Chapter 61
Aria’s POV
The night was too quiet.
I should’ve been sleeping–curled up in the warm bed, safe between them like I always was. But instead, I was too hot, too restless. The air felt heavy, pressing against my skin like something was about to happen.
I blinked up at the ceiling, my mouth dry. Ugh. I needed water.
Carefully, I slipped out of bed, trying not to make a sound. The cold floor sent a shiver up my legs, but I ignored it, padding softly toward the door. I didn’t want to wake them. Matteo, Dante, and Enzo weren’t exactly deep sleepers, and the last thing I needed was one of them waking up and dragging me back to bed.
The hallway was dark, but I knew the way. I’d done this a hundred times. Kitchen, water, back to bed. Simple.
Except.
Something felt off.
I paused just outside the kitchen, my breath hitching.
The air was different. Thicker. Charged.
I swallowed. Maybe I was just imagining it. Maybe I was just tired.
Then a voice curled through the darkness, soft and taunting.
“She wandered right into our hands.”
I froze. My stomach dropped.
Matteo.
My breath caught in my throat, and my pulse jumped. No. No, no, no.
A second voice, lower, rougher. Dante.
“She’s not running.”
My heart was racing now. I could hear it. Feel it. Every nerve in my body screaming GO.
And then, the final voice. Enzo. Calm. Dangerous. Commanding.
“Yet.”
The moment that single word left his lips, my body moved on instinct.
I bolted.
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My feet slapped against the floor, my breath coming in fast, panicked gasps.
I didn’t know where I was running. I just knew I had to.
Behind me, I heard them move.
They didn’t run immediately. No, they liked to play. They liked to make me think I had a chance.
But I didn’t. I never did.
A dark laugh echoed behind me.
“You think you can get away from us?” Dante. Closer than before.
I pushed harder, flying down the hallway, turning sharply into another. My chest burned, but I didn’t stop.
Not until-
Hands.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist, jerking me backward so fast I let out a sharp gasp.
NO-
My back slammed into something solid, warm, unyielding.
Enzo.
His breath brushed my ear, sending a violent shiver down my spine.
“Caught you.”
I squirmed. Fought. But his grip was like iron, his hold unbreakable.
Footsteps approached–Matteo, slow and smug.
Dante leaned lazily against the wall, watching me struggle, his mouth curling in amusement.
“That was pathetic,” Matteo murmured, tilting his head. “I thought you’d at least try.”
Heat rushed to my face, frustration bubbling up. They were mocking me.
Enzo’s grip on me tightened just slightly, his voice brushing against my skin. “Want to try again?”
1 stilled. Wait.
They were letting me go.
The second Enzo released me, I launched forward, pushing every muscle in my body to move faster than I ever had before.
This time, they didn’t wait.
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The second my feet hit the floor, they were after me.
A deep snarl ripped through the hallway–Dante, full predator now.
Matteo’s laughter was sharp, pure amusement.
Enzo? Silent. Deadly. Right behind me.
I turned down another hallway, nearly slipping in my panic.
But I didn’t fall. I caught myself and kept running.
I could make it. I could-
Something slammed into me from behind.
Air. Gone.
The world spun as I hit the floor, hard.
Warmth. Strength. A weight pressing me down.
I knew before I even looked.
Dante.
His chest rose and fell against my back, his breath heavy in my ear.
I shuddered.
“Fought harder that time,” he murmured, his voice warm and approving.
I swallowed, my body trembling beneath him. My lungs burned. My legs ached.
A slow, deliberate touch traced up my arm–Matteo, watching me like I was something to be savored.
A soft kiss brushed the top of my head. Enzo.
“See?” Matteo murmured, voice teasing. “You were always meant to be caught.”
My breath stuttered. My body betrayed me.
Because he was right.
I never had a chance.
And I never wanted one.
The air in the room was thick, charged with something unspoken. My heart pounded as Enzo took slow, deliberate steps toward me, his dark eyes locked onto mine like a predator closing in on his prey. Matteo and Dante flanked me on either
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side, their presence suffocating in the most intoxicating way.
I knew what this was. A game. A test.
“Upstairs, princess,” Matteo murmured, his voice a low command, but I stayed rooted in place. My body tingled at the authority in his tone, but I couldn’t just give in so easily.
“What if I don’t?” I tilted my chin up, feigning defiance even as heat curled in my stomach.
Dante’s chuckle was dark, almost amused. “Then we’ll carry you.”
My breath hitched.
Enzo’s fingers brushed my wrist, barely touching, but the sensation was enough to send a shiver down my spine. “Run if you want, Aria,” he murmured, leaning in just enough that his breath fanned against my ear. “But we both know you want to be caught.”
I hated how right he was.
Still, I tried. I jerked my arm back, but before I could take a full step, Matteo was behind me, his hand curling around my waist. He pulled me back against him, his body heat pressing into my spine.
“Try again,” he whispered, and I swore I could feel his smirk against my skin.
I twisted in his hold, but it was useless. Dante’s fingers ghosted down my arm, his touch featherlight yet firm, setting my
nerves on fire.
“Defiant little thing,” he murmured. “How much longer do you want to pretend you don’t love this?”
I opened my mouth to snap at him, but Enzo tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. His thumb brushed over my lower lip, a silent, taunting challenge.
“Be good for us, princess,” he said, voice a velvety warning. “Or don’t. Either way, you’re coming upstairs.”
And then, just like that, my knees left the ground as Matteo hoisted me into his arms effortlessly.
“Put me down!” I squirmed, pushing against his chest, but he only carried me up the stairs as if I weighed nothing.
“Not a chance,” he said smoothly.
Dante and Enzo followed, watching me like they already knew how this night was going to end.
And the worst part?
I did too.
