SHADOWS OF BLOOD AND DESIRE

Dante’s POV

The docks burned like hellfire, flames devouring containers in roaring bursts, acrid smoke choking the fog-shrouded night. Viktor’s escape into the shadows left a void filled by chaos—Chen’s team securing the perimeter, Dmitri barking into a radio for reinforcements, Judge Morrison babbling confessions under custody. But my focus narrowed to Luca, his face pale under the orange glow, phone clutched like a grenade. That text—insinuating my involvement in his parents’ death—hung between us like a noose.

“Luca,” I growled, grabbing his arm as sirens wailed in the distance. “Whatever that says, it’s a lie. Viktor’s psyop bullshit.”

His eyes, wide with betrayal, met mine. “My parents… you knew?”

“Not like that.” I pulled him toward the SUV, away from prying eyes. Nico covered our retreat, pistol scanning for threats. “We talk in private. Now.”

The drive back to the penthouse was tense silence, broken only by Luca’s ragged breaths. Maria met us at the door, her face etched with worry, but I waved her off. “Lock it down. No one in or out.”

In the bedroom, I shoved Luca against the wall, not gently. The adrenaline from the fight morphed into raw dominance—I needed to claim him, erase the doubt with my body. “Strip,” I commanded, voice low and unyielding.

He hesitated, fire in his eyes. “Not until you explain.”

I gripped his jaw, forcing his gaze to mine. “You think I’d hide that? Viktor killed your parents—car accident rigged as a hit because your father was auditing Bratva fronts. My family knew, but we didn’t order it. We were rivals then, not allies.” My thumb traced his lip, pressing hard. “But Enzo? Sofia? That’s the real poison. Tell me everything about her.”

Luca shuddered under my touch, arousal warring with anger. He peeled off his shirt slowly, defiantly, revealing the bruises from our earlier fuck. “Sofia… she wasn’t always the innocent resident. After the accident—our parents gone when I was 20, her 17—she changed. I thought it was grief. But she started disappearing nights, claiming study groups. Bruises from ‘clumsiness.’ Money appearing in our accounts—‘scholarships.’ I was too buried in my own shit to question it.”

I unbuckled his belt, yanking his pants down roughly, exposing his hardening cock. “And Enzo?”

He gasped as I dropped to one knee, nipping his inner thigh. “She mentioned a ‘mentor’ once. Italian guy helping with med school apps. But Enzo De Luca… his empire’s legendary. Sicilian old blood—Palermo roots, but he modernized. Cyber ops, dark web trafficking, alliances with cartels. He’s got hackers cracking bank vaults, drones for hits. Expanded to New York last year, undercutting everyone. Ruthless—rumors say he castrated a rival for eyeing his sister.”

My hand wrapped around his shaft, stroking slow and firm, thumb circling the head. “And Sofia’s his ‘partner’? In what way?”

Luca bucked into my grip, moaning. “Business, she said. But the way he touched her arm… possessive. Like you with me.” His hands fisted my hair. “Dante, please…”

I stood, spinning him to face the wall, pinning his wrists above his head with one hand. “You want answers? Earn them.” I ground my clothed erection against his bare ass, free hand slapping his cheek hard enough to redden. “Spread your legs.”

He complied, trembling. I freed myself, rubbing my cock between his cheeks, teasing his hole. “Sofia’s backstory—full truth. Now.”

“After the accident,” he panted, “she hacked Dad’s old files. Found Bratva links. Vowed revenge. Met Enzo at a underground fight club—med student patching fighters. He saw her fire, trained her. Guns, codes, poisons. They’ve been lovers for a year. She’s his mole in hospitals—treating rivals, extracting info. But she hid it from me. Protected me.”

I bit his shoulder, marking him. “Good boy.” Lubing my fingers from the nightstand, I plunged three in at once, stretching him brutally. He cried out, arching. “Enzo’s empire—details.”

“Fuck… Palermo base, but global. Tech arm hacks elections, launders crypto. Human trafficking with a twist—high-end, elites only. Allies in Mexico, enemies everywhere. He’s after your territory to link Europe and US. Sofia’s his key—innocent face, deadly mind.”

I withdrew my fingers, replacing them with my cock—thrusting in deep, no mercy. He screamed my name, walls clenching. I fucked him like a punishment, hand around his throat, squeezing rhythmically. “You’re mine, Luca. Not their pawn.” Each slam hit his prostate, my other hand jerking him in vise grip. “Come only when I say.”

He sobbed, begging in broken Italian. I edged him mercilessly—slowing when he neared, speeding to torment. Dominance surged; I owned every gasp, every twitch. “Imagine Enzo watching. Jealous he can’t break you like this.” I slapped his ass repeatedly, the cracks echoing, skin blooming red.

“Please, sir… let me come.”

The ‘sir’ snapped my control. I pounded harder, choking tighter. “Now. Come for your master.”

He exploded, cum painting the wall, body seizing. I followed, flooding him, roaring possession.

We collapsed onto the bed, sweat-slicked. But peace shattered with a knock—Nico. “Boss, intel from Dmitri. Enzo’s holed up in a safehouse. But Sofia’s signal—tracked via her phone—it’s moving toward the penthouse. Alone.”

Luca sat up, eyes wide. “She’s coming here?”

I nodded, dressing. “Could be a trap. Or redemption.”

We met her in the living room—Sofia, disheveled, no gun visible. Tears streaked her face. “Luca… I need help. Enzo’s not just my lover. He’s holding something over me. Our parents’ real killer—it’s not just Viktor. Dante’s family was involved. Proof in Enzo’s vault.”

My blood chilled. Was it true? Or another layer of deceit?

Before I could react, the power cut—plunging us into darkness. Glass shattered downstairs. Intruders.

Enzo’s voice echoed from the shadows: “Time to claim what’s mine, Vitale. Starting with your boy.”

But then, a deeper twist—Chen’s radio crackled in the hall: “FBI breach. We have eyes on Teresa. She’s meeting Viktor. Alliance?”

The betrayals multiplied. Who was the true puppet master? And what ancient blood debt tied my family to the Marinos’ graves?

(Word count: 1098)