Page 131 of The Devil's Thorn

His stare deepens. “Let him. He won’t live long enough to regret it.”

That shouldn’t affect me. But it does.

Kellan steps toward me. So does Ash.

Rafael doesn’t look at them. But his presence fills the room even in silence. “Take her home. Wait for my instructions.”

Not a suggestion. Not a question. A command.

Still, it doesn’t feel like an order meant to control me. It feels like a promise.

I nod once, holding his gaze for a beat longer, then turn and walk toward the door with Ash and Kellan at my sides. I can feel the way they stay half a step behind me, the silent understanding between us stronger than words.

As the door closes behind us, the tension doesn’t fade. It lingers.

Because we all know…

This was only the beginning.

CHAPTER 9

ISABELLA

10 years old.

The first thingI remember was the sound of wind against the window.

And then… Mama’s voice.

“Bella,” she whispered, her hands already pulling back the blankets. “Wake up, tesoro. We need to go.”

My eyes opened slowly. It was still dark outside. The little snowflakes on the window glowed soft yellow under the porch light. I blinked, confused. “Is it Christmas already?”

She smiled. But it wasn’t her usual smile. It was tight. Her lips trembled a little, like she was holding something back.

“No, baby,” she said gently, brushing hair from my face. “Not yet. But we’re going to play a special game, okay?”

A game?

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. The hallway light was on, and Mama didn’t even let me put on my slippers. She scooped me up in her arms like I was still a baby and held me close to her chest.

“Where’s Papà?” I asked, sleep still in my voice.

“He’s downstairs,” she said. “You’ll see him soon. But first, we’re going to hide, just like hide-and-seek. But the real kind. Like we practiced, remember?”

I didn’t remember practicing. Not really. But she was holding me so tightly I didn’t ask again.

She moved fast, her bare feet soft on the wood floors. I noticed she was wearing her nightgown, the one with the lace collar, and her hands were shaking a little as she unlocked the door to the linen closet.

Only she didn’t stop at the towels. She reached up, touched something at the top of the frame, and suddenly—click—the back wall of the closet pushed in.

A secret space.

It smelled like dust and cedar.

She set me down on the wooden floor inside the small, hidden room. There was barely space to sit, and no light, just the glow from the hallway spilling over her shoulder.

“Mama?” I whispered, my chest starting to feel funny.