by K. I. Lynn
Giovanni signaled to the men from the county courthouse, and they set papers in front of us. “Arabella, I need you to sign here and here—then Domenico signs here.”
“And then what?” I asked.
He blinked at me. “And then you’re officially married.”
“That seems so anti-climactic.”
“This is only a legal formality so that we can begin merging the organizations. It will help dispel animosity in the ranks,” my grandfather said. “I thought this summer would be good for a public wedding.”
I nodded. We were doing it to proceed with the merger. This was the business end of our marriage. In doing so, old grudges would be laid to rest.
I picked up the pen and stared at the signature line. Years had passed since I’d written my real name, but as I pressed the tip to the paper, the letters flowed out like no time had passed at all. I handed the paper to Domenico and watched as he wrote out his full name.
Matthew smiled as he gathered the papers. “Fantastic. We will run and get these filed right away. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Matthew,” my grandfather said, shaking his hand before they headed out.
“What are these, then?” I asked, signaling to the trays of rings.
“Your wedding bands. I assumed an engagement ring would be chosen by Domenico.”
I pulled a tray forward, scanning the different styles and colors. I stopped on a delicate-looking sculpted crescent band of diamonds. My fingers gripped the band and pulled it from the tray. Domenico plucked one of his own, then set it on the table.
He grasped the one I was holding and took my hand, his eyes locked with mine. “With this ring, I promise to protect you with my life. To love you and only you for the rest of my days.”
I blinked back a tear as he slid the ring on my finger, seating it in place.
“I promise to love you, to stand beside you and support you, until the end.” I couldn’t stop smiling as I slipped the ring on his finger.
There was nobody to pronounce us man and wife, but it was fine. I threw my arms around his shoulders and pressed my lips to his.
My Bestia.
My husband.
As I stared out over the lake, I marveled at my new life. I had nothing and everything at the same time. My entire life had been accounted for in only a handful of possessions until a few days ago, when I was handed an empire. I didn’t even have any form of identification, but I did have a name and a title that commanded respect.
The wind whipped around me, and I pulled my coat tighter. A sigh left me as large arms circled my waist and pulled me to a solid chest.
“What are you doing out here by yourself?” Domenico asked.
“Just musing. And I’m not alone.” I pointed to Luca silently surveying the property fifty feet away. “What do you think about this spot for the wedding?”
I tripped up a little on the last words. It was such an odd sentence for me to say—and one I never thought I would.
A chuckle at my ear confirmed he had similar thoughts. “Whatever you want.”
I turned in his arms and looked up at him. “I already have what I want. A wedding is simply a formality, a show for everyone.”
“There are going to be a lot of changes happening soon. I want you beside me during it all. To show that it’s not just me running things.”
I ran my hand across his chest. “Of course. Besides, I have to let all the ladies know you’re mine. No mistresses for you.”
“Why would I ever need one when I have you?”
“You could get tired of me.”
“Never.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. “You’re mine and I’m yours. Forever.”
There was still a lot to work out, but after everything we’d been through, I knew we could do it together.
They said love was blind, but my eyes were wide open.
I was in love with a murderer, a killer. Married to a monster.
One only I could command.
La Bestia.
My love.
A year and a half later…
The whirlwind that was our marriage didn’t allow for things like a honeymoon, even after our wedding for the masses. However, we both had needed a break. Desperately.
For a year I’d gotten an in-depth schooling of the inner workings of organized crime. It made me realize all I’d gleaned before was just the tip of the iceberg.
There were so many pieces constantly at play to keep track of.
My grandfather was wonderful in reminding me of my Vitale lineage and history, and I was ready to carry on our dynasty as a Ferrante.
Four weeks ago we boarded a plane and left Chicago, bound for a boat and the sea. Domenico once told me his dream, and I’d wanted to make it come true.
While I had a feeling the three-hundred-foot yacht we chartered was not the sailboat Domenico had envisioned, the size was necessary due to the amount of staff we were required to travel with.
Business never stopped, and it was difficult for Domenico to relinquish control, but when he did, when he opened his eyes to the world around him, I fell even more in love.
We celebrated his thirty-first birthday on the boat.
Luca and Santiago accompanied us, along with a few other guards. While Santiago was the Ferrante guard Domenico trusted the most, Luca had also become the same for us on the Vitale side.
There had been some dissension in the ranks, but things had begun to settle as old grudges were buried. Truthfully, it would be years before things really settled, but we were on our way.
Salvatore, the Vitale guard who assaulted me, did not fare as well. My grandfather terminated him for what he did, and it was a great relief when I found out. He’d already harmed me once, and there was no way I could trust him. I didn’t want someone like that in the ranks, wondering if I had to watch out for someone who was supposed to be a loyal associate.
