Chapter 20 Once a monster…
My lips parted on a sharp inhale. Something warm flooded through me, pooling low in my belly, and for one terrible, devastating second, I forgot where I was.
Drunk on the way he was looking at me, like I was a snack he wanted to devour.
He moved.
My instincts screamed at me, and I snapped back to awareness just in time.
I twisted away as his arm came around me, felt the brush of his hand against my back, and threw myself into a backward roll. My shoulders hit the ground, but I used the momentum to spring back to my feet.
My back hadn't touched the floor so it didn't count.
Focus, I told myself fiercely. He's trying to distract you. Don't let him-
He was behind her.
My breath caught. I spun, but it was too late.
He was coming at me with the full weight of his skill, strike after strike, forcing me to defend rather than attack.
I blocked, dodged, and retreated but he kept coming.
And then he was close again. His chest nearly brushed mine as he leaned in, his breath warm against my temple, his lips so close to my ear I could feel the ghost of them.
"Let's end this, shall we?" he whispered.
And in that moment, I understood.
This was why he was Giovanni De Santis. Fighting wasn't just combat to him, it was a game.
He let you think you were winning and that you had a chance. And then, when you were confident or when you thought you'd figured him out, he struck.
His leg swept mine out from under me.
The world tilted. I felt myself falling, saw his infuriating smirk above mine and rage flared hot in my chest.
If I was going down, I was taking him with me.
My hand shot out, grabbing the waistband of his training pants, and I yanked hard, using my falling momentum to pull him off balance.
His eyes widened in surprise just as we hit the ground together.
My back slammed against the stone with enough force to knock the air from my lungs. Giovanni landed half on top of me, his weight pressing me down, and for a moment the world went completely still.
My heart was thundering so loud I was sure everyone could hear it. Giovanni's face was inches from mine, his dark eyes wide with something that might have been shock.
But neither of us moved.
No one said anything. The guards stood frozen, the maids held their breath, even Enzo looked stunned.
And then Giovanni started laughing.
It was a deep, rumbling sound that started in his chest and rolled through him like thunder. His whole body shook with it, and I could feel the vibrations where we were still pressed together.
The sound was so completely at odds with everything I knew about him, that I found myself laughing too.
The tension shattered. Guards began to laugh, maids giggled behind their hands and even Enzo was doubled over, wheezing.
Giovanni rolled off me and stood in one fluid motion, still chuckling. He reached down, offering me his hand.
I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. My back ached, my muscles were screaming, and she was pretty sure I’d have bruises tomorrow, but she felt... good.
"That's the first time in a long time I've actually enjoyed a sparring session," Giovanni said, and there was something genuine in his voice. "I didn't see that last move coming."
Pride bloomed warm in my chest. I’d actually made Giovanni De Santis laugh.
And seeing him like this, relaxed, with the ghost of a smile still playing at his lips, I found myself thinking that just maybe, there was a part of him that wasn't entirely made of ice and violence.
Maybe somewhere under all that darkness was an actual person.
"So," I said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice and failing. "Does this mean I can make my call?"
The laughter died.
Giovanni's expression shifted so fast it gave me whiplash. The warmth drained from his eyes, replaced by something cold and cruel.
He moved toward me, and every instinct I had screamed at me to run.
But I couldn't. My feet were rooted to the spot.
His hand came up, fingers wrapping around my throat. He leaned in close, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
"Don't think I didn't hear about the stunt you pulled," he whispered, his voice soft and deadly. "Trying to call home. Enzo might have been trying to cover for you, but I have ears everywhere, piccola. Everywhere."
Ice flooded through my veins. My breath came in short, panicked gasps.
"I… I wasn't.” The words tangled on my tongue. I couldn't breathe properly with his hand on my throat. "I just wanted to-"
"I don't care what you wanted." His grip tightened, just enough to make his point. "If you try something like that again, if you even think about reaching out to anyone from your old life, you can kiss your little sister goodbye. Do you understand me?"
Horror crashed over me like a wave. "I understand," I choked out.
Giovanni released me and stepped back. I stumbled, my hand flying to my throat, feeling the ghost of his fingers against my skin.
He turned and walked away, his bare back toward me. Sweat still glistened on his skin, catching the light.
The tattoos that covered his shoulders and spine seemed to move with each step. His muscles shifted beneath the ink as he walked further away.
Everyone was silent now. The laughter had died completely, replaced by a tension so thick it was suffocating.
I stood there, watching him leave, my heart racing for entirely different reasons than before.
I’d been wrong.
So incredibly, dangerously wrong.
There was no humanity in Giovanni De Santis. No part of him that could be reached or reasoned with.
He was a monster. And he would always be a monster.