Prologue
The Vow of Shadows, Book I
Matteo
The first rule of survival is silence.
The second is loyalty.
The third is knowing when to break both.
The night tastes like smoke and betrayal. I stand at the edge of the pier, watching the water swallow secrets—one body at a time. The storm rolls in slow, dragging its claws across the sky. Somewhere behind me, footsteps echo. Not hurried. Measured. Familiar.
“I handled it,” I say, without turning around.
My brother says nothing. Just lights a cigarette like we didn’t just bury another traitor.
Another name crossed off the books.
And yet, I can’t stop thinking about her.
The woman in the courtroom with fire in her voice and no idea what she’s stepped into.
Elena Rossi.
She doesn’t belong in this world. But fate, like blood, always finds its way.
Elena
I can feel him before I see him.
A shadow in the hallway. A chill under my skin.
The file in my hands is heavy—not in weight, but in consequence. Pages stamped with redacted lines, sealed signatures, and a name whispered like a curse in every legal circle I admire: De Luca.
This isn't the kind of law I studied.
This is power wrapped in blood and money.
And I should walk away. I want to walk away.
But I can't.
Because the truth is… some part of me isn't afraid.
Some part of me wants to know what it means to look into the eyes of a man like him—and not flinch.
Even if it destroys me.
