Lahat ng Kabanata ng A Vow Written in Blood : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Dante fired through the observation glass. Marco vanished before the bullet struck. White vapour filled the infirmary, burning Alessia’s throat and eyes. Dante covered her mouth with his sleeve and pulled her towards the emergency exit. The door had locked automatically. Salvatore seized a metal stool and struck the control panel. “Stay away from the gas,” Dante ordered Alessia. “There is nowhere else to stand.” He placed his jacket over her head. “You’re suffocating me.” “The fabric filters it.” “Barely.” Evelyn’s voice came through the corridor speaker. “The vapour is a sedative. Keep moving. Tactical officers are entering from the eastern stairwell.” Luca strained against the handcuff securing him to the bed. “Don’t leave me.” Salvatore looked at him. “You left me beneath a burning house.” “I told you where the register is.” “To save yourself.” “Yes!” The honesty surprised no one. Dante shot the door’s locking mechanism. It opened into the corridor. Two masked

The cellar walls were covered with names. Hundreds had been carved into the stone, each accompanied by the serpent-and-cross symbol. Dates reached back more than a century. At the centre stood an iron pedestal holding a leather-bound register. Marco waited beside it. Luca knelt near the wall with blood running from his mouth. Two armed men guarded him. “You brought the star,” Marco said. “You led us here,” Alessia replied. “Why?” “Because the register won’t open for me.” A silver lock secured the leather cover. Its surface contained a star-shaped indentation surrounded by words written in Italian. Gabriel translated quietly. “Blood reveals the crown. The crown commands the Order.” Marco pointed his gun towards Luca. “He claimed the register requires the blood of the firstborn heir.” “Then use yours,” Alessia said. “I did.” Blood stained the lock. Nothing had happened. Luca laughed weakly. “Because you aren’t an heir.” Marco struck him. Dante raised his weapon, but t

“The First Son has no real name,” Salvatore explained. He lay propped against the hospital pillows, his skin pale beneath the harsh light. Isabella remained beside him while Dante, Alessia and Gabriel stood near the foot of the bed. “He is chosen as a child,” Salvatore continued. “The Order erases his identity and trains him to obey the register.” “How does a book give orders?” Alessia asked. “It doesn’t. The Custodians interpret the oath and activate him.” “Who are the Custodians?” “Three leaders whose families helped create the Order. Their names aren’t written inside the register.” Dante’s expression hardened. “Then how do we find them?” “The First Son can.” Gabriel folded his arms. “Convenient. The assassin hunting us is also our only path to the people controlling him.” “He will contact Alessia before attacking.” “Why?” “The oath requires an heir be offered one opportunity to surrender.” Alessia looked at the dark window. “Surrender what?” “Her name, property and un

The church doors slammed shut. Steel barriers dropped across every exit while the timer continued counting down. 09:42. Dante crossed the sanctuary and struck Adriano across the face. The priest fell against a pew but did not release the knife. “Disable the explosives.” Adriano wiped blood from his mouth. “Only an heir can stop the clock.” “How?” Alessia demanded. “One name must be entered into the register.” Gabriel looked towards the leather book resting upon the altar. “You brought it here.” “The Order brought it home.” Alessia approached the register. The two names remained visible on its final page. Alessia Sofia Romano Moretti. Gabriel Luca Romano. Beneath them, a new line had appeared. One blood. One crown. One survivor. “It requires blood,” Gabriel said. Dante searched the walls for wiring while Enzo and Evelyn checked the exits. “Explosives are positioned beneath the floor,” Evelyn reported. “We cannot disarm them individually in time.” 08:31. Gabriel pi

Dante found Alessia inside the nursery. The room had once been a guest suite overlooking the eastern gardens. Someone—almost certainly Isabella—had placed two empty cradles beside the window. Alessia stood between them. “It’s too early for this,” she said. “Yes.” “But you aren’t asking for them to be removed.” “No.” Dante came behind her and rested his hands at her waist. “Two,” he murmured. “You’re still shocked.” “I had only just accepted one.” She leaned against him. “You’ll need to learn how to hold both.” “I’ll hire someone.” “You cannot outsource fatherhood.” “I outsource things I might perform badly.” Alessia turned in his arms. “You’ll perform badly sometimes.” “That isn’t reassuring.” “So will I.” “I doubt that.” “My father destroyed our family, my biological father helped create a violent succession system, and my mother left me secret messages inside jewellery. I’m not working from a strong example.” “You’re nothing like Luca.” “And you’re nothing like