Page 200 of The Devil's Thorn

“I think it’s about you two pretending like you get to police what I do with my body,” I snapped, heart thudding. “I don’t ask about your one-night stands. I don’t question your choices. But the second I do something you don’t like—suddenly you’re offended?”

Ash turned his face toward the window, silent.

Kellan’s voice was quieter now, but colder. “It’s not about what you did, Isabella. It’s who you did it with.”

“Rafael Romanov is the reason we’re even this close to the truth. You wanted me close to him. And now that I am, you act like it’s a betrayal?”

“You crossed a line,” Kellan growled.

“I crossed the line the day I agreed to this mission,” I fired back. “And don’t you dare forget that.”

The car fell into a heavy silence after that. I leaned my head back, breathing hard through my nose, heart pulsing like a drum in my ears. My eyes flicked down to the bruises peeking beneath the sleeve of a jacket I slung over. The scent of him still lingered, rich and dangerous, coiled around my skin like a warning I chose not to heed.

But it was already done. I wasn’t just close to the devil anymore. I’d let him brand me.

And I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to pull away… or sink deeper into the flames.

CHSPTER 16

RAFAEL

The city below burned with lights. I stood at the edge of the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse, shirt unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up, a half-empty glass of something strong and Russian in my hand. New York always felt too loud. Even at night, when the noise dulled to a low hum, it never slept.

Neither did I.

Not lately. Not since Cartagena. Not sinceher.

I thought coming back to familiar ground—steel, glass, power with my name etched into the bones of every wall—would clear my head. But it didn’t. It just made me restless.

My jaw clenched as I threw back another sip, the burn sliding down my throat. Still not strong enough. Not to cauterize the thing festering in my chest.

Isabella.

She was here. In one of the buildings I owned. Close. Because I made sure of it. And I hadn’t seen her in four days.

Four days since I’d tasted her breathless curses in my mouth. Since I’d marked her wrists with leather. Since she fell asleep beside me like it meant something.

I hated that it did.

She wasn’t supposed to get that close. Wasn’t supposed tolookat me like she saw straight through the monster I’d become. But she did. And worse—I let her.

I turned away from the window, my muscles tense under my shirt as I rolled my shoulders and set the glass down. The silence in the room felt thick, the dark marble floors and black leather furniture gleaming under soft light. Cold. Sleek. Controlled. Everything I was supposed to be.

And then— The door slammed open without warning.

Yuri and Nikolai. Both storming in like hell had opened behind them. I didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just turned my head slowly, already feeling the tension shift.

“Raf,” Yuri said, tone too casual. That always meant shit wasn’t.

I set the glass down. “What?”

Nikolai didn’t speak. Just tossed a manila folder onto the table and nodded for Yuri to continue.

Yuri pulled out his phone instead. “Forget the file. Look at this.”

I raised an eyebrow as he scrolled through and then read aloud. His voice lost all humor.

“Blood doesn’t lie. Even when names do.