She knelt by the bed, brushing a hand softly over Tina's hair. Luca might be a devil, a tyrant, a storm of chaos but tonight, he had done something undeniably human, something that left her breathless in its unexpected tenderness.
Vee leaned closer, pressing her forehead to her sister's shoulder, closing her eyes, and just breathed.
Even held captive, Luca had cared for Valentina when he didn't have to. He had fed her sister, housed her, made sure she wasn't hurt.
What if their father had gotten entangled with someone else? Someone colder. Someone without Luca's particular brand of rules, warped as they were. Someone who didn't see people as people at all. What would have become of Valentina then? Of both of them? Vee didn't like the answers her mind supplied.
She shoved them aside, but they clawed back anyway.
