Page 28 of Depths of Desire (The Emerald Dagger Mafia #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY

I set my wine glass down carefully, get up, and step over to the railing. “This is insane.” My voice is hoarse, barely above a whisper. “You’re asking me to marry you. Not just sleep with you. Not just stay here. Marry you.”

Nico looks almost serene. “I know exactly what I’m asking.”

Doesn’t he understand? “You’re asking me to sign away what little freedom I have left.”

He shakes his head. “I’m asking you to claim the only freedom you have.”

I blink, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

“If you marry me, you choose. You take control of the outcome, Luna. You tip the scales in your favor. If you run, he’ll find you. If you fight, he’ll crush you. But if you’re already married to me… his claim dies.”

“Is that true? His claim to me will go away?”

Nico hesitates for the first time. “It will have less of a chance.

I spin away from him, but then turn back immediately, almost tripping as I do, the way my thoughts are stumbling around my brain. This is crazy. “But, marry you ? Seriously? As in married-married?”

“Yes, Luna. Is that so shocking?” His jaw tightens, and a flicker of something—hurt, maybe—passes through his eyes.

"You say that like it’s a curse." He crosses his arms over his chest, his voice low and edged with steel. "I’m not asking because it’s convenient.

I’m asking because it’s the only way to protect you.

You want to keep running, fine. But don’t pretend this isn’t real between us. "

He steps closer, his gaze piercing mine. "You think I like this? You think I planned any of it? No. But I’d rather bind you to me willingly than watch Malrick claim you by force. So yeah, Luna. Married-married. And I meant every word."

I’m shocked speechless. My heart thuds against my rib cage, and I know he can hear it, but I can't calm it down. He doesn't understand. I don't want to get married. I mean, I certainly didn't want to marry Malrick, but I don't want to marry anyone—at least not anyone connected with the family.

“I just... don't want to be here. I want to be as far away from this as possible.

This life has shaped me in so many ways, and I—I just can't. I don't want any more ties or connections or— Look, Nico, there's no part of this that I want to live.

It's shaped my entire life, and I don't want to be connected to la famiglia anymore.

I appreciate the offer, but there's got to be another way.”

He grunts, “There isn’t.”

"Can you guarantee me that this will stop Malrick from pursuing me? From having any claim on me?"

“I can't guarantee anything, Luna. But it will certainly slow him down.”

I shake my head. "If you can't guarantee me that, Nico, then I don't see the point."

His eyes narrow. “What is it exactly you're so afraid of?”

I don't tell him, but the truth is I like the idea of being married to Nico. Maybe too much. He makes me feel safe and cared for. The sex is amazing. He’s the right guy, just with too much baggage.

I don't like the idea of being married to the mob.

If we could have some other life together—maybe.

But if I marry him, then I will never escape.

I'll settle into life here like Pippa, like Mia, and suddenly it'll take over.

I'll be a mob wife. And this will be my life.

Forever. A life I could pass down to any children I might have.

I lived that life since my birth. And I just don't want that.

"Is it the fact that I'm a vampire?" Nico asks, his voice low, steady—but I don’t miss the flicker of tension behind it.

I blink, caught off guard. I hadn’t even thought about that aspect of it. "You—yes, you know, I just—I can't fathom it…" My voice wavers. My chest tightens. The truth is, it's not that he's a vampire... it's everything else that comes with him.

His eyes darken, the set of his jaw hardening. "So, you can be fine with being in my bed, but you can't be fine being married to me?"

I flinch. "No—yes—but that's not—I mean—" The words tangle in my throat. God, why can’t I make him understand?

His face closes down like a gate slamming shut. His voice turns cold. "I get it," he says, sharp as a blade. "I'm a monster, and you don't want to be married to a monster. Thank you. I understand."

He takes a step back, arms crossed, gaze filled with ice. But I see the crack beneath the surface—he’s not just angry. He’s hurt. Then his voice drops, grave and unyielding. "But let me be clear: you don't have any choice in the matter."

The words hit like a slap. My breath stutters. A rush of panic rises like bile in my throat because beneath the cool delivery lies a truth that chills me more than his fangs ever could. He means it.

He means every damn word.

"What do you mean?" I ask, heart beginning to hammer.

