by Cora Reilly
I regarded her for a few moments. She seemed angry. Her anger suited me better than the submissive terror she’d displayed before. I lifted her hand, and she tensed again as if she’d forgotten about my touch. Her pulse raced against my fingertips. I showed her the ring. “I won’t tell you that you have a choice to accept this or not. We both know you will accept it like you will say yes in two days.”
She blanched and gave a small nod. “Otherwise there won’t be peace.”
“Indeed.”
Her fingers shook as I put the engagement ring on. The jeweler had recommended it after I told her money wasn’t an issue. A simple gold band with a big diamond in the middle. I never understood the reason for engagement rings. She swallowed again, and I realized it was to contain some of her terror. “You realize this isn’t a death sentence.”
Dark brown eyes rose to meet mine. “Death isn’t the worst that can happen.”
“You will be my wife,” I told her. Whatever she’d heard about my brothers and me, and what was going on in Vegas, she didn’t have to fear that kind of thing.
The door opened and Kiara quickly pulled her hand from mine, swallowing again, but she didn’t manage to erase the fear on her face. A woman with long brown hair, a lighter shade than Kiara’s, poked her head in, eyes roving between Kiara and me. She narrowed her eyes then stepped into the room. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
I recognized her from photos of the Famiglia Underbosses and Captains I’d studied. Giulia Moretti, wife to Cassio Moretti, Underboss of Philadelphia. “I think that was the purpose of your appearance, wasn’t it?” I drawled.
She didn’t look guilty as she moved to Kiara’s side and gave me a haughty expression. “It’s not proper for you to be alone with her yet. I don’t know how you handle things in Las Vegas, but here we handle them like this.”
I gave her a cold smile. “Don’t worry, I’m very aware of your traditions, as peculiar as they may be with the presentation of the sheets.”
If I’d thought, Kiara had been scared before, my mentioning of that tradition upped her fright.
I held out my hand but looked at Giulia. “Kiara and I are supposed to make an appearance together, Mrs. Moretti … unless that tradition has been changed recently?”
She glanced at Kiara, who gave her a firm smile. “He’s right, Giulia. We don’t want to disappoint the guests.”
She slipped her hand back in mine and lifted her chin. My thumb found her wrist again, and she shivered. Thud-thud. Thud. An erratic rhythm. Thud-thud. Thud.
Giulia left, but she didn’t close the door.
Without another word, I led Kiara into the living room, where the guests were waiting for our appearance. They began clapping when we entered. What a display of fake excitement. Remo stood beside Luca, his brother Matteo, and Romero. The women of the family were gathered on the other side of the room, probably because of my brother. Remo’s expression didn’t bode well. Maybe he was pissed that he didn’t get the chance to spill our half-brother’s blood, but I had told him Luca wouldn’t dare invite him.
Luca and Kiara’s uncle spoke a few words as was expected. After that, I released Kiara, so she could show off her ring to the women.
“And what do you think? Are you satisfied with your future bride?” Remo asked with a grin as I stopped beside him. Luca tossed us a hard look. Remo being his usual provocative self hadn’t bothered to lower his voice.
“It’s too early to assess my level of satisfaction yet,” I said, considering her again. Her face was evenly shaped with the right proportions, pleasant to look at, and her dark eyes and hair contrasted in a pleasing way with her pale skin. Her body fulfilled all the requirements to attract male attention: narrow waist, slender legs, round ass, and bigger than average breasts. I would have no trouble claiming her on our wedding night.
“Done with your assessment?” Remo said as he followed me toward the spread of delicacies on the dining table. “You will definitely enjoy fucking her. I wish I could get a taste.”
“But you won’t,” I said plainly.
Remo tilted his head. “In the past, the king had the right of the first night.”
“Ius primae noctis.”
“Maybe I should establish something like that in Vegas.” Remo chuckled, his eyes scanning the crowd for suitable women. “Bring all your virgins so I can break them.”
I shook my head. At least this time he had the sense to speak quietly. Luca needed peace as much as we did, but his patience certainly had its limits. “You aren’t king, Remo. And you don’t have a right to the first night with Kiara.”
“Jealous isn’t like you,” Remo said with a hint of … was that curiosity?
“I’m not jealous, but there are a few things I don’t want to share with you and Kiara is one of them.”
Remo waved me off. “She is all yours. Don’t worry.” I wasn’t worried. Remo was unpredictable, twisted, and brutal, but he was my brother and he would never lay hand on someone who was mine. “But I will have to give this … what did you call it?”
“Ius primae noctis,” I provided.
“Yeah, that. Maybe I will have to give it another thought.”
I regarded my brother, trying to figure out if he was being serious. It was often hard to tell with Remo, and my lack of understanding human emotions had little to do with it. “You realize that most men won’t find the idea of you fucking their women very appealing. There is a limit to what people will take, even from you. Fear has its limits. At some point, humans revolt.”
Remo rolled his eyes. “You realize you are human too, right?”
“I always got the impression that you and I had little humanity left.”
Remo clapped my shoulder. “True.” His smile turned dangerous. “Who needs emotions and morals when they can fuck and maim and kill as they please?”
I had never seen the appeal of having emotions.
Kiara glanced at me from across the room again but quickly looked away when I met her gaze. She was trying to hide her emotions, but I could sense her terror even from the distance. Emotions were always a weakness.
CHAPTER 5
KIARA
Aunt Egidia handled the wedding preparations with Aria’s help. The Falcones didn’t seem to show much interest in the details of the celebration. For them it was business, nothing else. It was decided that the wedding was to take place in my parents’ mansion in the Hamptons—the place where they had been killed. My mother by my father and my father by Luca. It was almost symbolic that this was the place where I would lose my life as well.
