Dante (Blood Brothers Book 5) (16 page)

“I think Papa would have killed my mother for what she’d done had Adonis not protected her. He backed off, but Papa knew if she remained alive more innocent women would die, so he gave her an ultimatum: leave the area or he would kill her. She screamed at him and called him
Il Diavolo
and said he was heartless. Slightly insane she might have been, but she was no fool. She and Adonis packed up and disappeared. It broke Papa’s heart to see Adonis leave, knowing it wasn’t likely the rift would ever be repaired between them. I went with Papa and Maria and for the first time in my life, I was truly happy. Anyone could see how much in love those two were. They both cared about me and I grew very affectionate toward Maria. I’d finally discovered a mother’s love. Eventually, Papa brought me over because I’d fallen quite ill from pneumonia. It was often fatal back then. From that point on, we lived a relatively peaceful existence, and our family grew with your arrival, little brother.”
Giovanni smiled as he directed his
gaze toward Dante.

Something tweaked within Dante’s heart. For the first time, he truly felt bonded to this other vampire, his brother. “You were there when I was born?”

“Yes. I held you in my arms when you were just a
bambino
.”

“Why didn’t you
stay
? I don’t remember you!” Dante was suddenly angry for not having known about Giovanni. Why hadn’t he been told?

“Ah, but I remember you and to answer your question, with your birth I was reminded of the brother I’d left behind. With Papa’s blessing, I left his home to seek Adonis out and perhaps reason with him. Despite everything, we had always been close. What I didn’t expect when I found Adonis and my mother was them terrorizing a young witch. They’d murdered her aunt and intended to do the same to her.”

Dante’s gaze fell on
Liliana
. He didn’t need to be told it was she who Giovanni had referred to.

“I’d been away
from them
for
a long time
and a lot had changed. Mother had been practicing black magic for years and Adonis was beginning to dabble in it as well. What was worse, Mother’s hatred for Papa had grown. He was the one who got away, and somehow she convinced herself he was the cause of all her problems. She, in turn, had made Adonis hate Papa
,
too. I
,
sometimes
,
wonder if I
had stayed with my mother and Adonis if I could have changed the course of certain events. But by the time I did return
.
it was too late. T
hey’d b
oth gone more than a little mad
. Despite all the havoc they’d wreaked, I couldn’t kill them. Especially Adonis. I finally understood what Papa had felt all those years ago. I tried to convince Adonis to come away with me, but my mother’s hold on him was too strong. I thought I finally had a breakthrough when he told me he might consider coming with me if I
made him a vampire
.” Giovanni closed his eyes briefly and bowed his head as if that particular memory was an especially painful one.

“F
orgive me, but I did. I thought I was saving him, but I only made things worse. It was all part of her plan. She’d told Adonis to tell me that. He never had any intention of coming away with me. I so desperately wanted the old Adonis back
,
I had been willing to commit any sin. In my mind
,
he was still the loving, sensitive boy I remembered. I’d even seen glimpses of the brother I once knew, but my mother’s hold was too strong. Even after I learned of what she’d done, I still worked on him, and for a little while I thought he just might break away from her, but I underestimated my mother. I should have known she’d use anything in her power to manipulate him.” His face twisted into a grimace of pure disgust.

“What?” Dante asked with bated breath.

“The night we were to leave, I waited for him but Adonis didn’t show at the desi
gnated meeting spot, so I looked for him
. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what I saw.” The blood drained from his face only to be replaced by a greenish hue.

Dante could literally feel his older brother’s anguish. Whatever it was he’d seen
,
must have been so devastating it was difficult to speak about. But Dante had to know.
Needed
to understand. “T
ell us. What did you see?”

