[TRIGGER WARNING: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SELF HARM.]

SERAPHINA watched the beast of a man walk away, her attention completely absorbed by the few words he'd spoken to her and the darkening of his forest eyes as Piero had made his way to her. A shudder ran down her spine, she wasn't prepared for the visceral reaction her body had, convincing herself it was curiosity. "Yes baby?" She smiled down at the bundle in her arms, "good day?"

"We saw the moon, ma! It was so big and I think we could fly there if we built a big plane, just you and me." Piero exclaimed, holding his arms out wide as he spoke in a animated tone.

Her chest ached, "mhm, will you make one?"

Nodding wildly Piero grinned and ran back through the house and into one of the spare bedrooms where he normally occupied himself until her shift ended. Standing from her bent position, she wiped her wet hands on the tea towel beside the sink and followed her boy. The sun had long since hit the horizon bringing brunt hues to the sky. Sera felt the nerves build in her stomach, it was the worst time of the day, signalling their return home. He'd be waiting, bottle in one hand accompanied with violence as a chaser in the other.

Grabbing her belongings, she picked up Piero's worn backpack and nudged the little guy out through the back of the house. His steps almost seemed more hesitant than hers, the boy having a keen sense for the real monster that resided in their living room rather than under his bed. "Ma, can we sleep under the stars tonight?" He whispered as she tucked him into his seat.

She stroked his cheek, "not tonight my sweet boy." Then she kissed his forehead and closed the door with a small thud.

Drawing in a breath she turned, only to feel her lungs constrict painfully. Dark eyes, lethally strained limbs and a cruel curve of lips watched her every more. He stood in the shadows of the veranda, making no move to hide the fact that he was watching her. Something told her she'd tempted the devil and there was no running from his ruin.

She remained cautious of the man, a part of her feared those sharp teeth and another craved to dance in the rage that simmered off him. The hypocrisy was not lost on her, she dreaded walking through the door of her own bloody nightmare, yet she'd fall to her knees on shredded glass just to hear another word from her watchers lips. Seraphina keyed the engine, blinding her view with headlights, needing the reprieve, she reversed out and finally felt the breath she'd been keeping hostage, escape.

The road seemed eerily quiet that night, and as she parked in front of their small one story wooden house, only the flickering reality tv creeped through a part in the drawn curtains. "Be quiet tonight, baby. Daddy is sleeping," she whispered, her own tone barely above a breath even as they sat in the tinkering idle car.

Piero nodded. "Yes, ma."

She slipped the metal into the lock and turned, pushing into the house just as silently. Having practiced the same ritual until it was burned into the backs of her eyelids. Sera slipped their shoes off and placed them gently on the wearing wooden floorboards. She then lifted Piero into her arms and walked through the house, he buried his head in the crook of her neck and inhaled. The boy was far to wise for his own good, she thought. Knowing those eyes hid from their reality, grasping onto what little innocence was left in his sheltered view. Their movements were small, mindful, cautious. Piero brushed his teeth as she helped him into his pyjamas.

Piero then led the way to their room and slipped under the drawn bedsheets. "Stay?" He pleaded, his eyes begging her to not go out to the monster.

As always she stroked his cheek and kissed his forehead, "dormi, bambino mio." (sleep my small boy.) Reluctantly she released her hold on his soft paling skin and walked away, closing the door.

It was better she spoke with him tonight, it was always worse the longer she left it. She crossed the small hallway and entered the living space. Santino sat with his back to her, she could see his broad shoulders and cocked head over the back of the sofa. Walking around it she stood beside him, "have you had dinner?" She asked.

His cold eyes remained on the television, but she knew his attention took home in the dark cavities of his mind rather than the bickering couple on the screen. "You are late." It was a statement.

"Yes the capo had visitors, Gabriella needed my help." She explained, her body tensed as his neck jerked and their eyes met. Instantly hers dropped to her feet.

Santino released a breath before standing up, his fingers wrapped around her throat and with one forceful step her had her pressed against the wall. "Where is my son, Seraphina, you are making him weak." His anger caused bruises to form along the tanned column of her slender neck.

"Asleep, fratello... please," she pleaded. "Let's get you to bed?"

A look flashed through his eyes and his grip weakened, the scent of alcohol and cannabis engulfing their senses. "Next time you call." He grumbled before releasing her.

Seraphina wrapped a arm around his waist and he hung his arm over her shoulder, their journey to his room a lot noisier than Peiro's. "Yes Santino." She nodded while helping him into the old creaking bed. He looked a lot older now, stress having played just as much part as the alcohol and drugs. There was that strange look in his eyes once more before he finally released her and she instantly stepped back. Walking backwards she left him, turning the light off and closing the wooden door.

