All Chapters of Blood And Desire : Chapter 11 - Chapter 18

Chapter 11: Secret MeetingsThe city lights flickered outside the window as Isla walked briskly down the narrow alleyway behind Inferno. The night air was cool against her skin, but it didn’t do much to calm the storm brewing inside her. Every step seemed to echo with the weight of her thoughts, the strategy she’d been carefully crafting, and the dangerous web she was tangled in.She’d been working at Inferno for weeks now, always close to Dante, always playing the part of the devoted employee. But tonight, she needed to speak with Alex. She needed to update him on the progress—and the complications—that were quickly arising from their plan to take down Antonio DeLuca. She couldn’t risk leaving anything to chance.The back door to the club opened with a soft creak, and she slipped inside, entering the dimly lit staff room. A few of the other workers were still finishing up their shifts, but Isla paid them no attention. She quickly moved past them and into the small office where she’d

Chapter 13: Dante’s ProtectivenessThe night air was thick with anticipation as Isla moved through the club. Inferno was alive, pulsing with energy, the scent of alcohol and perfume wafting through the air, mixed with the low hum of music and the chatter of wealthy patrons. It was a typical night, the kind that Isla had grown used to since she’d started working here as Bella Caruso. But tonight felt different. There was an edge to the atmosphere, a tension that crawled under her skin.Isla tried to push the feeling away as she moved between tables, carrying drinks to VIPs, offering polite smiles to everyone she passed. Her mind was focused, but part of her couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen. Something that would change everything.Her instincts weren’t wrong.It started with the man in the corner booth.Isla had seen him before—a grizzled man with a deep scar running down his cheek, his eyes cold and calculating. He was a known figure in the underworld, a ri

Chapter 15: The DeLuca BallThe night was crisp, the air filled with a certain kind of electric anticipation. Isla stood in front of her mirror, dressed in a gown that clung to her body like a second skin, its dark emerald hue accentuating the curves she had learned to hide, but now flaunted as part of the role she was playing. Her reflection looked almost unrecognizable, the transformation from the simple, guarded woman she had been into the seductive, confident Bella Caruso now complete. Her hair was swept into a sleek updo, soft waves framing her face, and her makeup was impeccable, her lips a deep, daring red.She wasn’t just any woman tonight. She was someone else entirely.Tonight was the DeLuca Ball—an event where the rich and powerful came together to flaunt their wealth, their status, and most importantly, their connections. It was the kind of place where deals were made under the guise of champagne toasts, where rivalries were kept in check with forced smiles, and where powe

Chapter 17: Dante’s WeaknessThe room was still draped in the aftermath of their passion, the air thick with heat and the scent of skin and sweat. Isla lay against the silk sheets, her body still tingling from Dante’s touch. She should have left. Should have wrapped the sheet around herself, gathered her clothes, and walked out of his bedroom with her mind intact.But she didn’t.Instead, she lay there, watching him.Dante was different now. He wasn’t the untouchable mafia prince she had grown accustomed to. He wasn’t the ruthless man who commanded rooms with a single look.He was just a man.His dark hair was messy from her fingers, his bare chest rising and falling with steady breaths, a rare moment of vulnerability in the way he lay beside her, eyes half-lidded as if the weight of the world had momentarily lifted from his shoulders.She had never seen him like this.“You’re staring,” Dante murmured, his voice raspy from exhaustion.Isla blinked, quickly looking away. “I’m just... t