Starling (118 page)

blow. Everything else fell away. Thoughts of Luca and Falco,
thoughts of death, of Dubois, of the Book of the Eternal Rose—they
all vanished, sucked into the misty air that swirled around the
church. Before she knew it, the sun had vanished completely and
Maximus and Luca were standing outside her circle.
“Unless you’re staying the night, we need to head back,” Maximus
said.
Cass turned expectantly to Luca. He was looking at her differently. She could see the attraction in the glint of his eyes, but there
was something else there too, a new admiration and respect. She
grinned wildly as she twirled the dagger in her hand, dizzy with
pride and joy.
“I’m staying,” Luca said. “I need to continue my training.”
“Perhaps you’ve trained enough,” Cass said. “There’s a party at
Palazzo Dubois tomorrow night. I could sneak in with the courtesans
I’ve been staying with. Or I could go with you and these men.”
Rowan had wandered over and caught this last bit of conversation. “It seems an opportune moment. I think you are ready to face
your enemies, Lucianus. A strong will is more important than mere
technique. Together we can strike with deadly force.”
“Joseph Dubois will likely cower behind a female servant,” Cass
said. “You will shed the blood of a hundred innocents before you kill
him. Why not make the objective the Book of the Eternal Rose?
While you fight, I will seek it out. If we find the book, it will implicate Dubois in crimes of conspiracy, heresy, and murder. The Senate
will demand his execution, and fewer people will die in the fray.”
Rowan looked toward Luca. “It is your decision.”
“The signorina is right,” Luca said. “Our mission should be one
of stealth and honorable purpose. We shall use force only if needed
to procure the book.”
“It is settled,” Rowan said. He bowed before Cass and then
headed toward the church. The men followed him in twos and
threes, shedding their armor and leaving their weapons outside.
“They will take their supper,” Maximus said. “And then train for
a few more hours before sleeping.”
Luca took Cass’s hand. The two of them walked to the edge of the
hill again. Cass could hear the roar of the water below, but all she
could see was darkness.
“Go home, Cassandra,” he said. “There’s no need for you to stay
here. It’s wet and cold. Take your dagger someplace warm and dry to
practice.”
Cass didn’t want to leave, but she knew Luca was right. He had
come here seeking not just vengeance, but answers about himself.
About who he was and who he could become. He might lose that if
she insisted upon staying.
“I’ll meet you at Palazzo Dolce,” he continued. “Tomorrow.”
“There’s something I need to say before I go,” she began. “The
night you walked away—”
Luca’s eyes tightened. “I was hasty and foolish to leave as I did,”
he said. “I’m very sorry. We don’t need to speak of it.”
Cass took his hands in hers. “I want to speak of it.” Clearing her
throat, she continued, “I was hasty too. I should have had faith in
you. While you were away at school, I wandered my aunt’s villa noticing all of the ways I was changing without ever considering that
you might change also. That night—” Cass’s voice cracked. She struggled to compose herself. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted. Or perhaps I