Page 141 of Thorns of Death

I nodded and watched him walk out the door, not realizing he’d left us in the jaws of the wolf.

FORTY-EIGHT

ISLA

With Enrico gone, I made my way back to our bedroom. But sleep refused to find me. I stared at the ceiling, wide awake, hoping Enrico would be back by sunrise. I didn’t think I was paranoid, but I swore I kept hearing hushed voices, and it was starting to freak me out.

A loud thump had me jumping upright, glancing around. I held my breath as I listened, but only silence followed. The heavy weight in the pit of my stomach warned me something was amiss.

Yet, I couldn’t sit still and wait. Not knowing whether Enzo and Amadeo were sound asleep in their rooms, I slipped out of bed and decided to go check it out. Maybe Enrico was back home and the voices I was hearing belonged to him and Manuel. I slipped on the robe that would cover more of my body than these silky pajamas and made my way out of the bedroom.

A clock somewhere struck three and had me startling against the wall, cutting my breath off. My hand on my chest, I tried to ease my heartbeat. Just then, I thought I heard a voice. Or maybe it was a laugh. Low. Suppressed. Unnatural.

It sent cold shivers down my skin, almost as if someone had touched me.

“Who’s there?” I whisper-cried out.

A moan. A gurgle.

My sixth sense flared and I rushed to Enzo's and Amadeo’s rooms that were in the opposite wing of this castello. As I ran, keeping my footsteps silent, I cursed for not having them closer. Something wasn’t right, and they were too far away.

Ignoring my fear, I rushed to their bedrooms. I shot open the door and rushed to Enzo’s bed. I shook him hard. “Wake up,” I hissed.

He groaned and I covered his mouth. His eyes shot open and our gazes met. “Shhh,” I murmured. “Someone is here. Get up.”

He blinked a few times, then immediately jumped out of bed. We ran to the adjoining door of Amadeo’s bedroom.

Bang.

I fell to my haunches and shook Amadeo frantically, panic growing inside me by the second. His eyes shot open. “Ma che cazzo.”

I placed a finger to his mouth. “I think someone’s in the house,” I whispered. “Let’s go.”

Sleep clearing from his eyes, he swiftly jumped out of the bed and grabbed his phone. His expression turned blank, yet I knew deep down he feared it was his mother here to finish the job. My chest clenched tightly, making it hard to breathe.

“Lead the way, Enzo,” I whispered. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Enzo and Amadeo shared a glance. “You should be in the front,” Enzo reasoned.

“I can’t remember where the safe room is,” I lied. He was crazy if he thought I’d let him be my guard. I crept to the door and checked both ways. The hallway was clear. “Now stop wasting time. I’m right behind you.”

Trembling with anxiety, the three of us staggered down the hallway. The guards were nowhere to be found. Until we reached the end of the hallway, by the top of the stairs, where a bleeding body lay. I clutched both boys.

“Let me check if the coast is clear,” I rasped. Both of them shook their heads, but I ignored them, shoving them behind me. My hands shook as I staggered toward the body. I kneeled down, checking for a pulse. There wasn’t one.

Glancing around, I watched each dark corner while holding my breath.

We crept downstairs, both of the boys at my back, and kept our bare feet quiet against the marble. Enzo steered me toward the back of the house.

“Safe room,” he mouthed.

I nodded, following his gaze. It was on the other side of the hallway. So close but so far away.

“Go open the door,” I whispered. Enzo and Amadeo made their way to it when I spotted the light under the living room door. I heard hushed voices.

The door opened and I froze. I stared into the eyes of the man I had seen back in Russia, guarding Sofia Volkov’s daughter. Yet, he was here now. How could that be? How did he get in the house?

I took a step back. Dark, menacing eyes followed my every move, the side of his mouth twisting into a snarl.