“Touch her”—his voice was laced with malice, even as it faded to a mere whisper—“and I’ll annihilate you all.”

Emilia clasped Envy’s hands in hers, squeezing gently. “Don’t be an ass to your lady. Or there will be no more cannoli in your future.”

He raised his blade to the vampire, his teeth bared. This needed to end. Quickly. But he’d still make a good show of it. “Come play.”

“Not a chance.” Envy snorted. “Pride will choose Lucia. It’s always been Lucia.”

Wrath’s dagger flashed, striking into an invisible foe. An Umbra demon formed, slumped and dying at the demon of war’s feet. “Keep your spies away from Emilia.”

Lust groaned. “I’ll see where he’s hiding. If he doesn’t start acting like a gods-damned demon, we’re all going to get bad reputations.” He jabbed a finger into Wrath’s chest. “You need to lay down a law or something.” Wrath’s gold eyes glittered. “First rule? Don’t touch me again.” “Don’t kill each other in this room,” Envy said. “I just had the

From the moment Synton strode into her gallery she’d felt drawn to him, a bit of that bright-eyed girl returning, longing to be wanted madly. More fool her, she supposed.

Trepidation inched its way down her spine, making the fine hair along her arms stand on end. She already sensed the wrongness of what she was about to do, felt the first gusts of dark magic blowing in around the edges of the room, like spilled ink bleeding its way across a fresh page. If her father’s stories could be trusted, the Hexed Throne—from

But he’d protected her. Held her when she started to fall apart.