Chapter 29-2

I was almost expecting for Death and Lucrezia to suddenly leap at each other with declarations of love and start making out, but they didn't. Death came to a stop a few feet from Lucrezia, fixing her with an intense gaze. She stared back, her hands curled into fists at her sides. "Oh, my." Havoc nudged me with an elbow, whispering, "Isn't this so touching?" At this point, I already knew that my life was well on its way to being over, so I didn't hesitate to tell Havoc, "Go fuck yourself." Death and Lucrezia paid us no attention. It was as if they were the only two people in the world at that moment. When Death finally spoke, it sounded as if his voice had been put through a blender, it was that broken and harsh. "I've never stopped looking for you." Lucrezia managed a small smile, but there was genuine warmth in her eyes as she looked at Death. "I know." "Is it..." In that moment, Death didn't look like a powerful supernatural being who could bend time and bring people back to life. He looked as if he was staring at everything he had ever loved and lost for the first and last time. He looked human. "Was it wrong of me to wish that you hadn't made it? That you would be shackled here like every other poor soul, just so that I could still be with you?" "I know," Lucrezia said again as she moved closer to him. There were barely a few inches of space between them now, but they still weren't touching. "I know you would have leveled all of Rome just to find me." Death choked out a laugh, a disbelieving expression on his face. "Leveled Rome? Lucrezia, I would have set the world on fire if that meant you and I could be together. Even just for a few moments. And our son..." I was not an emotional person by any means. I made it a conscious habit to keep my face a blank mask, because I didn't like people knowing what I might be thinking or feeling. Yet watching Death and Lucrezia, seeing the way that they looked at each other, made a dull ache stir in my chest. I was positive that was written across my face. Because I recognized that the way Death said Lucrezia's name was the same way I said Hadley's. And it had been four hundred years since Death had last seen Lucrezia, and nothing had changed for either of them. "I know that this is a very emotional time for the two of you," Havoc said, sauntering forward to clap Death and Lucrezia on the shoulders, "and I understand that you want to spend every moment you can together before this nightmare falls apart, but Archer and I have more important places to be at the moment. We'll be going now. I hope you don't mind." He stepped back, moving towards me. I felt a wave of fear crash over me as I saw the look on Havoc's face. Christmas had come early for him, it was obvious, and he was going to enjoy whatever pain he was about to inflict on me immensely. That I knew for a fact. My heart pounded erratically against my chest, my palms were sweating, and I felt bile rising in my throat. This was it. This was it. I was going to die. And I realized right in that moment that I wasn't ready to die. I didn't want to die. I wanted to live. But if dying meant that my family would be safe, that they would live, I'd do it a thousand times over. "You know, I really do have to thank you for showing up right at the eleventh hour, Death," Havoc was saying delightedly. "It's making this whole ordeal that much more enjoyable, knowing that you're going to have to leave your darling wife all over again. I don't even mind that the bitch ended up stuck as a spirit, because this is so much better. At least you'll get to say goodbye, unlike the first time. But I can imagine it's going to hurt a hell of a lot more now than it did then." Havoc moved closer to me, and I knew that the end was about to finally catch up with me, but before he could lay a hand on me, Lucrezia spoke. "If you so much as lay one finger on my nephew, I'll personally ensure you never see the light of day again." Death, Havoc, and I all spoke incredulously at the same time. "What?" Lucrezia had just called me her nephew. Whatever this nightmare was must have affected my hearing, because there was no way I had heard that correctly. "I believe you heard me correctly," Lucrezia said dryly. "Archer is my nephew. Granted, there's a good few greats heading the title, but he's still my kin." "Lucrezia, are you serious?" Death demanded, looking back and forth between the two of us in astonishment. "Quite serious, I assure you," she said, looking to Death. "Archer is Valente's grandson." "Who?" I said in confusion. "I don't even know who - " "Valente was my brother," Lucrezia told me. "He's your ancestor through your grandfather Ceasario's line." There was no way I could be positive if Lucrezia was telling the truth or not, because I knew next to nothing about my grandfather's family line. He had died when I was barely four years old. "What difference does that make?" Havoc snarled, stalking towards Lucrezia. "Your family line is irrelevant. There is nothing you can do to save that boy." Any person in their right mind would have immediately run for the hills being approached by Havoc like that. Lucreciza did not. Even though Havoc had several inches of height on her, she only moved closer. I could practically feel the hatred rolling off of her in waves. "Is it?" she said, her voice smooth and deadly soft. "You really ought to read the Edict more closely. The debt for Archer's death was never paid, true, and you're here to collect. But you're not taking him." "Oh?" Havoc said, arching an eyebrow. "And are you going to stop me?" "I am." Death seemed to understand what Lucrezia was hinting at, while I stood there in utter confusion. The look on his face was physically painful to witness. "Lucrezia, please." Something registered with Havoc then, and his teeth clenched together with an audible snap. The expression on his face was pure, unadulterated fury. "You want to do a trade." Lucrezia smiled. "I don't just want to do a trade. A trade is what's going to happen." An alarm went off inside my head. "You want to do a what?" I said, sounding winded. Death, Lucrezia, and Havoc paid me no attention. "And just what makes you so sure I'd accept your trade?" Havoc said to Lucrezia. I could tell it was difficult for him to keep back the anger boiling underneath the surface. I didn't want Lucrezia to be the one he finally snapped at.