The Devil You Know

Vivienne’s POV

Valentin’s hand didn’t tighten around mine. Not at first. It just hung there, caught in some space between defense and surrender. I could feel the heat of his pulse, the slight tremble in his fingers, the tension thrumming beneath his skin like live wire barely buried.

And maybe I should have pulled away.

But I didn’t. Instead, they tightened around his. Because I noticed Giovanni’s