All Chapters of THE MAFIA KING'S FORBIDDEN BRIDE: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The ocean went completely still.Not calm.Still.The waves seemed to have forgotten how to move.Inside the disabled submersible, nobody spoke.Aria stared through the window at the dark water below.Something enormous had moved beneath them.Something that shouldn't have existed.The message remained burned into her mind.HE IS YOUR BROTHER.Lorenzo stood beside her, staring at the photograph on the dead screen.The boy's face looked impossibly familiar.The same dark hair.The same green eyes.The same small mark near the corner of his mouth.But there was something else.Something Aria couldn't explain.She felt connected to him.Not emotionally.Biologically.As if some invisible thread was pulling at her.Lorenzo finally broke the silence."Marco."Their father didn't answer."Look at me."Marco slowly turned."How many children did you have?"Marco's lips parted.No words came.Lorenzo's voice became harder."How many?"Marco lowered his eyes."Four."The room froze.Lorenzo sh

The silence lasted only three seconds.Then the island screamed.It wasn't a human sound.It wasn't an animal sound.It was the sound of metal bending, stone cracking, and something enormous forcing its way through the earth.Aria tightened her grip around Lucian."What's happening?"Lucian stared at the floor."It's coming.""What is?""The part of me that never left."Seraphina stepped closer."The Void."Lucian nodded."I thought we trapped it.""We did.""Then why can you still hear it?"Lucian looked at her."Because I was never the prison."Aria's eyes narrowed."What do you mean?"Lucian pointed toward the floor."The prison was this island."Everyone became silent.Daniel slowly looked around."Then what's inside you?"Lucian's face became pale."A piece of it."THE SECOND COREThe floor split open.A column of black light rose from beneath the chamber.Aria shielded her eyes.The three symbols appeared again on their palms.Key.Lock.Vessel.But something was different.A fo

The first shot shattered the night.Aria ducked as the bullet struck the wall behind her, sending pieces of concrete flying across the pavement.For half a second, nobody moved.Then the entire street erupted.Lorenzo fired back immediately."Everyone move!"The men in black uniforms scattered between the vehicles, using the cars as cover. Muzzle flashes illuminated the darkness as bullets tore through the air.Aria grabbed Seraphina's hand."Stay with me!"Seraphina nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on the woman standing across the street.Helena.She stood beneath the rain without moving.Her black coat was soaked, but she didn't seem to notice.Her weapon hung loosely in one hand.She wasn't looking at Lorenzo.She wasn't looking at Gabriel.She was looking directly at Seraphina."Seraphina!"Her voice carried above the gunfire.Seraphina froze.Aria pulled her back."Don't listen to her.""You don't understand.""I understand enough.""No."Seraphina's voice trembled."You reall

The first thing Aria heard was the ocean.Not the sound of waves against a beach.Not the peaceful rhythm of water moving against the shore.This was different.Deep.Heavy.Almost alive.She opened her eyes.For several seconds, she couldn't remember where she was.Then everything returned.The first gate.The underground city.Adam.The second gate.Lucian.The voice.YOU PROMISED YOU'D COME BACK.Aria sat upright.She was inside the private aircraft.Seraphina was asleep across from her.Lorenzo sat near the cockpit.Gabriel was standing beside the small window.Aria looked at him."How long have I been asleep?""Almost four hours.""Where are we?""Over the Atlantic.""How long until New York?""About three hours."Aria looked down at her hands.They were trembling.Gabriel noticed."You've been having the dreams again."She looked at him sharply."How do you know?""Because you were talking.""What did I say?"Gabriel hesitated."You kept saying the same thing.""What?""Don't op

The desert refused to give up its secrets.Even after the Fourth Gate had closed, Aria could still feel its presence beneath her feet.The ancient valley was quiet now.Too quiet.The battle had ended only minutes ago, yet the silence that followed felt more frightening than the gunfire.Aria stood in the middle of the desert, staring at the place where Noah had disappeared.The silver symbol remained in the sand.I'M STILL WAITING, SISTER.She knelt and touched it.The moment her fingers touched the symbol, a sharp pain traveled through her hand.She pulled away.A thin line of silver appeared beneath her skin.It moved from her palm toward her wrist.Aria watched in disbelief."Aria?"She looked up.Seraphina was standing behind her."What happened?"Aria showed her the mark.Seraphina's expression changed."That's new.""I know.""Does it hurt?""A little."Seraphina crouched beside her."Maybe it's connected to Noah.""That's what I'm afraid of."Lucian approached slowly.He still