Page 44 of Depths of Desire (The Emerald Dagger Mafia #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

N ico lunges. In one brutal, desperate motion, he drives the dagger upward—into his mother’s heart.

The sound she makes isn’t human. The high, shrieking wail rips through the chamber like a storm breaking.

The mirror shatters. The black water in the bowl boils and explodes. The skull cracks down the middle.

The force field detonates with a shockwave of power. I stumble back, wind knocked from my lungs. Nerezza stumbles, too, her hands clutching the hilt of the dagger buried in her chest, eyes wild with disbelief. She gasps as blood spills down her front. But it’s too late. The ritual is complete.

The power which shimmers like a cloud over Nico, power meant for her—has nowhere to go.

I watch in horror as it darts toward Nico, disappearing into his chest. He convulses on the altar, the magic pouring into him like liquid lightning.

His eyes roll back and then open again, glowing with a light I’ve never seen before.

The candles snuff out., plunging the room into darkness. Then light flares again—from him.

Nerezza screams, her body lit from within by the backlash of the magick she tried to steal. And then she charges. Blood pouring from her chest, power leaking from her fingertips, she moves toward Nico with murder in her eyes.

“No!” I scream. But it’s not me who stops her. A blade flashes. My breath catches.

Leonardo has stepped from the shadows, sword raised. With one clean stroke, he brings it down. Nerezza’s head leaves her neck. Silence slams into the room. Her body crumples, and dark, viscous blood spreads across the stone floor. The smoke curls around her like mourning veils.

And Nico—Nico lies nearly motionless on the altar, only his chest rising and falling. Power still glows faintly beneath his skin, like embers beneath ash. He’s alive. And that’s all that matters.

“Nico,” I yell as I run to him. “Oh god, Nico?”

He stares at me, but slowly his eyes seem to focus, and his face erupts into a smile.

“My love.” And then he frowns. “I am so sorry I wasn’t there for you today.

I would have been there if I could have.

I shouldn’t have left you on your own. I should’ve brought help to find Esme.

Please forgive me for leaving you on your own. I am so, so sorry.”

My anger melts away. After everything he’s just been through, for his first thoughts to be about my discomfort humbles me. Tears cloud my vision. I blink them back. “I’m just so glad you’re okay,” I say, and then lean down to kiss him.

Before I can close the distance between our lips, Morwenna grabs my shoulder. “I’m not sure exactly what happened. He could still be…” she seems to search for a word.

“Electrified?” I supply.

She smiles. “Yes, electrified will do nicely. Let me just make sure he’s okay.”

Nico grins at me and then squeezes his eyes shut, and I realize he’s actually in pain. “Nico, are you hurt?”

His brothers are next to me in an instant, and so is Esme. She wraps an arm around my waist and draws me back a step so Morwenna can get closer.

“I am so sorry,” she says. “I know Nico came to find me instead of attending the vampire council. It must have been so difficult there on your own.”

I turn to her, and the jealousy evaporates. I see only kindness and concern in her eyes.

“I…had his brothers and father, so it was…fine.” It was anything but fine, but there’s no point in dwelling on that. “I’m glad you’re okay. I know Nico values your…relationship immensely. He would be crushed if anything happened to you.”

She smiled. “Nico and I are connected through magick. We’re like brother and sister. You are connected to him through that same magick, and so you are also connected to me like a sister.”

As soon as the words leave her mouth, I know they are true. She is my sister. “I’ve never had a sister, but I think…I think it will be fun.”

Esme laughs, “Oh, girl. It will be so much fun, I promise.”

“Stop your plotting, you two,” Nico says weakly but with a smile.

Morwenna, who had been standing with her eyes closed and her hands hovering over Nico’s chest, mumbling words under her breath, straightens and opens her eyes.

“Niccolo, I am unsure exactly what magickal powers have been bestowed on you. Since you did not perform the ritual but were part of it, I do not know if you now possess all the skills your mother wanted or just some. It will take time and study to discover exactly what happened.”

Nico nods. “So, I might not possess magickal powers even though the magickal energy went into me?”

“You definitely have some,” I blurt out. “You’re glowing.” And he was. Just like all the other magickal creatures I have ever come across.

Morwenna smiles. “I see you, too, possess some magick.” She pats me on the shoulder. “We will have to chat about it.” She turns back to Nico as he tries to sit up, but his brothers have to step in and help him.

“You do have magick, there’s no doubt,” Morwenna continues, “but I’m just not sure how much or how it will come out in you. We’ll have to take our time and discover it slowly. In the meantime. I want you to go home and spend time resting in bed.”

Nico looks at me with a wicked grin. “Music to my ears.”

Heat fills my cheeks.

Morwenna turns to Leonardo. “We need to speak,” she says and walks toward the back of the church. Leonardo squeezes Nico’s shoulder and then follows the witch.

“You had us scared there for a minute,” Luca says.

“Yeah, imagine how terrifying it was for me.” Nico meets his brother’s gaze. “I am sorry that I did not believe you about Mother. I should have listened to you over the years, Luca. You and Renzo,” he nods to his brother. “Maybe all this could have been avoided.”

“No,” Esme shakes her head. “This was fated. There was no avoiding this.”

Nico lets out a breath. “Did you kill Malrick and his goons?”

Renzo frowns. “We got the goons, but Malrick ran like the coward he is. I’ll put out the word, and we’ll find him. He can’t hide under a rock forever.”

My stomach drops. I didn’t realize Malrick got away. A shiver runs down my spine, but I catch Nico staring at me and force myself to let it go. “Can we go home?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Nico responds, and his brothers help him off the altar. “I need a stiff drink and then my bed. Not necessarily in that order,” he says with a wink.

I shake my head, but I am overjoyed that my husband, my husband, is okay. My heart is full.