Especially when I already cared way too much about him.

Devon pressed his shoulder against mine again, then slid a couple of inches away, giving me the space he realized I needed.

We sat there, munched on our apples, and watched the flow of tourists. The tense, awkward silence between us slowly eased and mellowed, and the white stars and bad memories faded away. Yeah, I wished that my mom was still alive, but she would have been happy that I was here with Devon. My mom had worked for the Sinclairs before me, and she would have been proud to see what a great guy Devon had become—and that her saving him, sacrificing herself for him, hadn’t all been for nothing.

Ten minutes later, Devon and I finished our apples and tossed the sticks into a nearby trash can.

Devon looked over at Felix, who was still chatting up that Salazar guard. “If he keeps that up, he’s going to get in trouble with his girlfriend.”

“What girlfriend?” I tried to make my voice light, but it didn’t quite work.

Devon snorted. “The one he’s always sneaking off to see. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed. Felix is always slipping out of the mansion with a rose or some chocolate or something else he thinks she’ll like. The boy’s got it bad.”

I shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll move on to someone else soon enough. Look how he’s flirting with that guard. Do you really think any girl—much less a bona fide girlfriend—would put up with that?”

Devon shrugged back. “Depends on the girl and how she feels about Felix. I don’t know why he bothers flirting with other girls when it’s obvious how crazy he is about her.” He drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I know exactly how he feels.”

He didn’t look at me, which was a good thing, considering the tomato-red blush staining my cheeks. A couple of weeks ago, Devon had told me how he felt about me, but I’d shot him down, saying we should stick to being friends. This was the first time he’d directly mentioned his feelings since then. I wondered why he was bringing them up now and how much longer I could keep turning him down, instead of giving in and seeing if he kissed as good as he looked—

“Oh, look,” a snide voice called out. “It’s Tweedledum and Tweedledee.”

A shadow fell over me, blocking out the sun, and I looked up to find a tall, blond guy with cold brown eyes standing in front of me. He wore a red T-shirt with a snarling gold dragon stretched across his wide chest, and a gold cuff with the same dragon crest flashed on his right wrist.

Blake Draconi, the Draconi Family bruiser, Victor’s son.

And the guy who’d helped murder my mom.

CHAPTER THREE

White-hot rage surged through me, burning away everything else.

Blake was Victor’s second-in-command, and he was just as dangerous and depraved as his father was. He’d been in our apartment the day Victor had tortured my mom, leaving nothing behind but her bloody, broken body.

This time, I couldn’t stop my hand from curling around the hilt of my sword. Devon put his arm across the back of the bench, cupping his hand around my shoulder, his fingers pressing into my arm in a faint, but clear warning.

“Blake,” Devon said in a cool voice. “Where are your friends? It’s odd to see you without your entourage. Or did you give them the day off?”

Blake smiled, but it was an ugly expression. “I don’t need my friends the way you do, Sinclair. I see you’re out with your bodyguard again.” He turned his gaze to me. “If you ever want to see how a real man would treat you, honey, just give me a call.”

Blake puckered his lips and blew me a kiss. I focused on his smug smile instead of his eyes. I had no desire for my soulsight to kick in and let me feel all of Blake’s perverted imaginings.

“Sure,” I replied. “And the next time you want someone to make you whimper and bring you to your knees, just give me a call, honey. I’ve got lots of practice doing that. Or don’t you remember that wrist lock I put you in a few weeks ago?”

Blake’s cheeks flushed with anger. His hand dropped to his own sword, and he stepped forward—

“Blake! There you are.”

A beautiful girl with golden hair and dark blue eyes rushed up to Blake. Deah Draconi, his younger sister, who just happened to be the Juliet to Felix’s Romeo.

Deah realized that her brother had stopped to talk to someone, and she turned and smiled, ready to greet whoever it was. Then she realized that it was Devon and me, and the smile slipped off her face.

“Devon. Lila,” she said.

“Deah,” Devon and I replied in unison.

Deah looked at Devon and me; then her gaze flicked left and right, searching for Felix. She spotted him, still talking to that pretty Salazar guard. Anger sparked in her eyes, and her mouth pinched in a frown.

Felix must have felt Deah’s hot stare because he glanced over at her. He froze, then shot the Salazar guard a quick smile and scurried over to us. Devon and I both got to our feet so that we were standing in front of Blake and Deah. Felix took up a position by my side. He shrugged his shoulders to Deah in a silent apology, but he didn’t dare say anything to her. Not with Blake around.

“Oh, look,” Blake sneered again. “There’s another Tweedle to add to this collection of stupid.”

Felix’s hands clenched into fists, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. I sidled forward so that I was closer to Blake than he was. Felix could throw a few punches, but Blake had a strength Talent and would hurt Felix just because it amused him. Devon stepped up beside me.

Blake looked back and forth between the three of us. He scoffed and opened his mouth—

“Hey! Felix! Devon! Blake! Deah!” a cheerful voice called out.

Startled, all five of us turned to look at the girl who came bouncing up to our hostile group, wondering who would dare to include Devon and Blake in the same sentence.

The girl was gorgeous. Seriously, model gorgeous, with dark red hair and the biggest, brightest hazel eyes I’d ever seen. She was one of those petite people you’d describe as a whirlwind of energy—a real dynamo, despite her small size. She smiled at Devon, revealing a perfect set of dimples that made her even prettier.

I didn’t know who she was, but the others did because they all nodded at her, even Blake and Deah.

The girl wore a green peasant blouse and black shorts with cute, strappy black sandals. An emerald solitaire pendant glinted in the hollow of her throat, the stone sparkling in a way that told me how real and expensive it was. Oversize sunglasses perched on top of her head, while a green handbag dangled off her right arm.