Fragile in Her Grip

ld blin

e behind them-white heat, de

the weight. A single bulb swayed above him in a cold, concrete room. His shirt was

ankles crossed, a gash on

oked..

ic. No

us

were at brunch instead of chained in a tortu

"Where the

do estate. Old wine cellar t

own the hallway. H

sed. "Va

ng her broken fingernail. "T

e hell are

m. "Because I made myself more valuable alive than dead. You,

ado enforcers entered, dragging something between them-a rusted c

e," one of them said,

wanted you dead, you'd already be bl

rd stru

skin agains

, roaring. "Touch h

ng in his hand-a blade, narrow and silver, slid

th you then,"

a jerked against the chains,

alentina, desp

alm. Cold. Then-sho

soft.

ising a child. "Don't break so easily

his funny?"

dn't a

he one that made powerful men stutter, coiled t

now. "Your lapdog squeals louder than

ile va

" she w

n-c

egs swinging up, snapping around the nearest guar

like a sa

ina had already rolled to her feet, using the

it cut thro

tered acros

s the last man fell. And j

ightly, lips parted, eyes blazing

Luca, hands sl

you wanted to know what game you were pla

chains wit

rms numb, eyes still wide. "Yo

teaches faster than words, Luca. You don't survive this world by being l

the first time, he understood why people

as. She was forged-fire, ambitio

im to his fe

has tunnels. We disappear before

idn't

assageways beneath the estate,

er just surviv

coming pa

e wanted

off no wonder age was this fierce , a part of him too feared . What if he tries to free himself fr