Dante (Blood Brothers Book 5) (29 page)

Collapsing to his knees with an arm locked around Adonis’s waist and the other hand still gripping his heart, Giovanni rested his forehead against his brother’s shoulder.

A weak chuckle escaped Adonis’s lips. “Even now
,
you hesitate to kill me? You’ve won. Relish it.”

Though he held Adonis’s heart
,
it was his own that was breaking.
“You know I could never do that.”

A genuine smile crossed Adonis’s pained face. Giovanni could see a
glimpse
of the boy who had once been his best friend.
“No. You couldn’t. That was always your problem, Gio.”

The hot scald of bitter tears raced down Giovanni’s face. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words were forthcoming. One of his favorite memories of the past was when they were children and they’d race around these very castle walls, causing holy terror to everyone in their wake. He thought of those warm summer days when they would swim in the pond. And the times when they’d spin around with their arms straight out,
until they were so dizzy they could barely walk. He remembered the nights when there was a thunderstorm and Giovanni would run to Adonis’s room for protection. His older brother would tell him stories until he fell
asleep
. He remembered the boy with ready laugh, who had a kind word for everyone. That was the Adonis who would remain with him.

Adonis must have felt the dampness against his neck because he stiffened. “Tears, Gio? Be a fucking man and get this over with. Or do you wish to gloat? Do you want to rub your victory in my face?”

Ignoring Adonis’s last statement, he tightened his arm around him. “There was a time you used to care. Is it wishful thinking on my part to think you never stopped?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The protest was weak enough to give Giovanni hope.

“There were several times you could have killed me, and Nya for that matter, but you didn’t. You cared. And you lied
,
too.”

“What are you talking about, Gio? I think you’re reading more into things than you should.” Adonis moved as if to straighten himself but winced
from his obvious discomfort.
His sharp intake of breath told Giovanni he was in pain, but still something kept Giovanni from granting Adonis the sweet release of death’s embrace.

Giovanni raised his head and bit back a cry that rose past his throat. Adonis had lost all color. He was ash white and his eyes were no longer red. They were not even their usual dark blue, but a pale, near white shade. In that moment Giovanni would have gladly traded places, but knew he must continue on his course.

“You said I was never wanted. But that was a lie, wasn’
t it? Someone wanted me around.”

“And who do you think that was
?”

“
You.”

Adonis looked over his shoulder at Giovanni with narrowed eyes. “Not…true.”

“Admit it. At least
,
give me that.
Please
.”

Giovanni closed his eyes, squeezing them tight against the pain coursing within him. Every physical and verbal assault he’d ever received couldn’t compare to this hurt Adonis meted out. “No matter what you feel toward me, Adonis, I never stopped loving you and I’m sorry it had to end like this. Whether you accept my love or not, you have it.”

Just when Giovanni thought he’d be greeted by silence once again, Adonis released a long sigh. “You’re right,” he said so softly Giovanni thought he’d imagined it. “I never s
topped caring about you
,
either.
And…thank you.”

“What for?”

“Not letting them finish me off.”

Giovanni figured by “them” Adonis meant Dante and his younger brothers. “I wouldn’t have allowed it to be any other way.”

“Most of my existence, I craved power, but you had the greatest weapon at your disposal all along: your love.”

“You’re my big brother. Of course
,
I love you. I just wish Beatrice had never gotten
her
hooks
into
you. If only
,
I could have saved you from her clutches…

Adonis shook his head. “It’s true our mother had nothing but malice in her heart, the choices I made were my own and now
,
I must repent for them. “ He
looked around him and his gaze fell on Nya, who stood close by, her expression blank. “Come.” He motioned her to him.

She slowly made her way over and knelt beside him. Adonis reached up and grazed the side of her face with the back of his hand. “
Bella
,
I should have been honest with you, but I thought it made me seem weak if I admit
ted
my feelings. I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I’m sorry I changed
you
before you were fully aware of what that meant but I couldn’t
bear
living without you. I apologize for binding you to me when I had no right. But…I thought perhaps you might love me a little
,
too. Did you?”

