The fire between us didn't come with warning—it consumed.
And when morning came, I wasn't the same girl who arrived at Wolfe Manor days ago.
I was the woman who let the devil mark her with something deeper than touch.
---
Raiden wasn't there when I woke.
Just a note on the pillow:
"Meeting with the Russians. Stay inside. Do not open the door. – R"
That should've scared me.
But instead, it made me feel… owned. Protected.
And I hated how much I liked it.
---
Hours Later – Wolfe Manor, Study
I shouldn't have snooped.
But I did.
I found his second phone. Not locked.
The messages weren't from allies.
They were from a traitor.
Unknown: "Moretti is moving. The girl doesn't know."
Unknown: "Delay another week. She's the leverage."
My breath hitched.
Was Raiden keeping me…
Or using me?
---
Evening – Confrontation
I waited for him in the study, phone in hand.
He arrived late. Bloody knuckles. Eyes darker than sin.
"You lied to me."
He stilled.
"Aria—"
I threw the phone at him.
"You're using me to bait Giovanni, aren't you?"
Silence.
Then:
"Yes. At first."
He didn't sugarcoat it.
"And now?" I whispered.
He walked toward me, slow, deliberate.
"Now I'd kill anyone who touches you."
"Including Giovanni?"
He leaned in, breath warm, fingers grazing my jaw.
"Especially Giovanni."
---
Midnight – Raiden's Bedroom
He held me like I was fragile glass. Not the woman who just found out she was the spark in a mafia war.
"I should hate you."
My voice trembled.
"Then do. But don't leave me."
He kissed my temple.
"You don't know what I'll become if you do."
---
Elsewhere – Giovanni Moretti's Estate
Giovanni sipped red wine. The glass trembled in his hand.
"She's alive."
A voice on the other end replied, "For now."
Giovanni's smile was cruel.
"He took what's mine. It's time he learns I don't forgive."
---
End of Chapter 21