Above us, the night was entirely clear, no cloud coverage or light pollution to mar the skies. So far out in the country, the sky was blanketed with so many stars it was like someone had spilled a tube of glitter. I turned to Anteros expectantly, and that’s when he lifted me and placed me on his feet. Suddenly it made sense why there were no shoes included.
“What do you plan on—” but my question was cut off when he began dancing. Music played all around us and I spun my head, trying to find the source. Anteros brought one finger to my chin and gently pulled my gaze back to his.
“Relax, mio cuore.” My belly clenched with a flurry of butterflies when our eyes locked. This was another version of Anteros I’d never seen, and somehow I knew no one else had either—a version only for me. Unguarded. Caring. He slowly slid his finger from my chin, as if hesitating and wanting to keep it there, then put his hand on my lower back.
I put my head on his shoulder and let him move me, let him dance without any effort on my part. It was magical. I’d almost forgotten what a wonderful dancer Anteros was.
He whirled wildly, lifting me off the ground, my legs sweeping in an arc. The sheer blue organza of my dress rose up around me as we twirled, swaying and glimmering like a waterfall.
He gently brought me back down to his feet. I was flushed and happy, endorphins pumping through my veins. I looked at Anteros with a crazy grin on my face, but he was stoic. I could see a tiny bit of melancholy peeking through. I reached for him, but he beat me to it.
Anteros touched the hollow between my collarbone. “The necklace was meant as a sign of love for the patriarch to give to his matriarch, only Lucio never gave it to his wife, he gave it to me.” His bright, achingly intense gaze captured mine. “No one would think to look with the bastard.”
I furrowed my brow. “But you gave it to me.”
“You took it off.”
“No,” I insisted. “No, never.” It all tumbled out of my mouth. What it had really been like living with Lucia. What she and Nikolai had done to me, how they had punished me and used Gabby and Levi. I’d told him Papa died, but not the horrible hows and whys, like how she’d killed Papa right after I’d seen Anteros and then ripped the necklace from my neck. I was empty when I was through.
“I don’t know why I haven’t told you everything yet,” I said. “I guess I was just trying to live the fairytale as long as I could.” My face was hot, tears pricking my lids. “I’m not even sad. I’m just mad that he died before he could be a good father. I knew that would never happen…but now it will really never happen.”
“Tell me about your mother,” Anteros said. “You liked her, right?”
“Why don’t you tell me something about you instead,” I hedged, looking away.
“There’s nothing more to know about me.”
“There’s everything to know about you,” I insisted.
“You don’t like to talk about your mother,” he stated, halting our movement. Talking about her just reminded me of what I’d lost. For years I’d clung to the memory of her love because it was all I had. Then Anteros happened.
“She died of a fistula,” I said. “Papa drunkenly told me one night because I was too young to remember and I begged him for years to tell me what happened. I had to Google it. A fistula is just an abnormal connection between two body parts and it’s usually not fatal, but apparently she died of complications.” Papa had said she fell down the stairs and I’d swallowed what he told me because I never thought to question it. After everything, I just wasn’t sure anymore.
It didn’t matter though, right? Papa was dead. Mama was dead. The only one who mattered was holding me. I sighed and hugged Anteros tighter. Before Anteros, Mama was the only one who saw me. Papa saw his demons. Everyone else saw a weirdo. Lucia saw a princess. But Mama…
“She was the one who named me Frankie. She said I had too much spunk and fire to be a Francesca,” I whispered against the fabric of his suit, resting my chin on the silky material and tilting to lock eyes.
Anteros smiled, a small secret quirk of his lips. “She was right.”
He began dancing again, holding me as the music played. I’d never realized how much it hurt to keep all of that inside. All these years it was like a knife, slowly burrowing deeper. I’d left it in because I’d been too scared to pull it out, but Anteros had helped me. He’d staunched the bleeding.
“You and Gabriella are very close,” Anteros mused sometime later, and at first I was taken aback by the statement. It seemed to come out of the blue. We’d been dancing in silence, so I had no idea why he’d said that.
“We were…” I figured it was time to tell Anteros everything. “Gabby met Levi when she was arrested. He helped cover up the murder because he loves her, but also, I think, because his mother was taken by The Institute. He’s very determ
ined to find her.” I looked away, trying not to think about how badly I’d betrayed Gabby. Anteros touched the back of my neck, so gently it was like feathers.
“You can still get out, Frankie.” His words sounded like grinding rocks. “I can get you out—I will get you out.” Was that what was on his mind? Didn’t he understand by now?
I stopped dancing and got off his feet, gripping him by the forearms and forcing him to look at me. It probably looked ridiculous, him being so much taller than me, but I had to make him see how serious I was.
“Anteros, I don’t want to travel the world. I don’t want to leave this world, period.” I reached up and touched his face, felt the smoothness of his tan cheek contrasted with the beard that had grown along his hard jaw. “I want to stay here with you. I want to…” I took all the breath I could to gather my courage. “I want to be by your side and do this. Let’s take them down—Nikolai, Lucia. Let’s take what’s ours. Let’s rule together.”
He gripped my face between his palms, pulled me to him so I had to stand on my tiptoes, and kissed me. It was a kiss that stole my breath, stole my life, but it gave me something new, something better.
Afterward we walked back to the main room where we’d spent most of our time since arriving. I couldn’t help make comparisons to a fairytale. Anteros told me time and time again that it wasn’t a fairytale, but I was in this gorgeous dress, and the night was so magical, and he was…he was everything.
For once it was perfect.