Chapter 29 Seraphine
I knew Dante was wealthy.
I did not know he lived in the godsdamn clouds.
The private elevator opened directly into his penthouse—no hallway, no neighbors, just polished black marble stretching beneath my boots and floor-to-ceiling windows wrapping the entire world in glass. The city lights glittered below us like someone had spilled diamonds across a velvet cloth.
It didn’t feel like a home.
It felt like a kingdom.
And Dante walked through it like a king.
Three women and one older man were already lined up near the entry—maids dressed in sleek black uniforms, a stoic butler in a tailored suit, and a chef wearing an apron embroidered with an ornate crest I didn’t recognize.
All of them bowed their heads the moment we stepped off the elevator.
“Welcome home, sir,” the butler said.
Dante gave a curt nod, then turned slightly toward us.
“This is Seraphine Vale,” he announced, voice steady, commanding.
“And this is Amara Dray.”
Amara lifted a hand. “Heyyy. Love what you’ve done with the sky palace.”
I elbowed her lightly.
Dante continued, unfazed.
“They’ll both be staying here until further notice. Prepare two bedrooms immediately. And add their preferences to the meal schedule.”
The staff nodded as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
“Of course, Mr. Vescari,” the chef said. “We’ll start at once.”
Amara blinked at him. “Wait, hold on. Both of us? Why me? I didn’t get the death text.”
Lucian gave her a sympathetic wince. “Yeah… about that.”
Dante didn’t slow his stride as he walked deeper into the penthouse, motioning for us to follow. His hand lightly brushed the small of my back as he passed.
Even that tiny touch nearly melted my knees.
We followed him through a hallway lined with dark wood paneling and golden sconces, and at the end he pushed open a set of double doors.
My breath caught.
The office beyond was breathtaking—dark oak floors, towering bookshelves, and a massive obsidian desk facing a wall of glass that opened up over the entire city. The skyline stretched endlessly, neon and moonlight shimmering across steel buildings and distant water.
I drifted toward the window without thinking, hands resting on the cool glass.
“Oh my God…” I whispered. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s just a view,” Dante said.
I glanced back at him. He was watching me, not the skyline.
To him, maybe it was just a view.
To me, it looked like another world.
Lucian cleared his throat behind us. “As for Amara—”
Amara crossed her arms. “Yeah, what about me? Why am I suddenly in witness protection?”
Lucian stepped beside Dante, expression serious.
“The message was sent while you were with Seraphine,” he said. “Which means whoever sent it knows she wasn’t alone.”
I felt my stomach sink.
“So… they think she’s connected to me?” I murmured.
Lucian nodded. “Exactly.”
Amara’s face paled, but she lifted her chin. “So if someone wants to get to Sera… they might go through me.”
Dante spoke softly but with absolute authority.
“They will not touch either of you.”
Amara’s eyes widened just slightly before she smirked and nudged me. “Well damn. I get a sky mansion out of it, so I’m not complaining.”
I exhaled shakily. “Amara… you shouldn’t have to stay here just because someone might—”
She grabbed my hand.
“Nope. We’re not doing that. I’m safer here than my apartment above the tattoo parlor. And I’m not leaving you alone with the Dark Prince of Downtown until your nerves settle,” Amara said.
Lucian wheezed. “The what?”
Amara gestured dramatically toward Dante.
“Him. You’re telling me he doesn’t give off mysteriously wealthy crime-royalty energy? Please. If he had a cape, he’d billow it on purpose.”
I covered my face with my hands.
“Oh my God.”
Dante’s mouth twitched — the briefest hint of amusement.
“That name is… new,” he said.
“Get used to it,” Amara said cheerfully.
Lucian snorted. “I love her.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “This is too much. I can’t stay here indefinitely.”
“You can,” Dante said firmly. “And you will.”
His voice made my pulse spike.
“I know this is overwhelming,” he continued. “But you’re in danger, Seraphine. And I will not risk your safety.”
“But I can call my brother—”
“No,” Dante said immediately.
I frowned. “You don’t even know him.”
“He’ll panic,” Dante said. “He’ll overreact. And he’ll bring—what was her name?”
Amara snapped her fingers. “Carol.”
Dante nodded solemnly.
“Yes. Carol. The woman who looked at Seraphine like she wanted to fumigate her.”
Amara choked. “NOT fumigate—!”
Dante shrugged.
“If the shoe fits.”
I groaned. “She’s just… judgmental.”
“She called you ‘a lot to handle’ on a first impression,” Dante said flatly. “I should’ve broken her chair.”
Lucian muttered, “You still can.”
“Anyway!” I said loudly before this got out of hand. “I’m fine. Really.”
“You’re not,” Dante said. “You were threatened. That changes everything.”
Amara nodded. “Sera, honey, shut up and let the hot man protect you.”
Lucian clapped his hands. “Thank you.”
Dante stepped closer to me, his heat unmistakable even from a foot away.
“You are not alone in this,” he said quietly. “Not anymore.”
My stomach flipped.
My chest tightened.
Something warm and terrifying settled behind my ribs.
“Follow me,” Dante said softly.
Amara grabbed her bag. “Lead the way, Prince Darkness.”
Lucian laughed. “She’s going to keep calling you that.”
Dante ignored them both, pushing open another hallway lined with soft lights.
I followed.
Because for the first time in days, despite the fear and chaos and danger—
I felt safe.
Maybe too safe.
Dante didn’t slow down, and I had to take quicker steps to keep up with him. The hallway shifted from dark wood to warm lighting and cream-colored walls, opening into a dining room so elegant it belonged in a magazine.
A table of polished walnut ran nearly the entire length of the room, surrounded by high-backed chairs upholstered in deep burgundy. A chandelier hung overhead — not crystal, but something sculpted, modern, almost shaped like twisting metal flames.
There was a sleek bar against the far wall, stocked with every type of alcohol imaginable.
Amara whistled.
“Holy shit. If I lived here, I’d start speaking with a fake accent.”
Lucian grinned. “You already do.”
“RUDE.”
Dante ignored them both.
“This is the dining hall,” he said, motioning around. “Meals are served here unless you request otherwise. The kitchen is through there—” he pointed left “—and if you need anything, you can ask any member of the staff.”
I nodded, still absorbing everything. “It’s… beautiful.”
His gaze flicked to me. “I’m glad you like it.”
My chest tightened in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
And then—
His phone rang.
A low, vibrating growl of a ringtone.
Dante’s entire body went rigid.
Lucian stopped mid-step.
Even Amara shut up.
Dante slowly pulled his phone from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and something dark flickered across his expression.
Like a shadow crawling under his skin.
I leaned slightly to see the screen.
KAEL DRAKOV — Incoming call