Ghosts of the Inferno

The city never truly slept, but tonight, it felt more restless than usual. Luca and Elena sat in the dim glow of their apartment, the weight of the stranger's words pressing down on them like a vice.

Adrian's empire didn't die with him.

Elena exhaled sharply. "If this is true, if someone is trying to resurrect Adrian's legacy, we need to find out who."

Luca rubbed his temples, his mind a storm of memories. "I saw him burn, Elena. There was nothing left."

"Then why does it feel like he's still here?" she whispered.

Luca didn't have an answer.

A knock at the door snapped them both into alertness. Luca reached for the gun hidden beneath the coffee table and signaled for Elena to stay back.

He opened the door just enough to see who it was.

Dante.

Luca exhaled and let him in. "You could've called."

Dante walked in, his expression dark. "You needed to hear this in person." He tossed a manila folder onto the table. "We have a problem."

Elena flipped it open, her breath hitching as she scanned the contents. Photos. Reports. Surveillance images.

Of Adrian.

Alive.

Luca snatched a photo, staring at it in disbelief. The man in the picture was older, his face marked with new scars, but there was no mistaking it.

Elena covered her mouth. "It can't be."

Dante ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know how, but he's back."

Luca clenched his jaw, his grip on the paper tightening. "Then we finish this. For good."

Elena met his gaze, her own filled with fire. "Together."

Dante sighed. "Then you'd better be ready, because if Adrian is really back…"

He looked at them both grimly.

"He won't stop until you're dead."

—

Next Chapter: Fire and Blood – Luca and Elena prepare for a war they thought was long over.