Bound by Blood and BeastI looked down at the enormous dog, who had now settled comfortably against my leg.

"I want to leave."

The words tumbled out of me, sharp and defensive. I stepped back, severing the fleeting contact of his hand against my cheek. Orion immediately repositioned himself between us, his massive head turned toward Dante, emitting a soft, cautionary chuff.

Dante looked down at the dog, a dark, humorless smirk touching his lips. "He’s protecting you from me. In my own house."

"He knows a kidnapper when he sees one," I said, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. "You have your fingerprint match. You have your ghost story. But I am an adult citizen of the United States. You cannot hold me here against my will."

"You think you're safe out there?" Dante took a step toward the towering windows. He gestured to the sprawling estate, the grey river churned by an approaching storm. "The moment my system flagged your prints last night, a ping went out to the joint database. Do you know who monitors those alerts, Olivia?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Who?"

"Lorenzo Rossi," Dante said, the name sounding like poison on his tongue. "The man who ordered the hit on your father fourteen years ago. The man who currently controls the northern shipping corridors and wants nothing more than to ensure the Valenti name stays buried beneath six feet of ash."

My head was spinning. The room felt too large, the ceiling too high, the air too thin. "I don't even know who that is."

"He knows who you are," Dante countered, turning back to me. "Or he will, within twenty-four hours. If you walk out of those gates, you won't make it back to Queens. You’ll be in the trunk of an unmarked sedan before you hit the highway, and by midnight, whatever answers you have locked in that head of yours will be scattered across the Atlantic."

"And what do you want from me?" My voice rose, trembling with anger and terror. "If you're so noble, if this is all about some sacred blood oath your dead father signed, why am I here?"

Dante’s eyes darkened, the coldness returning in full force.

"Because whoever hid you in New York committed treason against my family. They let me believe Salvatore’s line was extinguished. For fourteen years, I have carried the guilt of failing to protect his daughter." He walked until he was towering over me, his shadow swallowing me completely. "I don't fail twice. You stay here. Under my roof. Under my protection."

"This is a prison," I whispered.

"It’s a fortress," Dante corrected. "And until I uncover who put you in that foster home and who helped Lorenzo Rossi burn your legacy to the ground, you don't take a single breath without my permission."

He turned toward the door. "Enzo!"

The door swung open instantly. The heavy-set enforcer who had ridden shotgun in the SUV stepped inside, bowing his head slightly. "Boss?"

"Take Miss Vance to the east wing suites. Third floor. The room with the reinforced balcony." Dante didn't look at me as he gave the order. "Get her clothes, food, whatever she needs. Assign two guards outside her door. And if she tries to jump the wall, do not shoot—just let Orion drag her back."

"Understood, sir."

"Wait!" I demanded, stepping forward, but Orion trotted ahead of me, falling into step beside Enzo. The dog looked back at me, whining softly, as if urging me to follow.

I looked at Dante. He was already back behind his desk, opening another leather dossier, completely shutting me out of his reality.