Marcello still hadn’t bothered to put on clothes. Draped only in a towel, he sat back on the couch while Silvano, Benedetto, and Agnese crowded around them, relief etched across their faces. The air brimmed with gratitude they were simply thankful both Azzurra and Cesario had woken and were safe.

Benedetto, however, carried a truth no one else knew. The witches had failed. They hadn’t saved Azzurra. Yet here she was, alive, breathing, whole. Even the toddler was unharmed. Everyone ...