I don’t know quite how it happened, but I somehow went from being alone to becoming part of a group that’s more tight knit than any I’ve ever seen, their loyalty to each other unwavering and constant.
That kind of loyalty is rare—mostly because it can’t be bought or won by threat. It has to be freely given.
I notice several heads turn in our direction as we make our way across the ballroom. Judging from the looks on people’s faces, I’m not the only one who was shocked by Marcus’s reappearance. Not everyone looks as happy about it as I am though.
As we approach Ryland and Theo, their hard expressions relax slightly and they step forward to join us.
“Everything okay?” Ryland asks seriously, while Theo just takes in my freshly fucked appearance and smirks.
“Yeah.” Marcus nods, and Ryland transfers his gaze to me, a question in his eyes.
“Yes.” I echo Marcus’s answer.
Victoria turns toward the four of us, and I swear I can feel hackles rise on the back of my neck as she strides over, her dress’s short train flowing elegantly behind her.
She looks like the kind of person who’s been wearing dresses like this her whole life, but I know it’s a practiced act. Unlike almost everyone here, she didn’t grow up surrounded by luxury and wealth.
That should probably make me like her more than I do.
She stops when she reaches us, the same cool smile I saw on her face earlier returning. Her gaze flicks over me quickly, and even though the glance doesn’t last more than a second, I get the feeling she’s just catalogued every single aspect of my appearance—my messy hair, the bruise on my neck, the pink flush to my skin.
But rather than commenting on it at all, she transfers her attention over to Marcus, holding out her hand. “Luca wants to congratulate us. Come with me.”
His fingers clench around mine, and I can physically feel how much he wants to tell her to go fuck herself, or maybe make good on his earlier promise to me and kill her right now.
But that won’t help any of us.
It would probably get us all killed.
And I just got him back. There’s no way I’m gonna lose him again so soon.
“Go,” I murmur.
Victoria’s gaze snaps to me quickly, her green eyes narrowing. She clearly doesn’t like me giving her future husband permission to do anything.
Well, suck my left tit, you bitch. Too fucking bad.
Marcus’s jaw clenches tight, his nostrils flaring. But he releases my hand and steps forward. Victoria turns on her heel, and the two of them make their way toward Luca.
I’m not sure I can watch this. It’s one thing to tell him to go, another thing entirely to witness him stand beside Victoria and announce his engagement.
But as it turns out, I don’t have much choice.
The orchestra stops playing a moment later, the crowd grows quiet as they register the lack of background music. There’s a small raised dais on one side of the room with a microphone, and Luca steps up to it, framed on either side by Marcus and Victoria.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he says, his deep voice filling the room. It’s the first time I’ve heard him speak, and I can hear the echo of power in his gravelly voice. This is a man who’s used to giving orders and having them obeyed. “Perhaps some of you are surprised to see who has joined us tonight. As you can see, Marcus Constantine is, in fact, alive. And on the heels of that revelation, I have a wonderful announcement. I’ve just been informed that Victoria Tatum and Mr. Constantine are engaged to be married. Please join me in wishing them a hearty congratulations.”
The gathered crowd breaks into applause, although I still see shock in several people’s expressions. Dominic is gazing up at the stage with furrowed brows, his expression unreadable. The Purcells look livid, probably angry that the Constantines are back in the game while there’s no chance at all for Carson to make a sudden and unexpected reappearance. I notice a few other people who look less than happy—either about the engagement or about Marcus’s “resurrection.”
Luca glances to his left and right, nodding slightly at the two people beside him. Then he speaks into the mic again. “May your union be bountiful and blessed. Love truly is a wonderful thing.”
There’s something a little odd in his tone as he says love, as if the word is loaded with meaning.
Huh.
He has to know that this engagement is a complete sham, and I wonder what he thinks of Victoria’s little stunt. From what the guys told me, Luca married for actual love. He cared about his wife so deeply that after her death, he never remarried or even took a mistress.
So what’s his opinion on using marriage as a tool for political gain?
The crowd applauds again, and Luca finally ushers Victoria and Marcus off the dais. He speaks to them for another moment, but without his voice amplified by the microphone, I can’t make out what he’s saying.
The music starts up again as people resume their conversations, and Marcus glances toward me. Although he’s more than halfway across the room, I feel the intensity of his gaze almost as strongly as I did back in the laundry room when our faces were just inches apart. An electric jolt bursts through me, making my already buzzing nerve-endings light up all over again.
Marcus’s posture shifts a little, and I wonder if he felt the same thing I did. He says something to Luca and barely casts a glance in Victoria’s direction before striding back over toward me, Ryland, and Theo.
I watch him make his way across the ballroom, noticing the way his gait hitches a little with each footstep. He’s still in pain, still barely recovered from being shot, and I can’t even imagine how much willpower