Giovanni clenched his hands into tight fists and closed his eyes as though struggling to get the words out. “She was screaming at him and telling him he was nothing. That he wouldn’t make it without her. That he was a hateful demon spawn. She continued to rain insults on his head until he broke down. This was my brother. My
older brother
, the one who’d protected me from the don’s wrath, who made me feel
love
d
in the face of our mother’s indifference, who’d been my best friend. I couldn’t take another second of the abuse she was dealing out and I w
as about to storm into the room and defend him
but something stopped me. I don’t know why, but I stood by the door and continued to watch them.
They were so involved in their spat, neither one of them noticed me or even sensed my presence. My mother then
told him she was the only one who would love and understand him and then she…”

He paused to take another deep breath. “She started to kiss him. On the mouth, in a way no mother should kiss her son. And to my utter revulsion, Adonis returned her embrace. They fell to the floor in each other’s arms. Something told me this wasn’t the first time. That bitch must have been doing that to him for years, probably since he was a boy. Looking back, the signs were there, but I didn’t understand. That night I left and never went back. I stayed away for years, too disgusted to face them, but while I kept my distance those two must have plotted and schemed until the night they killed Papa and Maria. I’d learned of what they’d planned through some connections of mine and how they’d scrawled ‘
Il Diavolo
’ in blood near their bodies. I knew
,
then
,
they wouldn’t rest until you were all dead. So began my dual life. I took on the persona of
Il Diavolo
. Despite their evil deeds, I protected them. Not for her, but for Adonis. I was always one step ahead of you, throwing your organization off the scent. I even employed moles to infiltrate the Underground. Remember Trent Black?”

Dante clenched his fists in outrage. “It was you! You killed him!” He stood up, anger shaking his body.

“He was going to tell you the truth, Dante. I couldn’t allow that to happen.”

“So you were working with Adonis all along!” Romeo accused.

Giovanni shook his head in denial. “No. I kept you from getting to Adonis. There’s a difference.”

“I don’t see much of a difference if you’re protecting him,” Dante pointed out.

Giovanni
raised his chin in defiance, apparently not ashamed of his actions
. “While I was throwing you off his scent for centuries, I afforded you, Romeo, Niccolo, and GianMarco the same protection. I employed agents to penetrate his group as well.” He turned to face Maggie. “Maggie, do you remember our meeting?
It was at the train station. It was I who taught you that chant that saved you on the night of Adonis’ attack. You would be dead otherwise.
”

She slowly nodded in response.
“Yes. I remember now. You helped me.”

“I’ve been there for
all of
you
just as much as I have for him. I’ve been following the Underground making sure to provide backup even when you weren’t aware of it. I’ve had people watching you
,
making sure no harm came your way as best as I could. Sometimes
,
there were problems because Adonis has built quite an impressive army
but now
,
I’ve come to the point I’ve most dreaded for years.
Because
I knew there’d come a time when I’d have to choose a side.” His sounded so forlorn Dante almost
offer
ed
Giovanni comfort
but managed to remain where he was standing.

Dante raised a brow. “And you choose ours?”

Giovanni inclined his head to indicate his affirmative answer.

“Why?” Dante asked.

“Because I
finally realized
I’ve been
protecting the man he once was, not what he’s become. I cannot abide this last scheme. He and my mother have gone too far. As much as it pains me, Adonis has to die.”

Chapter Twelve

“
I feel terribly for Giovanni
. Imagine living like that for hundreds of years, torn
between a memory and a promise.
”
Now that she and Dante were alone again, she couldn’t stop thinking about the heart-breaking story Giovanni had woven.
Shortly after his revelation and more questions from the group
,
Giovanni suggested they retire
to get some much-needed rest. He’d said they all needed to be at full
strength when they finally confronted Adonis and the army of rogues he’d have guarding the children.
Giovanni had pointed out that Adonis’ plan required all of the brothers to be present before he actually enacted his plan which was to kill the children in their presence. He believed resting and then
talking
strategy would be the best course of action.

His proposal was met with dissension from the group
,
who at that point was too keyed up to sit around and play the waiting game
, but Dante had
surprisingly
agreed with Giovanni.
The villa was large enough to accommodate everyone with their own rooms if some of them were willing to double up. Isis was more than a little pleased when Dante had offered to share a room with
her
but he had done little more than pace back and forth across the room with barely suppressed energy. She watched from the edge of the bed with her hands
folded
in her lap.

Finally, he paused long enough to acknowledge her. “I’m sorry for being so distracted but understandably what my brother had to say was a lot to take in.”

“You say that with such ease now.”

“Say what?”

“Brother. Before
when
you mentioned a familial connection with him, it was spoken with a little disdain, but
just
now
,
you said it so naturally.”

