Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 40015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Dante’s full lips curved in a proud smile. “You’re so brave, Nora. I know you can do this.”
I managed a tight nod and took a step toward him, away from the safety of the bed where they both held me at night.
“That’s it,” he praised. “You’re doing so well, pet.”
Warmth pulsed through my chest, imbuing me with strength. I straightened my spine and took another step. Another.
Dante held my hand in his and walked beside me, guiding me down the corridor and toward the massive double staircase that led down to the foyer. My feet stalled slightly.
“I thought you said we’re not going outside?” My voice lilted on a shaky question.
His thumb rubbed my palm in a soothing gesture. “We’re not. I wouldn’t risk taking you outside even if you wanted to leave. I’m keeping you close until we handle all the threats against you. We’re only going down to the music room now.”
I took another breath and continued our progress, trusting that Dante wouldn’t lie to me. He’d never lied to me, even when a pretty falsehood would’ve been preferable to the ugly truth. He’d promised that as my husband, he’d always be completely honest with me. He’d proven himself over and over again, sometimes with chilling results.
He’d promised to kill Alberto for me, and he’d followed through. When he and Luca had come to me covered in my cousin’s blood…
I swallowed hard and shoved the memory away before I could linger over it. I never should’ve agreed to take Dante in my mouth while Luca claimed me. It’d been a moment of madness driven by bloodlust. It’d been wrong, a betrayal. Luca could pretend that I’d done it under coercion, out of fear of Dante. But deep in my heart, I knew the truth: in that moment, I’d wanted both of them, even if it had been on an entirely carnal level.
Dante brushed my palm with his thumb again, calling my attention back to him. “You’re safe, Nora.”
He’d misread the tension that pinched my features. I wasn’t frightened of leaving the bedroom anymore; I was torn over my traitorous feelings.
I should hate Dante.
But I didn’t. Not anymore. Not after he’d risked his life to save me twice, and he’d spent the last weeks seeing to my every need. He’d bled for me. He’d killed for me. And he cared for me more deeply than I dared to contemplate.
He’d allowed Luca, his worst enemy, to touch me. I’d seen the jealousy that blazed in his green eyes and the furious tension around his jaw when I leaned on my husband for support.
He did it all for me, sacrificing his own selfish desires for my sake.
We stepped onto the parquet floor of the opulent music room, which was dominated by a grand piano. My feet stalled again, and I locked my knees in place.
“You want me to play,” I surmised, voice tight.
Piano was my emotional release, a way to channel all the dark, intense feelings of pain and confinement in my father’s abusive home. But I’d suffered so deeply at the hands of the Bratva, and the trauma was too close to the surface. If I played, my volatile emotions would overwhelm me, and I might shatter.
Dante turned to me, caressing my cheek with one hand while the other settled on my hip, holding me firm.
“I do,” he confirmed. “No one has played it since I lost my mother, but I had it tuned for you before our wedding.”
Memories of that awful day churned through my mind, threatening to sour the moment with my dark protector. He’d drugged me and dragged me back to his estate. He’d forced me to take part in a farce of a wedding ceremony. And then he’d chased me through the woods like I was his favorite prey, delighting in my fear, my screams of frustration and defiance.
“How did you know?” I asked breathlessly. “When you first brought me here,” I clarified, voice gaining strength. “You knew all my hobbies, and you’d even brought my favorite books and put them in your library.”
His thumb caressed my chilled cheek. “Yes, I did it all for you.”
He seemed to think he’d done something good.
“It was horrific,” I told him, no venom in the words, only stark truth. “You terrified me. You kidnapped me and forced me to marry you.”
His dark brows drew together. “I asked your father what you liked because I wanted you to feel at home here.” His jaw ticked, but his hold on me remained achingly gentle. “You were meant to be mine. This was the marriage we were meant to have if Luca hadn’t stolen you away from me. He’s the one who forced you into an unwilling marriage. You agreed to be my wife, remember?”
“Only because I thought you were capable of hurting Giana,” I answered honestly. He was twisting the situation. “I didn’t want an arranged marriage at all. I pledged myself to you in order to save her.”