Finale

had been too vague. I hadn’t planned for this.
    But I had to assume Dante had plans for me. Like me, he knew the moment I failed to lead the army, my life was over. But in the name of covering his bases, he’d likely arrest me for the
Black Hand’s murder. Before the day was out, I’d either be executed for treason, or at best, imprisoned.
    I was betting executed.
    “It’s almost sunrise. Get up,” Vee said. “You aren’t letting Dante get away with this.”
    I hugged Patch’s pillow to me, breathing in the lingering smell of him before it was gone forever. I memorized the contours of his bed and nestled into the imprint of his body. I shut my
eyes and imagined he was there. Beside me. Touching me. I imagined his black eyes softening as he caressed my cheek, his hands warm and sturdy and real.
    “Nora,”
Vee warned.
    I ignored her, choosing to stay with Patch. The mattress dipped as he scooted closer. He smiled and slid his hands beneath me, rolling me on top of him.
You’re cold, Angel. Let me warm
you.
    I thought I’d lost you, Patch.
    I’m right here. I promised we’d be together, didn’t I?
    But your feather—
    Shh,
he soothed. His finger sealed my lips.
I want to be with you, Angel. Stay here with me. Forget about Dante and the duel. I won’t let him hurt you. I’ll keep you
safe.
    Tears burned at the backs of my eyes.
Take me away. Like you promised. Take me far away, just the two of us.
    “Patch would hate to see you like this,” Vee chided, clearly trying to appeal to my conscience.
    I pulled the covers up to form a secret canopy above Patch and me, and giggled in his ear.
She doesn’t know you’re here.
    Our secret trick,
he agreed.
    I won’t leave you, Patch.
    I won’t let you.
In one swift movement, he reversed our positions, pinning me to the mattress. He bent over me.
Try and escape now.
    I frowned at the glimpse of icy blue that seemed to lurk under the surface of his eyes. I blinked to clear my vision, but when my eyes came into focus, I was very aware of the sizzling blue that
ringed his irises.
    Swallowing, I said,
I need to get a drink of water
.
    I’ll get it for you,
Patch insisted.
Don’t move. Stay in the bed.
    I’ll only be a second,
I argued, trying to wiggle out from beneath him.
    Patch seized my wrists.
You said you wouldn’t leave.
    I’m only getting a drink,
I demurred.
    I won’t let you leave, Nora.
The words resonated like a growl. His features contorted, twisting and morphing, until I saw flashes of another man. Dante’s olive skin, cleft
chin, and those hooded eyes that at one time I’d actually believed were handsome appeared before me. I rolled away, but not fast enough. Dante’s fingers dug painfully into my shoulders,
shoving me back under him. His breath felt hot on my cheek.
    It’s over. Give up. I’ve won.
    “Get away from me,” I hissed.
    His touch dissolved, his face hovering briefly over mine like a blue haze before it disappeared.
    Ice-cold water struck my face, and I bolted upright with a gasp. The dream shattered; Vee stood an arm’s reach away, holding an empty pitcher.
    “Time to go,” she said, clutching the pitcher as if preparing to use it as a weapon of defense if she had to.
    “I don’t want to,” I croaked, too miserable to get angry over the water. My throat tightened, and I feared I was going to cry. I only wanted one thing, and he was gone. Patch
wasn’t coming back. Nothing I did could change that. The things I’d thought were worth fighting for, the things that burned and raged inside me, even beating Dante and destroying
devilcraft, had lost their fire without him.
    “And Patch?” Vee demanded. “You’ve given up on yourself, but have you given up on him, too?”
    “Patch is gone.” I pressed my fingers into my eyes until I’d ground out the urge to cry.
    “Gone, not dead.”
    “I can’t do this without Patch,” I said, my breath catching.
    “Then find a way to get him back.”
    “He’s in hell,” I snapped.
    “Better that than in the grave.”
    I drew my knees up and bowed my head against them. “I killed Hank Millar, Vee. Patch and I did it together. Dante knows, and he’s going to arrest me at the duel. He’s going to
execute me for treason.” My mind conjured up a very real portrait. Dante would make my humiliation as public as possible. As his guards dragged me from the duel, I’d be spit on and
called a myriad of vile names. As for the execution, how he would go about ending