Dante gave her a half grin. “You’re right. I didn’t realize it until you just mentioned it. I admit, my guard was up before this meeting and even now a part of me still wants to remain cautious purely out of habit. But
,
I was struck by his sincerity. I felt his pain and it was real. I believe he was telling the truth. It’s odd how strongly connected I felt to him. It’s also incredible how he was there when I was born. I just don’t understand why my parents never told me about him. ”

Isis
’
first instinct was to walk over to Dante and wrap her arms around him for comfort but he began to pace again. “Maybe, they wanted to protect
you
and thought the best way to do it was to keep Giovanni and Adonis a secret.”

“You’re probably right.”

“I can’t imagine what Giovanni must have suffered through as a child, growing up in such an environment. I was fortunate to have a loving family, albeit briefly so to know the depravity of his mother.” She shuddered. “Beatrice…and Adonis. That’s horrible. What kind of mother would do that to her own son? It’s sickening.”

Suddenly, Dante stopped in his tracks and turned to face Isis. “For so many years
,
I’ve been chasing a
dream.”

“I’m not sure I follow you.”

Dante
took a seat on the bed within an arm’s length of Isis. “Everything was so clear before today. I saw this situation in black-and-white. There was a mad rogue who for some reason was hell-bent on destroying my family. His reasons didn’t matter; what did was that I wouldn’t rest until he was dead.”

“I feel a but coming,” Isis prompted when he took a long pause.

“Everything I’ve been conditioned to believe has basically been obliterated. I don’t know which way is up, what’s right or left.
Dio
! I can’t wrap my mind around the fact
that
this has
all been about a woman scorned.”
Dante raked his fingers through his ink black locks, frustration radiating from every muscle in his body.

“It sounds to me like
Giovanni’s mother probably got everything she’d wanted in life because of her looks, but being denied something
—
or should I say someone
—
was more than she could handle. Most people learn to handle disappointment, but having stuff handed to you or never being told
“
no
”
can’t be a good thing. The only conclusion I can come to
,
is there was perhaps some mental illness there to begin with. Besides, practicing black magic for as long as she has may have contributed to her psychosis.”

Dante cocked his head to the side with a look of deep concentration on his face. He
stroked
his chin. “
You’re probably
right, but it galls me that my parents were murdered because some selfish bitch couldn’t get her way. I always believed there had to be some elaborate reason why someone wanted us all dead. Why they’d brutally slaughtered my parents and killed GianMarco’s family. It’s not like my past is squeaky-clean, so I believed my parents
might
ha
ve
done something someone couldn’t forgive, but this
is unacceptable
! Papa and Mama are gone because of the whim of a psychotic narcissist,” he raged.

Isis scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. There wasn’t a thing she could say to make matters better, but at least she could show Dante she was there for him.

Silence fell between them, but she could feel the tension flowing through his body. Now that they were alone
,
she should
finally
tell him about her past association with the Serpent Gang.
It was on the tip of her tongue to do just that when
, Dante turned to face her. He wrapped his arms around her and burie
d his face against her neck and pressed a kiss against her sensitive skin
.
“Thank you.”

“For what?” she asked breathlessly. Only
Dante
had the power to make her forget everything around her except him.

“For being you.”

Her pulse raced and her heart beat a tattoo against her chest. Isis snaked her arms around his waist and snuggled closer. The
bond
between the two of them could no longer be denied. Raising her head for the kiss she knew would come, Isis parted her lips.

“B
eautiful,” he whispered before pressing his mouth against hers in an urgent, hungry kiss. Dante grasped the sides of her face as his tongue plowed forward and he devoured her like a starving man given his first real meal in months.

Beneath the onslaught of his insistent lips, Isis gave back as good as she got, pushing her body against his until the hard wall of his chest crushed her breasts. She me
t his tongue with hers. His taste was amazing
, so wonderfully male and wild.

Her senses reeled and her body shook with need for him. Their interlude on the plane had only whetted her appetite. She wanted more, craved it, and she wouldn’t be satisfied unless this encounter ended with his cock
in
her pussy. Isis
squirmed in his arms, trying to ease the searing heat
between her thighs
. A wild, animalistic need to be possessed by him came over her and
slowly drove
her insane. The raging fire deep within her core spread through her entire being. Her passion unleashed, Isis pushed Dante down, pinning his shoulders to the bed.