Marco had stepped up with Domenico. After all, he was Domenico’s most trusted. He now held Domenico’s old position and orchestrated all the other capos and crews.
“I am not going home,” I declared with a shake of my head as we lay on one of the loungers on the upper deck, my head resting on his chest.
We were on the tail end of our month-long Mediterranean tour and I had fallen head over heels for Greece, despite my Italian heritage.
The crystal-clear blue of the water was hypnotizing and the history amazing. We did get a few odd looks though, when we entered the Acropolis with an armed guard.
“We have to go home sometime.”
I tilted my head back. “As long as you promise me we can do this again.”
He brushed the hair back from my face. “Anything for you.”
There was a commotion coming from the couches not far from us. I couldn’t help but laugh, watching as Luca and one of the shipmates raced to see who could chug a bottle of lemonade the fastest.
It was a stupid game, but neither could drink while on the job, and they’d found some interesting ways to entertain themselves when the threat level was low.
“Mr. Ferrante, there is a call for you on the ship phone,” one of the cabin stewards said.
Domenico scrunched his brow as he sat up. “Thank you, Alexa, I’ll take it inside.”
He pulled me up with him and we stepped back into the air-conditioned interior. At the bar was the nearest phone, and I stood beside him as he answered.
“Ferrante,” Domenico said into the receiver.
I couldn’t hear anything from the caller, but it was very strange that whoever it was didn’t call his cell phone. Domenico’s lip twitched and his eyes found mine. They sparkled and danced, making my stomach spin. “Thank you so much, doctor.”
Doctor.
“And?” I prompted as soon as he hung up.
“Pregnant.”
I froze before launching myself into his arms.
For a few weeks I hadn’t felt quite right, and there was a reason for that. I’d had the IUD b
irth control implant removed six months earlier. It was only a matter of time.
I stepped back and turned to the mirror, my gaze locked on my abdomen. He wrapped his arms around me, his palms stacked flat against my midsection as he pulled me close.
“So I guess I got knocked up with your kid, after all.”
He chuckled against my neck. “I told you I would.”
I met his gaze in the reflection. “If it’s a girl, we could name her after our mothers.”
He turned me in his arms and pressed his forehead to mine. Those silver eyes that always captured me bored into mine. “I think that is perfect. But if it’s a boy, we are not naming him Giovanni.”
A giggle left me and I smiled up at him. “Deal.”
“Now, my queen, where do you want to sail to next?”
I stretched up onto the tips of my toes and pressed my lips to his. “I don’t care, just as long as you’re beside me.”
He pulled me closed. “Always, my love. Always.”
When I started writing this, well, it was an idea I’d had on the backburner, so when I was approached to become part of the Sinister Fairy Tale Collections, I was like “Ya know, I have this start of an idea and about 3 scenes.”
It exploded from there.
Oddly, the scene where she wakes up in the cage and when Domenico comes out of the shadows was the one scene that stayed from that original idea.
My original fairy tale for the collection was The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and I was about fifteen thousand words in when the Beauty and the Beast slot opened up. As I looked at my outline I realized my story was a perfect fit, and all the ladies told me to go for it. I’m so happy they did.
After that, it took off. I hope you loved Domenico and Ari as much as I loved writing them.
To Jo, thank you for escaping.
The beginning scene on the bridge was a real life incident that happened to one of my oldest and dearest friends. While she was able to get out of the situation before they got her stopped due to flashing lights nearby, it could have turned out horribly wrong for her.
Please be aware of your surroundings. If something doesn’t seem right, call the police. It’s better to be discovered as nothing than something happening to you.
Stay safe!
Easter egg (ha! I’m literally writing those words on Easter Sunday, how fun!)
Some of you may have recognized a certain side character.
I LOVED Malcolm Asher in Sin by Elena M Reyes, and seeing as my setting was also in Chicago and also in the world of organized crime, he was the perfect character to borrow for a couple of key scenes.
Thank you to Elena for letting me borrow my man!
Visit—www.sinistercollections.com
Interested in finding out who exactly Malcolm Asher is?
