tina'

curtains of the Ricchezza villa, castin

de me, his arm heavy and

and beautiful, less cold,

st my thin nightgown, his expensiv

as if I might slip away, but m

tectiveness

father's work on orichalcum...to

would he discard me like

, damn tha

less in tormenting M

only muddied the waters. I was playing a dange

was so damn

th feline grace, but his grip t

is voice rough with sleep as he pulled m

hest. "Let me go, Raffaele. We agreed, I

and coconut. If I let go of the deer, it might run, and I

rabbit's. Truth was, I was fleeing the pull

rself, Raffaele. W

ing a hand across my thigh as

stood and let the nightgown fall, stepping into a f

lentina? Tsk, tsk.

ing. I'm something

e dress like last time, his fing

ara. But remember that I p

e mirror. "Then may th

nd lingering. He was getting too

love with me, then bu

e car?" I asked,

hips. "We'll see. Ready for the

it. I need to check on Mar

en outside her room. No one gets in. I gave her a

udgingly grateful. "You

eturned. "I

room, knocking softly. She opened the d

e whispered, he

aid, pulling her

umb. "Don't cry, okay? I'll be back soon. We'll have a girls' ni

aging a weak sm

hand. "You're safe here.

na," she murmured

rin. I turned, steeling myself, and followe

eminder of the danger we might f

s was tense, the desert

Raffaele said abruptly, eyes fixed on t

Worried about me, o

latly. "You're no

er the r

, just stared a

retreating. The river that once fed empires now bled into du

" Raffaele said, a not

ath catching. "Is tha

ou know your a

st hero. A demigod, two-thirds divine, one-third man. My father believed th

aid quietly, "he searched for

rprised. "You actua

you thought I was just a pretty face, a c

. "Honest

t disarmed me. "It's not just an epic, Valentina. It

w not the man I hated, not the enemy in my b

mpatible it s

" he said in a low voice. "Gods. Grief

oment," I muttere

," he said, leaning closer

k a laugh

came into view, it was half-buried

er's old colleague, Lale-the archaeologist. She stepped

r voice tremble

tever's in there, it belo

wer equally excited whe

d through the ai

Raffaele

ng me with his body as we hit the ground. My face

rough the air.

ele barked. "Get

k with dust and chaos. The tomb-our

inches f