Nya hesitated for a second before nodding. “I did. I do. I just didn’t like the things you did and because of
them,
I didn’t want you to know how I felt. But maybe if I had, you—”

Adonis pressed his finger against her lips. “Shh. Not even you could have deterred me from my course
,
my lovely. Don’t blame yourself for the choices I made. When I released you, I knew you hadn’t left the castle and
were
a danger to my plan. But
,
I was just happy to have you close in any capacity. But now
,
my time has come to an end. I release you. And
,
I want you to find happiness and love with someone who can give you the life you always deserved. You’re far to
o
beautiful and full of spirit to carry on as you have. Your joy will eventually come.” He caressed her cheek.

Her eyes suspiciously damp, Nya took Adonis’s hand in hers.

“No tears,
Bella
. May I have
a
final kiss goodbye, my love?”

Nya sniffed as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Adonis’s. When she straightened, she hastily wiped a tear that had
trailed
down her cheek.

“Do it now,” Adonis whispered. “And
,
no more tears for me. This was the destiny I chose.” He closed his eyes.

Giovanni pressed his forehead against Adonis’s. “Goodbye
,
brother.”
While he still had the courage, Giovanni squashed Adonis’s heart in his palm, finishing him off. When his brother drew his final breath, Giovanni wrapped his arms around the corpse and held it close, letting his tears fall at will.

Nya released Adonis’s hand and placed her arm around Giovanni’s shoulder
s
as he rocked his brother back and forth. It was over, and they’d won. So why did it feel like he’d lost the fight?

True, Adonis had masterminded several acts of evil and had perpetrated even more, but it wasn’t him. When one had been manipulated by a self-centered parent who emotionally, physically, and even sexually abused her child to maintain control for her own twisted reasons, it was bound to warp one’s mind.

Giovanni didn’t place all the blame on his mother’s shoulders. Adonis was just as responsible. He’d had the opportunity to break away but didn’t. Giovanni also held himself responsible for not trying to help his brother more. Maybe
,
he shouldn’t have given up his attempts to convince Adonis to come away with him when they were younger.
He
should have stayed around in those lean years, and things wouldn’t have ended this way. Over and over, he replayed
how
he could have done
things
differently.

“It’s not your fault, Giovanni,” Nya said softly.

He didn’t answer, not trusting himself to speak.

In the end, Giovanni did get his brother back, but at the cost of his life.

Dante
leap
t
away from the demon as it waved its arms in the air erratically and emitted green ooze from every pore of its body. The thing’s skin began to ripple as if there were creepy crawlies living beneath the surface. It let out an earthshaking roar before falling to the ground facedown. Slowly, it began to dissolve. Sulfur-scented smoke blanketed its disappearing form until it was a thick, gooey puddle on the floor.

They’d done it. It was finally over. But there was one piece of business he needed to take care of. Glancing across the room, he saw Giovanni kneeling on the floor, his head in his palms and his shoulders heaving. Nya
sat
beside him, her arms around him.
T
here
was no sign of Adonis
,
which
meant it truly was the end.

Unlike his older brother, Dante couldn’t conjure up much remorse for Adonis. After all, he’d set out to do everything within his means to destroy the Grimaldi clan, shaking their foundation and leaving a trail of destruction behind him. The torment and anguish he and his family had suffered was something Dante would never forgive or forget.

A small part of him felt regret, however, because
he’d never known this brother. Maybe
if there had been no
Beatrice
, things could have been different. But he knew there was no point dwelling on the what-ifs. Adonis had signed his death warrant when he killed Dante’s parents and screwed with his family.

And then
,
there was Giovanni. It was clear from the trembling of his body and the raw agony stamped on his face that Adonis had meant something to him. In the short time he’d known his older brother, Dante found Giovanni to be honorable, and if he said there was another side to Adonis, Dante had to take his word. It was
disappointing that
Adonis had let the dark side take over. But
,
all Dante’s sympathy lay with Giovanni. He could imagine what
the older vampire
was going through.