Find out more here
Afterlife—Hailee Steinfeld
Teeth—Five seconds of Summer
Won’t Go Down Easy—Jaxson Gamble
Gasoline—Halsey
Heathens—twenty one pilots
Arsonist’s Lullabye—Hozier
Hold Me Down—Halsey
I like trouble—Jailbreakers Ltd
Blinding Lights—The Weekend
Take What You Want—Post Malone feat. Ozzy Osborn & Travis Scott
All the good girls go to hell—Billie Eilish
My Love Will Never Die—Ag feat. Claire Wyndham
I’m a Wanted Man—Royal Deluxe
Not Afraid Anymore—Halsey
Wolves—Sam Tinnesz feat. Silverberg
Lions Inside—Valley of Wolves
I Can’t Get Enough—Jaxson Gamble
Animal—Chase Holfelder
Until We Go Down—Ruelle
The Baddest Man Alive—The Black Keys
Control—Halsey
Lux Aeterna—Clint Mansell
Graveyard—Halsey
K.I. Lynn is the USA Today Bestselling Author from The Bend Anthology and the Amazon Bestsellers, Breach and Becoming Mrs Lockwood. She spent her life in the arts, everything from music to painting and ceramics, then to writing. Characters have always run around in her head, acting out their stories, but it wasn’t until later in life she would put them to pen. It would turn out to be the one thing she was really passionate about.
Since she began posting stories online, she’s garnered acclaim for her diverse stories and hard hitting writing style. Two stories and characters are never the same, her brain moving through different ideas faster than she can write them down as it also plots its quest for world domination…or cheese. Whichever is easier to obtain… Usually it’s cheese.
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That Night
I got pregnant on New Year’s Eve.
That night was hands down the best night of my life. A magical night with the man of my dreams.
The aftermath changed everything.
After weeks of silence from him and a positive pregnancy test, it was safe to say I was in full out panic mode.
Until I walked into a conference room only to find Mr. Man-of-my-dreams-father-of-my-unborn-child at the head of the table.
Turns out the VP of finance isn’t an old boring guy with white hair.
Two different cities.
A baby on the way.
An intense attraction.
And he’s technically my boss.
Life just got even more complicated.
Find out more here
Abducted
The mafia never lets you go.
I thought I was safe, free, but I never expected to find myself locked in a cage.
I’m in his territory. His prison.
The beast.
A fate worse than death awaits me if I can’t get away, so when the opportunity of salvation presents itself I grab it, even if I’m unsure if I can trust the hand I’m holding.
The only way out is through, exposing secrets and spilling blood.
Things aren’t how they appear. Nobody is what they seem.
Not even me.
Find out more here
Forever and All The Afters
He promised me forever.
Then he boarded a plane for a college a thousand miles away and never returned. A decade later there’s a ring on my finger with a new promise from a new love.
Just as my life falls into place, pretty as the pages of a magazine, my world is knocked over. The moment he touches me everything around me begins to crack, exposing all the lies I’ve told myself.
Every glance reminds me. Every touch ignites.
Things aren’t how they used to be.
Love isn’t easy.
Find out more here
Welcome to the Cameo Hotel
I get what I want.
When I walked through the door of the Cameo Hotel I didn’t expect such a beauty to be working the front desk.
The effect she has on me is intense, and I make her life a living hell because of it.
I love her spirit, her internal defiance when completing the most inane task I assign her. My two week stay has turned into unending, just to be near her.
She’s under my every command if she wants to keep me happy.
There’s one last thing I want.
Her.
Find out more here
Becoming Mrs. Lockwood
Every girl has dreams of meeting Prince Charming, or at least I know I did.
A fairy tale-like meeting of love at first site.
Real life and fairy tales are very different.
I’m just a small town Indiana girl that had a chance encounter with one of Hollywood’s golden boys. You may think you know where this story goes—not even close.
Life is different. Marriage is hard. It’s even worse when you’re strangers.
Find out more here
Six
I had a one-night stand. It wasn’t my first, but it would
be my last.
A gun to the head.
A trained killer.
A deadly conspiracy.
Kidnapped and on the run, my life and death is in the hands of a sadist captor who happens to be my one-night stand. Armed with countless weapons, money, and new identities, the man I call Six drags me around the world.
The manhunt is on and Six is the next target. Can we find out who is killing off the Cleaners before they find us?
Two down, seven to go.
When it’s all over he’ll finish the job that dropped him into my life, and end it.
Stockholm Syndrome meets bucket list, and the question of what would you do to live before you died. The questions aren’t always answered in black and white. Gray becomes the norm as my morals are tested.
Death is a tragedy, and I’ll do anything to stay alive.
Are you ready for the last ride of your life? Six has a gun to your head—what would you do?
This isn’t a love story.
It’s a death story.
Find out more here
Check out the Trailer
Breach Book 1
His body was sin, his cock was sin, and I was a sinner.
To keep myself safe I hide in the world and let life move around me.
My new partner, Nathan, isn’t safe. Far from it.
The darkness coils around him, hidden by a shield created by a blinding smile. But those who live in shadows see past the façade we create.
Even in darkness, there is light. A spark that ignites, then explodes.
Every filthy word from his mouth, every possessive touch—I crave them, need them. Violent and passionate and everything I need to fill the void inside me, but one thing is missing.
