82

He dropped his arm and took a step back. Out of the corner of my eye I watched him approach the chair and sink into it. He took the bottle of scotch and poured himself a generous amount. Before he could change his mind, I quickly went to the bathroom, closed the door and turned the lock, then shuddered at how stupid he was. A lock was no protection against him, and neither was a door. Nothing in this world could protect me.
I scrutinized my face in the mirror. My eyes were red and my cheeks wet. I dropped the remains of the corset to the floor and picked up the nightgown that one of the servants had folded for me on the chair. A stifled laugh escaped my mouth after I put it on over my bowed panties. The part above the breasts was lace, but at least it was not transparent; unlike the entire center of the nightgown. It was the thinnest fabric I had ever seen and left nothing to the imagination. My bare stomach and panties were on display. It ended above my knees with another lace hem. I might as well have walked out of this room naked and called it a day, but I wasn’t that brave.
I washed off my makeup, brushed my teeth, let my hair down, and, when I could no longer prolong the inevitable, grabbed the door handle. Would it be so bad if I slept in the bathroom?
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and returned to the bedroom. Luca was still sitting in the armchair. The bottle of scotch was almost half empty. Drunk men were never a good thing.
His eyes found me and he laughed without humor. “Is that what you choose to wear when you don’t want me to fuck you?”
I blushed at his coarse language. This was the Scotsman talking, but I couldn’t tell him to stop drinking.
I was respecting the line as it was. “I didn’t choose it.” I crossed my arms, undecided between standing or slipping under the covers of the bed. But lying down seemed like a bad idea. I didn’t want to make myself more vulnerable than I already was. But standing in front of Luke half-naked was not the best choice either.
“My stepmother?” he asked.
I simply nodded. He put down his glass and stood up. Of course I gasped. His expression darkened. She said nothing as she walked past me and into the bathroom, not even when I gasped when her arm brushed against mine. The moment the door closed, I released a harsh breath. Slowly I approached the bed, my eyes finding the light red stain. I perched on the edge of the mattress. Water flowed in the bath , but eventually Luke came back out.
I lay on the edge of the mattress, turned on my side and pulled the covers up to my chin, then closed my eyes, straining to fall asleep. I wanted that day to end, even if it was only the beginning of many hellish days and nights to come.
The water stopped and a few minutes later Luca came out of the bathroom. I was trying to make my breathing sound like I was already asleep. I dared a quick peek with half-closed eyes, my face almost covered by the blanket, and turned to stone. Luca was wearing only black briefs. And if Luca was impressive when clothed, he was at a whole new level of intimidation when half-naked. He was made up of pure muscle, and his skin was littered with scars, some thin and long as if a knife had cut him clean through, and others round and made up as if a bullet had ripped through his flesh. The letters were inked on the skin over his heart. I couldn’t read them from a distance but I had a feeling it was their motto. ‘Born in blood. Sworn in blood. I go in alive and come out dead.’
He walked over to the main light switch and turned it off, plunging us into darkness. Suddenly I felt like I was alone in a forest at night, knowing that somewhere something was stalking me. The bed gave way under Luca’s weight, and I clung to the edge of the bed. I tightened my lips, allowing myself only shallow breaths.
The mattress shifted as Luca lay down. I held my breath, waiting for him to reach for me and take what was his. Would it always be like this? Would I be miserable for the rest of my life? My nights filled with fear?
The pressure of the past weeks, or maybe even years, collapsed on me. Helplessness, fear and anger overwhelmed me. Hatred for my father filled me, but even worse was the hot knife of disappointment and sadness. He had given me to a man he knew nothing about, except his reputation as a skilled killer, offered me to the enemy to do with as he pleased. The man who was supposed to protect me from evil had thrown me into the arms of a monster for the sole purpose of securing power.
Warm tears flowed from my eyes but the weight on my chest did not ease. It grew heavier and heavier until I could no longer hold it back and a gasping sob escaped me. Keep yourself under control, Aria. I tried to restrain myself, but another choked sob slipped over my lips.
“Are you going to cry all night?” came Luca’s cold voice from the darkness. He obviously hadn’t slept yet. For a man in his position, it was best to keep his eyes open at all times.
I buried my face in the pillow but now that the locks had opened I could not close them again .
“I don’t see how you could have cried worse if I had caught you. Maybe I should fuck you to give you a real reason to cry.
I drew my legs closer to my chest, making myself as small as possible. I knew I had to stop. I hadn’t been beaten or worse, but I couldn’t hold back my emotions.
Luca moved and a soft light flooded the room. He had turned on the lamp on the bedside table. I waited. I knew he was watching me, but I kept my face pressed against the pillow. Maybe he would leave the room if he got tired of the noise. He touched my arm, and I gasped so violently that I would have fallen off the bed if Luke had not pulled me to him.
“That’s enough,” he said in a low voice.
That voice. I stopped immediately and let him roll me onto my back. Slowly I opened my legs and arms and lay still as a corpse.
“Look at me,” he ordered, and I did. Was that the voice that had made him famous? “I want you to stop crying. I want you to stop wincing at my touch.
I nodded numbly.
He shook his head. “That nod means nothing. Don’t you think I recognize fear when he stares at me? The moment I turn off the light, you’ll go back to crying like I fucking raped you.
I didn’t know what he wanted me to do. It wasn’t that I liked being scared to death.
Not that fear was the only reason for my breakdown, but he wouldn’t understand. How could he understand that I felt like my life had been ripped away from me? My sisters, Fabiano, my family, Chicago, they were all I had ever known and now I had to give them up.
“So to give you peace of mind and shut you up, I’m going to make an oath.”
I licked my lips, savoring the salty taste of tears on them. Luca’s fingers tensed on my arm. “An oath?” I whispered.
He took my hand and pressed my palm against the tattoo on his heart. I exhaled as his muscles flexed under my touch. He was warm, the skin much softer than I had expected.
“Born in blood, sworn in blood, I swear I will not try to steal your virginity or hurt you in any way tonight.” His lips tightened and he nodded toward the cut on his arm. “I’ve already bled for you, so that seals it. Born in blood. Sworn in blood.” She covered my hand with hers over the tattoo, looking at me expectantly.
“Born in blood, sworn in blood,” I said softly. He let go of my hand and I lowered it to my stomach, stunned and confused. An oath was a big deal. Without adding anything else, she turned off the light and returned to her side of the bed.
I listened to her rhythmic breathing, knowing she was not sleeping. I closed my eyes. He would not break his oath.