true.

I want to promise. I want to say it loud and clear—yes, of cours e.

But the truth is, I’m not sure I can make that promise. Not really. Not now. The moment we had sex something shifted. A seismic event. I feel linked to Luna in ways I don’t understand, and it’s only grown stronger. I know I cannot promise I won’t do everything to save her.

Renzo cuts in. Then we won’t do it. It’s fine. Honestly, I don’t see that we have much of a choice. Nico needs to marry her. It’s the only way we stand a chance against Malrick. And you know if he’s making a move on us, others will follow. We need to stop this now.

Fine, my father says, the word clipped. Nico will marry Luna. But be very, very careful.

I will, I say, though my stomach churns. But what else can we do?

We could kill Malrick, Luca suggests dryly.

I grin. I like that idea. It would certainly help.

My father doesn’t share our mirth. At this moment, I imagine he’s well protected.

Renzo says I’ll have my people keep an eye on him. See if there’s an opening.

Kael is already doing the same thing,” I add.

Excellent, my father states. Everyone stay in touch.

Renzo breaks the connection, followed by Luca. My father lingers.

Nico, he says, his voice low.

Yes?

You must be very, very careful.

I know.

I hesitate.

What is it? my father asks.

I’ve always believed that we control our own fate. That we could change our future. I am starting to believe that belief has been a fantasy.

My father sighs. I, too, want to believe that we can change things. I have lived my life that way, but the truth is, son, I’m not so sure either. There is something at play here, something that is outside of our control. We must be very careful now. Curses are all in the details.

I’ll do my best, Father.

Fine. Then marry Luna. Get this taken care of immediately.

He breaks the connection without another word.

I lean back in my chair, exhaling slowly. It’s all well and good to say I’ll marry Luna—that it will protect her, give her safety, and buy us time. Plus, it will make me…happy. I am connected to her now, and to sever that bond would be soul-crushing. I just know it.

But I have a sinking feeling that convincing Luna that marrying me is the best idea won’t be easy.