Nico looks me straight in the eye. "You either marry me and hopefully end Malrick’s claim now, as I explained to you... or... well, things won't turn out so well for you."

The air in my lungs turns to ice. "What does that mean, Nico?” I demand, but I fear I know exactly what it means. I swallow hard.

“How will it look for the family—for Renzo—if Malrick's claim on you holds?"

I frown. "I don't know. What's that got to do with it?"

His jaw tics. "Malrick’s winning makes Renzo look weak. And if Renzo looks weak, then people are going to make a play to take over the family. They're going to try to steal our business and break us down. Renzo's not going to let that happen. Nor is my father."

My stomach drops to my knees. "What are you saying?" I ask, but I’m afraid of the answer.

His gaze hardens like steel. "What I'm saying, Luna, is your only option is to marry me. Anything else—as like I said—it won't turn out so well for you."

The words slam into me like a punch to the gut. Sweat breaks out along my back, dampens my palms. My breath catches as the weight of his words sinks in.

He’s telling me—without saying the exact words—that if I don’t marry him… they’ll kill me.

"See?" I say, voice about two octaves too high and shaking. "This—this is what I want to get away from."

Nico starts to say something, but then he cocks his head. “Pippa's here,” he says. “Maybe she can talk some sense into you.”

Relief floods me, and I try to hide the physical signs, but I know Nico knows something's going on. The look he gives me tells me as much. He gets up and walks back into the house.

I take a halting step and collapse into one of the seats around the table. My knees won't hold me. Maybe Pippa can get me out of here. Maybe I can go to the yacht and be done with all this. Because I do not— do not —want to be part of this family anymore.

The door opens once more, and Pippa walks through. She comes over to my side and I try to stand but my knees are still weak. She bends down and gives me a hug, then sits beside me. "What is it? You look pale."

"Nico just said he wants to marry me."

Pippa stares at me for a minute, then nods slowly. "That does make sense. If you marry Nico, then Malrick's claim is negated."

"But I don't want to be married to anybody. I don't want to be married to this family," I say, voice rising again.

She squeezes my hands. "I know, honey. It's hard. And it's not what any of us wanted. But... it's really not so bad."

"That's because you love Luca. I don’t love Nico.”

She cocks her head, raising an eyebrow. "I've seen how you two look at each other when we’re all together. Are you telling me you've been here, and you haven't slept with him?"

I hesitate. The heat crawls up my cheeks.

Pippa grins. "Thought so."

"It's not about what I feel about Nico. It's what I feel about the family. Only, Pippa... my entire family—my parents—they’ve been using me like some kind of bargaining chip. I don’t want that. I want to be free. Truly free to live my own life on my terms.” I take a breath.

“Nico just told me I don't really have an option.

I either marry him, or it's not going to end well for me.” I laugh bitterly.

“You know what that means. There is no upside to this family. I don't want to be part of it."

"It’s not like we thought it would be, honest. You can be happy, I promise you.”

I grind my teeth. Why can’t she hear what I’m saying? "Like I said before, you and Mia are in love with your husbands. And they're in love with you. That makes all the difference."

"How do you know Nico doesn't care about you?" she asks.

"We've only spent a short time together. I doubt very seriously that he cares for me. Sex is one thing, but love is a different ballgame. I want to marry for love, Pippa.” The sex was wonderful, mind-blowing really. Something I might never capture again. But without love, what even is life?

“I know you do, honey, but who’s to say that love won’t grow between you two?—"

"How did you come?" I cut her off.

She blinks. "What?"

"How did you get here?" I ask more forcefully. "Because I'm thinking you can smuggle me out in the trunk of your car. I think that's the only way I'll get out of here."

Pippa frowns. "Oh, that's gonna be a problem."

"What? Did you come in an Uber or something?"

She shakes her head. "No."

I’m mystified. How else could she possibly have come? Then it hits me. I stare at her.

"Don't tell me... they can fly."

"Well, something along those lines."

"Fucking fabulous. How am I going to get out of here?" I demand.

"Luna, I get it. I get that you want to get away. I totally understand it. But I really think you should know?—"

I shake my head. "It's not like you and Mia.

I know you guys are going to live a long time with your husbands, whom you love.

