Chapter 358

• VALENTINA
• ~•~
• I cupped Gustavo’s fever-hot cheek with my free hand, my thumb brushing away a streak of dried blood and sweat. His stubble scraped against my palm, familiar and grounding amid the chaos. “No one,” I whispered fiercely, leaning closer until our foreheads touched. His breath mingled with mine—warm, ragged, carrying the faint metallic tang of blood and the spice that was uniquely him. “I didn’t speak to anyone in your circle before that night at Inferno. I was drowning, Gustavo. Working doubles at the café, scraping pennies for Luca’s meds, avoiding anything that smelled like trouble after what happened to my father. Vitale’s man approached me outside the hospital, but I shut it down. I never gave him names, schedules, or access. I chose survival for Luca… and later, I chose you.”