Then she entered the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. How she craved to scream, to throw the thin glass at the windows that kept her constrained in this constant nightmare. Instead she let the ice cold water cool her burning throat, grabbed a small parring knife and sat down at the dinning table. Lowering denim she rolled her bottom lip into her mouth. Then she spread her thighs and ran the sharp edge of the blade along the soft scarred skin of her inner thigh, hot electricity zapped through her system as the pain soothed the internal grief.

Soft skin split with drops of crimson. The pleasure that ran through her body only seemed to ease a fraction of the real pain that ate at her. Once several laceration tarnished her skin, she wiped the blood from the wounds and applied bandages. The continuous sting fed her needs as she climbed into the sheets beside Piero. Pulling his small body into her chest she clutched him tightly and allowed silent tears to leak from her closed eyelids.

* *

Sera laughed at Gabriella as she tutted the children out of the room, they were baking, the young mistress liked sweets and it seemed their capo liked her full of sugar. So today they'd kept the kids with them and worked together in the kitchen, baking cookies and muffins. Sugary scents and mouthwatering chocolate lingered in the atmosphere.

"Mikel Silvetti was meant to be capo," Gabriella explained.

The young woman perched herself on one of the island stools and cupped her chin. "Who is the other man?" And when Gabriella looked up confused, she elaborated, "he was all bruised and bloody yesterday?" She kept to herself that he may very well be the most handsome man she'd had the privilege of laying eyes on. It was a privilege too, the power that oozed off the man seemed somehow royal, now she was beginning to understand why.

"That is their cousin, Sinn Silvetti." Gabriella looked around the kitchen, almost afraid a shadow would appear from the creases of the room.

The information bred like a disease in her mind, "Sinn?" A thousand questions brimmed on the surface yet only one escaped.

Gabriella nodded, leaning closer. "Traditionally he is Nikolai Silvetti, but that was a long time ago, Seraphina.. I don't know what happened between his life here and this return. The man that came back has looked death right in the eyes, pulled the scythe from his chest with only desire to stab it right back." The warning was clear in the older woman's words.

Sera felt a shiver down her spine, she'd never seen Gabriella look so serious, her skin had paled and her age creased along her brows. He was bad news and she needed to stay clear of the man, no matter how much she longed to feel those sharp eyes look right through her soul. Running her hand along her scarfed neck she shuddered, no more demons... "He is the devil." Sera replied, her accent heavy.

"Let us set the table for lunch."

The conversation was put to rest at that final statement. Gabriella dished up the spread and Seraphina walked it to the dinning room, she then set the dishes before making her way to the end of the table. Gabriella stood at the other end, waiting for the family to arrive. It wasn't long before their capo and the mistress arrived. Shortly after Mikel and Lysandra entered the room, after her conversation with Gabriella, she was able to place each of the members of the table.

Holding her breath, she waited for him. It was a shadow that fell over her small frame that announced his presence, then came the woodsy scent mingled with mint. Subconsciously she inhaled, needing him to fill her lungs, it seemed to soothe the pain the blades only touched the surface of.

No part of his body touched her, yet somehow she felt him every, down ever single nerve and fibre of her body. He took a seat at the head of the table, opposite the capo. The family began eating but she noticed how he did not once request a single item off the table. Sinn did not eat, he sat, he observed. If it wasn't for the slight fall of his shoulders, she'd be convinced the man did not breath.

There was clearing of a throat and she realised in her fascination with the man she'd completely tuned out of her reality. "The salad, Sera." Gabriella pressed softly.

Automatically, without thinking she stepped forward and lifted the glass bowl. Her scarf wrapped around the tip of a dinning chair and as she stepped forward to and the bowl over, it pulled away from her neck.

There was a moment of silence before she realised why the silverwear had stopped clattering. Multiple gazes zeroed in on her neck and she released the bowl. Vegetables and glass shattered around her feet as her hands reached up to cover the bruises that sat necklaced around her skin.

It was their capo who moved first, the sound of his chair pushing back should've been enough warning to flee the space but she was frozen. His strides were long, purposeful. The man lacked warmth, void of any emotion, hell the only time a spark lit in his gaze was when he fought with the mistress. Her eyes snapped between her boss and Lily, there was no malice in the mistresses eyes, only a flash of astonishment as Killian took hold of Seraphina's hips and lifted her away from the smashed glass.

Before Killian could speak, another hand reached out and gripped the forearm that led to the hand gripping her left hip.

She looked up.

Those green eyes held disgust, fury and a emotion she could not place. It was the disgust that had Seraphina pulling free and escaping out of the room.

Footsteps followed behind her... Steady, hunting, knowing its prey would be caught inevitably.

* * *

A slower burn than usual.
But boy will it ignite in a dance of chaotic flames...

- Queen of Cliffhangers -