That's not what's going on for me. I'm going to end up being fooled.

And alone. Nico's not going to stick it out with me even if, as you suggest, we magically fall in love, he won’t stay once I get old.

And then what? At some point, you guys have to walk away from everything anyway and reset, because, ultimately, people will notice you're not aging.

No. I want to get out of here. I want to escape.

I want my life back." Actually, I want a brand new life.

"I get it. I really do." Pippa squeezes my arm again. "And I'll try to help you. But I'm not quite sure how we're going to do it."

“What about getting one of Nico’s guys to drive us into town for something? You can claim you lost me in the crowd.”

Pippa opens her mouth to respond, but the door creaks, and I glance over just in time to see Luca step onto the patio, with Nico trailing behind him. I turn back to Pippa, eyes narrowing.

She gives me a guilty frown. "I'm sorry. I didn't really have a choice."

"What do you mean, no choice?"

"Well, Luca wanted to come, and..."

"And what?"

"It was just the fastest way to get here."

"Fan-fucking-tastic. Thanks a lot, friend." I spit that last word out bitterly.

Luca nods at me. I nod back. Then the door opens again, and Mia and Renzo step outside.

“The gang's all here," I murmur.

I look around at the gathering, my stomach tightening. "So what, did you guys all come to convince me to marry Nico?"

Mia sits down on my other side. "Really, Luna. It is the best option."

I say nothing. There's no point in arguing. They won’t see my side of things. And as Nico said earlier, if I don’t do this, they’ll kill me. He didn’t say it in so many words, but I’m not an idiot.

That’s the problem. I understand. I get it. I just hate this family. I don’t want to be a part of this world.

"It won’t be so bad. I promise," Pippa says softly.

"Uh-huh."

Mia smiles brightly. "I brought you a dress."

"Great," I mutter.

"So you’ll do it? You’ll marry Nico? It really is for the best," she presses.

"Sure, I’ll marry Nico.” What else am I gonna say? I figure it’ll take a couple of days. That gives me forty-eight hours at most to plan and execute an escape. I just have to figure out how. One of them will be weak enough to help me. Or gullible enough to believe me.

"That’s great news," Mia says brightly. “Luna has agreed to marry Nico.”

Nico watches me closely, and I can feel the weight of his stare like a vise tightening around my chest. His gaze searches my face with a quiet, predatory patience, as though he’s trying to read all the thoughts I don’t dare say aloud.

I give him a small nod, my fingers curling into fists to keep from trembling. There’s no point in fighting it. Not now. Not when everyone is watching. But deep down, a flame of defiance smolders—I will escape. I might be married when I do it, but I will escape.

"That is good," he says again, but his voice is low, wary. The words sound hollow, like he's testing them on his tongue and finding them bitter.

His brow furrows just slightly, almost imperceptibly, but I catch it.

He doesn’t believe me. And worse—he might be hurt by that.

Not that it changes anything. We haven’t spent enough time together to truly be in love, but I already care about Nico.

And that’s the other reason I want to leave.

He’s marrying me because he feels obligated.

I don’t want a marriage built on obligation—or lust. I want a real marriage.

“I brought a dress, and we can do your hair. It will be wonderful, I promise,” Mia says with an overly-bright smile.

“Wait, what? A dress? What are you talking about?” I feel nauseated.

Nico cuts in. "Malrick Comescu has requested that the vampire Council meet. We’re running out of time."

My heart slams against my ribs, and drawing a breath borders on impossible. "What does that mean?"

"It means a priest is already on the way. We’ll be getting married within the hour."

I shoot to my feet. "What? I didn’t say—wait, an hour?" My knees buckle. I crash back into the seat. "That’s not fair."

"Fair or not, that’s what’s going to happen," Nico states.

Renzo adds, "Mia, Pippa—why don’t you take Luna and help her get dressed?"

" Great idea," Mia says. She grabs my arm.

Pippa follows suit, and together they help me to my feet.

As we pass the kitchen, I spot Carson. "Carson, can we have a bottle of champagne, please? Uh…maybe a couple?"

"Of course, Miss."

"That’s the spirit!" Mia chirps.

But Pippa just squeezes my arm. She knows. She knows I’m not celebrating. I’m trying to get drunk. I’m trying to survive.