Chapter 25

Pain.

That was the first thing Valentina registered. A deep, pounding ache in her skull, like she'd been hit by a freight train.

The second thing?

She wasn't alone.

Her eyes snapped open.

Darkness. A dim overhead light flickered, casting eerie shadows across the cold concrete walls. She was in some kind of underground bunker. A basement. A holding cell.

Her wrists were bound.

Her ankles, too.

Fuck.

A slow clap echoed through the room.

"You're awake."

Valentina's head jerked toward the voice, her pulse spiking.

Lorenzo.

He was tied to a chair across from her, his lip split, blood streaking down the side of his face. But his dark eyes were alive—fierce, untamed, burning with the kind of rage that could reduce entire empires to ash.

And standing between them—

Catarina.

Still bleeding from the wound Valentina gave her, but smirking like she had already won.

Valentina tested her restraints. Tight. No give.

Lorenzo's knuckles were raw, his shirt torn, but there was something in his expression that sent a thrill down her spine.

He wasn't just angry.

He was plotting.

Catarina stepped closer, tilting her head. "You know, I always wondered what it was about you, Valentina."

She crouched beside her, voice laced with mock curiosity. "What is it that made my dear cousin so... obsessed?"

Valentina met her gaze, unflinching. "Maybe I just taste better than betrayal."

Catarina's smirk dropped.

Valentina didn't blink. Good. Strike a nerve.

Lorenzo chuckled, low and dark. "I wouldn't underestimate her, Cat."

Catarina turned toward him, her expression smoothing back into amusement. "Oh, I know exactly what she's capable of. But you—" She trailed a slow hand down Lorenzo's chest, smearing blood across his skin.

Valentina's jaw clenched.

Lorenzo didn't move, but his voice was lethal. "Touch me again, and I'll rip your fucking hand off."

Catarina smiled, leaning in. "Now that... that's the Lorenzo I remember."

Valentina wanted to kill her.

Catarina's gaze flicked back to Valentina, something calculating in her stare. "You feel it too, don't you?"

Valentina narrowed her eyes. "Feel what?"

Catarina's smile widened. "The tension."

The room crackled with it.

Valentina's heart slammed against her ribs. Not from fear. Not from the danger surrounding them.

But from Lorenzo.

Bound. Bloody. Dangerous.

And watching her.

Like he wanted to devour her.

Catarina hummed, pleased. "You two are fascinating. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object." She sighed dramatically. "It's a shame one of you has to die."

The air turned frigid.

Valentina held Catarina's stare. "You think it'll be me?"

Catarina's smirk deepened. "I think it'll be whoever breaks first."

Valentina didn't blink.

Neither did Lorenzo.

Then, Catarina stood and snapped her fingers.

The door swung open.

Two men stepped inside. Armed. Expressionless.

Valentina braced.

Catarina turned toward them, completely at ease. "Take your time with her."

The words rang like a death sentence.

The men advanced.

Lorenzo lunged against his restraints. "Touch her, and I swear—"

One of the men slammed the butt of his rifle against Lorenzo's ribs.

He grunted but didn't break.

Didn't even flinch.

Valentina's pulse thundered.

Catarina turned to her with a knowing smile. "Enjoy."

Then she was gone.

The door slammed shut.

And Valentina knew—

No one was coming to save them.

---

The Devil Unchained

The first man reached for Valentina.

She moved.

Using every ounce of strength, she yanked her legs up and kicked—her heel connecting with his knee. A sharp crack echoed through the room.

The man screamed as he collapsed.

But the second one was faster.

He grabbed her by the throat, shoving her against the wall, his fingers tightening.

Valentina choked, struggling, fighting.

Lorenzo's roar shook the room. "Get your fucking hands off her!"

The man didn't listen.

Valentina's vision blurred.

Her lungs burned.

And then—

A snap.

The sound of a chair shattering.

Valentina's captor barely had time to react before Lorenzo was on him.

Untied.

Unleashed.

Lorenzo grabbed the man's head and twisted.

A sickening crack.

The body dropped.

The first man tried to crawl away, but Lorenzo was already on him, slamming his knee into his back and driving a blade into his throat.

Silence.

Valentina gasped for breath, rubbing at her throat.

Lorenzo crouched beside her, his breathing heavy, his hands bloodied.

Their eyes met.

The air ignited.

He reached forward, rough fingers tracing the red marks around her neck. His jaw clenched, his eyes dark. Furious.

But beneath the rage—

Something else burned.

Something dangerous.

He exhaled sharply. "Are you hurt?"

Her pulse pounded.

"No."

A lie.

His hand slid to her waist, steadying her. Holding her.

She could still feel the heat from his skin, the raw strength in his grip.

Her body reacted before she could think—leaning closer, craving more.

Lorenzo's voice dropped, low and raw.

"We need to move."

Valentina swallowed hard. "How did you get free?"

His lips tilted into a smirk. Deadly. Wicked.

"You think I'd let them keep me tied up?"

Her stomach flipped.

Fuck.

He grabbed a discarded gun from one of the bodies, checking the clip.

Then he turned to her, dark eyes locking onto hers.

"You ready?"

Valentina smirked, ignoring the way her body burned for him.

"Always."