Cobalt eyes widened in surprise before she released a low growl from the back of her throat and covered his mouth with hers. This time, Isis controlled the kiss. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so hungry for anyone.
She’d never been so hungry for anyone
. But it only made sense. Dante belonged to her. He was her man and she his woman. Every time they touched only confirmed they were meant for each other.

Isis lengthened her canine teeth as her
arousal grew. Isis nipped his bottom lip
until she tasted the coppery sweetness of his blood which only served to fuel
her savage need for him.

Dante bucked
from beneath
her as
if he
was
making an effort
to break free of her hold, but Isis tightened her grip. She was strong, but
was aware that her strength was no match for his.
Dante could push her off and have her beneath him in the blink of an eye. And she appreciated his willingness to let her take charge. Besides, his mock struggle turned her on.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” he murmured beneath her mouth.

Isis chuckled.
“That’s my line.”
She leaned forward and
ran her tongue along the shell of his ear, tracing its outline and savoring
the taste of his skin.

Dante raised his hips, pressing his erection against her pelvis. A shiver raced up her spine as she remembered how hard and thick his cock was and how it had felt pulsing inside her pussy. It wouldn’t be long before his stiff dick was inside her again, powerful
,
throbbing and taking her to a mind-shattering release. Just the thought of it sent her blood roaring through her veins, heating her from head to toe.

Unable to hold back, she gripped his shirt and
ripped it apart
, baring his chest to her hungry gaze.
Isis smiled
as she gazed upon his taut,
body
. Dante Grimaldi was perfection personified, from his chiseled pectoral muscles to the ripped valleys and hollows of his washboard stomach.
As she
ran her fingers over his chest, her stare locked with his.

“What?
Why did you stop?
”

She slid the tip over her tongue across her bottom lip
. “
I want you so much
.” Did that deep,
guttural whisper belong to her? S
o full of longing and need?
There was no place in the world she would rather be than right here with him in this moment.

His cobalt gaze briefly glowed.
“Then take me,
bellissima
.”

No further encouragement was necessary. Isis lowered her head and circled his nipple with the tip of her tongue before catching the flat disc between her teeth. His sharp intake of breath followed by a low moan prodded Isis to continue nibbling and sucking the now hardened tip.

“
Isis!
What are you doing to me?”

She raised her head long enough to give him a wink. “Taking you. Isn’t that what you wanted?” Isis caressed his taut body, stopping only when she reached the fastening of his pants. She fumbled with his zipper, frantic to see him completely naked.

Dante tried to assist her, but Isis smacked his hand away, wanting to undress him on her own. “No. Let me.”

A grin tilted his full lips. “
Did I mention how much I admire a take charge woman?
”

“No. Tell me now.”

“Isis, I love what you’re doing to me.”

She wished he would tell her how much he loved
her
. Isis was hopeful he’d eventually realize his feelings for her. For now, she’d settle for his body.
Eager to see every single inch of him, she removed his shoes and yanked his pants down his hard, muscled thighs. She pouted. “Underwear?”

He chuckled. “I like to change it up every now and then.”

“Well, these definitely have to go.” Lengthening her nails, Isis ripped his black silk boxers to shreds. “Mmm.” She ran her gaze over his long, blood-engorged cock. He was every bit as thick and big as she remembered.

Dante reached for her, but she pushed him back down, exerting more than a little force. The beast within would not be satisfied until she had her wicked way with him. Placing her palms against his chest, Isis dragged her nails down his body.

Dante gritted his teeth with a sharp intake of breath. “You’re going to be the death of me, woman.”

“But what a way to go.” She couldn’t get enough of the sight of his beautifully proportioned form. It was as if he’d been molded by the hands of a master from a special piece of clay that could only bring forth perfection. She had to taste him!

Moving down his body, Isis pressed a trail of kisses against his abdomen until she reached the nest of dark hair between his thighs. His musky, masculine scent greeted her nostrils, making her want him with a rawness that took her by surprise.

“Stop teasing me,” he growled, grasping the sides of her head and guiding her to his rigid shaft. Dante raised his hips, bringing his cock closer to her lips.

“Ready for it, baby?”

“You have no idea.”

She raised a brow in challenge. “Oh, I think I do,” she whispered, and wrapped her fingers around his cock as she slowly took him into her mouth.