The Midnight Vigil

Vittoria sat on the edge of the plush velvet sofa, her hands folded tightly in her lap, green eyes fixed on the double doors. The mansion had settled into that particular quiet that only came after midnight, when the staff had withdrawn and the only sounds left were the distant crash of waves against the cliffs and the occasional shift of a guard’s boots outside.

Mateo stood a few paces away near the security console. He did not look at her often, but she could feel him tracking her restlessness the way he tracked every other movement in the house.

“You should try to sleep, Mrs. Marchetti,” he said after a long stretch of silence. His voice was low and even. “Mr. Marchetti said the meeting could run late.”

“I just…” Vittoria kept her gaze on the doors. “I can’t. Not until he’s back.”

Mateo gave a short nod, as if that answer was expected. “The route is clear. No reports of trouble on the road.”

“That doesn’t mean there isn’t any inside those chambers.”

He did not argue with her. He simply adjusted something on the tablet and returned to his quiet watch.

Vittoria leaned back against the sofa cushions, then sat forward again almost immediately. The burgundy silk of her robe clung to her arms. She had tried reading earlier. She had tried watching movies. Nothing held her attention.

Every time the house made a small noise, her pulse jumped.

She thought about the way Cassian had left that evening. He had kissed her forehead, told her to stay inside, and walked out with that focus he wore whenever the council was involved.

The clock struck one. Then half past.

Mateo cleared his throat quietly. “Would you like me to call the kitchen for more tea?”

“No. Thank you.” She glanced at him. “Have you heard anything at all?”

“Nothing new. The downtown team reported that the cars are still in the garage under the tribunal building.”

Vittoria nodded and returned her attention to the doors. She rubbed her thumb over the silver bracelet on her wrist, the metal warm from her skin.

“He always comes back,” Mateo said after another stretch of silence.

She looked at him. “You say that like it’s a fact of weather.”

“In this house it is.” He did not smile, but something in his tone softened a fraction. “He does not leave things unfinished. Especially not where you are concerned.”

Vittoria let out a slow breath. “I hate waiting like this.”

“Most people do.”

The minutes kept stretching. She stood once and walked the length of the foyer, her bare feet silent on the floor, then returned to the sofa.

Mateo remained exactly where he was, a steady presence that neither comforted nor irritated her.

At some point the wind picked up. She could hear it moving through the trees beyond the courtyard. The grandfather clock kept its count.

When the headlights finally cut across the dark courtyard, the light was bright against the windows.

Vittoria was on her feet before the first car had fully stopped. Her heart slammed once, hard, then settled into a rapid beat.

Mateo moved to the side of the doors and spoke quietly into his earpiece. A moment later the locks disengaged.

Cassian stepped through first. He was still in the dark suit he had worn to the meeting, though the tie was already loosened and the top button of his shirt undone.

The scent of expensive tobacco came in with him. His dark eyes swept the foyer once, landed on Vittoria, and stayed there.

For a second neither of them spoke.

Then his expression shifted, the hard edges easing. The kind of look he only ever gave her when the doors were closed and the rest of the world was locked outside.

“You’re still up, sweet girl,” he said.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Vittoria’s voice came out softer than she intended. “I tried. I just kept thinking about… you.”

Cassian handed his coat to Mateo without looking away from her. “How long have you been sitting here?”

“A while.”

“Hours,” Mateo supplied quietly from the side.

Cassian’s gaze flicked to him, then back to Vittoria. He crossed the space between them in a few long strides and stopped directly in front of her.

Up close she could see the faint tension still held in his shoulders, the residual sharpness that always lingered after dealing with the council.

“You should have gone to bed,” he said, but there was no real reprimand in it.

“I wanted to know you were home,” She said.

He reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his fingers warm against her cheek. “I’m home.”

Vittoria’s throat felt tight. “How was the meeting?”

Cassian was quiet for a moment. He glanced toward Mateo, who had already taken a discreet step farther away and was speaking softly into his earpiece again.

“They talked in circles for most of the night,” Cassian said at last. “Bernardo is still pushing. The others are watching to see who gives in first. Nothing was decided. That is as good as it gets with them right now.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” His hand settled at the side of her neck, thumb resting lightly against her pulse. “No one is coming for you tonight. The estate is locked down. Enzo has the secondary teams in place. You can stop standing guard in the foyer.”

She let out a breath she had not realized she was holding. “I hate not knowing what’s happening out there.”

“I know.” He studied her face. “You’re cold.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. You’re exhausted and worried and still standing here in a silk robe at nearly two in the morning.” His voice dropped lower. “Come upstairs, let me keep you warm.”

“Cassian…”

“Upstairs, Vittoria.” The words were quiet, but they carried the same absolute authority they always did. “You’ve waited long enough. I’m here. The rest can wait until morning.”

She looked past him toward the doors one last time, as if the night outside might still change its mind. Then she nodded.

Cassian’s hand slid down to the small of her back as he guided her toward the staircase.

Mateo remained near the console, already turning his attention back to the tablet.

On the stairs Cassian kept his hand on her, steady and warm. When they reached the upper landing he paused, turned her slightly toward him, and looked down into her face.

“Next time,” he said, “if you cannot sleep, you call me. You do not sit down there alone counting the hours.”

“You were in a meeting.”

“I can leave a meeting.” His dark eyes held hers. “You are not an afterthought in this house. Do you understand?”

Vittoria nodded. The tight knot that had lived in her chest for the last several hours finally began to loosen.

Cassian leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then he steered her the rest of the way toward the master suite, the quiet of the mansion settling around them once more, the night no longer feeling quite so long.