Lucien's POV,
Elara is nowhere to be found. After miraculously salvaging the remaining crumbs of our shattered partnership with the Abbruzzo, she mumbled an excuse to herself and left.
I shake my head once. I shouldn't care. I asked her to stay in my sight.
When I turn to get another drink from the busboy, someone beelines towards me. I grimace and try to avoid his eyes.
"The young wolf!" He spreads his arms in greeting, and I raise my glass. "It's been, what, five years?"
"Not long enough, Virelli." I mutter, "Where's my money?"
He tries to laugh it off. "Haha, we heard about the wife. Where's she?"
For some reason, the new heir of the Virelli Mafia dynasty pisses me off. I sigh when I remember Alvin Virelli, his brother, who died in a suspicious car crash.
How far the apple falls…
"None of your business." I turn, clearly ending the conversation, but he blocks my path again.
"Come on, don't be like this." He grins. "We were almost in-laws; I supposed we'd have some…"
"You supposed wrong." I push the wineglass to his chest, shoving him back, and walk out.
To my utter annoyance, he calls out again, "You have to divorce her."
"You want to repeat that?" I ask slowly, tilting my head, and he drops the glass I gave him on the nearest table.
"You promised to marry the daughter of the patriarch…"
"No, my father promised." I take a step closer to him. "I don't account for my father's promises, the same way I don't account for his sins."
"But we still owe you."
"Yes, you're going to pay me every penny."
"That wasn't in the contract, Kórvac."
"I suggest you," I loom over him, "choose your next words very carefully."
"You are to honor and serve your father's words." His voice goes lower, and he looks left and right. "I'd hate for certain matters to implicate this discussion."
My eyes flare, and he comes closer. "I hear your wife has a son, one that may not be yours, and even if he is, he's a basta…"
I didn't let him finish. I punch the remaining word back into his mouth.
The music abruptly stops, everyone stops moving, I hear a shrill scream, and when I look up, I see her standing and looking down from the balcony.
I take a table napkin and clean my knuckles while still looking at her. Her green eyes burn intensely from where I stand, and suddenly, her lips curve into a smile.
A wicked, impressed smile.
Then she turns and walks away. The surrounding people went back to their business, since this was normal in our world. I'm surprised I'm the first person to lay a punch, in fact.
"What did he do?" A young girl about Solis's age comes between Matteo and me. "This can call for war!"
I furrow my brows. Is this girl stupid? I roll my eyes when I remember who she is.
"A…Anya," Matteo holds his daughter. "Shut up, it's just a disagreement between friends."
"Listen to your daddy, girl." I spit, and she flinches a bit, but her eyes don't drop.
Brave girl. I smirk. "Have you found my maid yet?"
She shakes her head, and I reach out to flick her blonde curls.
"Better get to it then."
Then I leave and go upstairs to my wife. She's facing the dark sky when I arrive, then, as if sensing my presence, she turns with a smirk.
Part of her green dress flows with the clipped wind, and I step outside, too. For a moment, there's silence as she leans her hands and back on the balustrade, throwing her head behind her while I face forward.
Ready to catch her if she fell.
"How do you wish to die, Lucien?"
She suddenly whispers, and I turn to find her staring at me. She's drunk.
"Fighting the good fight for my people."
"Hm. Liar."
"Maybe," I shrug, and move closer, placing my hand on the small of her back to lead her forward. She's drunk, so no telling what she could do.
"I want my last breath to be a sigh of relief," she whispers when I tug her a bit closer. "I want to have stopped running by the time I'm to go."
I drag her hair gently so I can look into her eyes. "What are you afraid of, Cara?"
For a second, I think she's finally going to tell me something, but she reaches out and runs her fingers through my hair.
"I hate you," she whispers, and I purse my lips.
"I know, sweetheart."
"I should hate you."
"Yet, here we are."
"Here we are," she giggles and lets go of me, pushing herself off, too. "Promise me I'm the only enemy you have, Lucien."
"You're not my enemy," I say, pinching the bridge of my nose, and she puts her hands on her hips.
"Bullshit." She pauses, then looks around. "Will I remember this night?"
I look at the empty bottle of strong red wine beside her and grimace. "Likely not."
"Alright."
"I'm not your enemy…"
"I know who you are." She drops suddenly, then turns to face the stars. Except there are no stars in the night sky tonight. "I always knew. And I planned to give you the benefit of the doubt by leaving Asher with you for a while before stealing him from right under your nose."
"But he likes you." She hisses, "Why does he like you? Why does he like your world? After everything I've done to keep him away. Tch."
"I was going to kill you tonight." She plucks the brooch from her chest and flips it in her hand. "I wanted to. But I changed my mind."
"For our son..."
"No," she shakes her head and throws the brooch over the balcony. "Not for our son, not for any reason in particular."
"What are we doing, Elara?" I ask, coming closer to her and running my hand through my hair. "One minute you're planning an escape; the next, you're promising to stay. What's your plan?"
She's silent for a while, and suddenly, she sits on the floor! I immediately reach out to get her up, but she stops me with one lift of her hand.
"My plan is to survive." She looks to her right, and the dim light coming from the balcony made me see the tears glistening on her cheeks. "I thought freedom was what I wanted, but liberty isn't enough."
She wipes her cheek. "What I desire doesn't even have a word yet, I guess."
I bend to cup her cheek, and she leans in. For the first time since I knew Elara, I don't see a weapon or something constantly trying to fight.
She's just a child.
"You won't die with a sigh of relief." She looks up at me, and I love the view. I look like her master, as if with a flick of my wrist I could easily break her neck, which I could. "If you run, you won't die like you want. You'll die worn out."
"I'll survive," she whispers. "I always do."
"Not with me, you won't." My hands drop to her neck, and I squeeze a bit. Her eyes cloud with lust, and my cock twitches in my pants.
"And when my time is up, will I have done enough?" She's barely speaking now. "Will they sing the songs of Elara Solis, the girl who fought through fire and brimstone to just survive?"
I smile and bring my forehead to hers. "They will. And if they don't, I'd burn everything to the ground to silence the world until it's only your name worth remembering."
"You say I won't remember tonight, right?"
I nod, and she looks up at the sky. "I want to go home, Lucien. Take me home."
With that, her face relaxes, and her eyes close. She's sleeping. What a calm drunk.
But before she slowly drifts off completely, I see her lips moving, and I move closer to hear what she is saying.
"...say don't worry, Asher. Your father will keep us both safe."