Awkwardness kept him rooted to the spot.
He wasn’t sure if he should go to his brother
and offer comfort or leave him to his grieving
.
He didn’t have long to ponder his question when a hand fell on his shoulder. Dante turned to see Marco, and he immediately knew something was wrong. “What’s the matter?”

“The children. We’ve searched the castle and can’t find them anywhere, but I feel Gia near. Do you think someone is
still
holding them?”

Nya stood abruptly and
joined
them. “I can take you to the children.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when she was surrounded by the others. “Where’s my baby?” Maggie demanded.

“Are they safe?” Christine asked, her eyebrows knitted in worry.

“Yes, follow me.” Turning around without waiting to see who followed her, she
lead his family out of the room.

Dante decided to let them enjoy their reunion. He would see his nieces and nephew later. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to Giovanni and hunched down. Not sure whether he should hug him, Dante kept his hands in front of him. “I’m sorry, Giovanni. I know Adonis meant a lot to you.”

Not bothering to look in Dante’s direction, he nodded. “Thank you. But you and I both knew this was a long time coming. I can’t excuse all he’s done, but Adonis wasn’t all bad. The funny thing is, neither was
Beatrice
. Granted, she was a self-centered, malicious woman, but she was an ambitious woman who lived in a time when a woman’s only commodities were her connections and her looks. She had plenty of the latter and used it to get what she wanted.
I think in a
another
era she might have
been a different person
. But after the demon had taken hold of her soul, there was no hope for her.
She and I were never close, but she was my mother.”

“You’re right, she wasn’t completely bad. She had you.” Dante reached out to take his brother’s hand in a comforting gesture, not caring any longer whether Giovanni would welcome his touch or not.

Giovanni didn’t pull his hand away as a smile spread across his face. “Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that.” He squeezed Dante’s hand.

“You may have lost a brother today, but you have four more and we’d very much like you to be a part of our family, the proper way.”

Giovanni’s smile widened. “I’d like that a lot. These years have been tough, wanting a relationship with the four of you when I knew I had to stay away.”

Dante
grinned.
“You’re going to wish you hadn’t said that because there’s no getting rid of us now.”

Giovanni’s expression turned serious as his smile faltered. “This is what Papa wanted: for all his sons to be together. He never gave up on Adonis, you know. He always hoped to bridge that gap between father and son one day.”

Dante pondered this. It sounded so like his kindhearted papa. “Let’s just hope that wherever he and Adonis are right now
,
they’ll finally get that chance.”

“Yes.”

Silence fell between them for a moment until Dante released his brother’s hand. “Should we go catch up with the others?”

Giovanni shook his head. “You go back to the villa and I’ll join you later to participate in the celebration you and the family are due.”

“Are you sure you’ll be all right on your own?”

Giovanni raised a brow. “Dante, I’ve been alone for longer than I can remember. It’s what I’ve grown accustomed to.”

There was a wealth of meaning in that statement, and it tweaked Dante’s heart to hear the sadness within Giovanni’s voice. “You’re no longer alone.” When Giovanni didn’t answer, Dante sighed. “We’ll head back. Take as much time as you need.”

He stood up
,
then
,
and headed out of the hall when something brushed up against him. Isis, still in wolf form, glanced up at him. With Adonis and
Beatrice
taken care of, he had all the time in the world to deal with the issue of her, but he didn’t want to. Dante didn’t have the energy or the desire to talk to her.

“What do you want?”

“
Is that all you can say to me, Dante
?”

“What exactly would you like me to say to you, Isis? That I forgive you? That I understand you’re a lying whore?”

She reeled back as if he’d kicked her, and for a brief second, he felt ashamed at the harshness of his words. Then
,
he pushed his shame away. She’d done this to herself with her lies. Turning away from the wounded look in her eyes, he left hurriedly, not bothering to look back.