On the day of my wedding, I stepped into the foyer of the mansion, a place I hadn’t set foot in for years. It had been mostly deserted since then. My brothers had inherited the place—not me since I was a woman—and they had preferred to stay in Atlanta, away from Luca and away from me. They were much older, so we never had much in common anyway. They were busy making names for themselves, despite our father’s wrongdoings. My marriage to Nino was supposed to wash away the blemish of the past, but my secret could ruin us all.
Over the last few days, cleaners and interior designers had awoken the place from its desolate state. The main party would take place in a massive party tent in the garden. It was late April and planning the party outside without any shelter would have been too risky.
I walked up the stairs slowly, and my eyes found the spot where my mother had died. With a shudder, I quickly scurried into my old bedroom. It, too, had been prepared for the day. Fresh flowers had been set up in vases around the room, probably to cover the musty scent of neglect. My aunt was talking to the stylist, who’d do my hair and makeup, at the vanity. A floor-length mirror had been set up for the occasion. My dress was spread out on the four-post bed.
It was a beautiful dress: white, the color of innocence and purity.
I looked at my aunt and considered telling her what had happened to me six years ago. As always, I didn’t because I’d be less in her eyes. Somet
hing broken, something dirty. Not worthy of that perfect white dress.
Giulia slipped into the room, already dressed in a beautiful burgundy dress, and hugged me. “I can’t believe they chose this place for the celebrations,” she muttered.
“It belongs to her closest living relatives, her brothers. It’s what honor dictated.”
Honor dictated so many things in our lives, it hardly left any room for choice.
Giulia rolled her eyes. “So it had nothing to do with the fact that nobody wanted to risk their mansion for the party because the risk of a bloodshed is too high? After all, that’s why this isn’t taking place in a hotel.”
Aunt Egidia pursed her lips at her daughter. “Giulia, really, one would think your marriage to Cassio would have put a stop to your insolence.”
“Cassio likes my insolence,” she said, her cheeks flushing.
Aunt Egidia sighed then narrowed a nervous glance toward the stylist; she was always worried about leaving a bad impression in front of others. “I think we should start now. With your unruly hair, it’ll probably be a while before your bridal hairdo is done.”
My aunt proved to be right. The stylist took forever taming my curls into a braid that traveled down my back. A thin strand of gold leaves and pearls that she wound into it adorned the simple style.
“You are so very beautiful,” Giulia said quietly.
Egidia clasped her hand in front of her stomach, regarding me with more affection than I’d ever seen before. “You are.”
The stylist left the room with a small smile, which I returned even as my facial muscles felt ready to burst from tension.
Egidia smoothed out the veil lining my neckline again before she faced me, touching my shoulders. “As women, we have to fulfill our duty to our husbands ...” she began, and I tensed because I knew where she was going with it. “You don’t have to be—” She stopped herself. Don’t have to be scared? Those were the words every mother spoke to her daughter on their wedding day. I knew because Giulia had told me Egidia said the same thing to her on her wedding day. I met Aunt Egidia’s gaze and the guilt I’d seen in her eyes before was back. “Make him treat you like a lady.”
Giulia stepped up to Egidia. “Mother, let me talk to Kiara, okay? I think she will feel more comfortable around me.”
Aunt Egidia nodded, looking relieved. She patted my shoulder then walked out, leaving me alone with my stepsister.
Giulia sighed as she regarded me in the mirror. “I don’t like this, Kiara. You shouldn’t be marrying a Falcone. You are the last person who should.”
“Why? Better than someone innocent.”
Giulia gripped my hand hard. “Stop it. You aren’t dirty or less or whatever you think you are because of what he did to you. And you don’t deserve this.”
“Who deserves this? I don’t wish this fate on any other girl. I will survive.”
Giulia perched on the vanity. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Don’t say anything. There’s nothing you can tell me that will set me at ease,” I told her quickly. I knew what was going to happen tonight, and I had lived through it before. I swallowed. “I won’t fight him. I will do what he wants. Then surely it will be endurable. I’m not thirteen anymore.” My words were hushed, broken vowels strung together.
Giulia breathed deeply. “My God, Kiara. Tell Luca. He can still find a way out of this for you.”
“Cancelling the wedding today? That would be a slap in Remo Falcone’s face. He isn’t a man who will turn the other cheek. He will seek revenge, no matter the price.” I took a deep breath. “No. I will marry Nino. Did you get the pills I asked you for?”
She held out a small package to me. “One should do the trick, but I really don’t think you should drug yourself to be calm.”
“It’s a light sedative. It won’t knock me out.” Although, I would have preferred that effect, but Nino would not appreciate it if I were unconscious when he claimed me. My stomach pinched sharply, and I pressed my palm against it.
“Kiara—”
“No. I’m doing this. Many choices have been taken from me throughout this life, but I choose to salvage my honor, choose to hold my head high no matter what happens. Let this be my choice.”
Giulia nodded and got up. “Because the Falcones are feared, because they rule without mercy, doesn’t mean Nino won’t treat you with kindness. Some men don’t bring violence home to their wives. Some men can distinguish between the ones they need to protect and those they need to break. I think Nino might be one of them.”
I wondered if she really believed her words or if they were just to console me, but I didn’t have the courage to ask her. I stuffed the pills into the small white purse that matched my dress. “Can you give it to me at the party? I can’t carry it down the aisle.”
Giulia took it and hugged me briefly. “Of course.”
NINO
My brothers and I weren’t religious, so we had refused to marry in church, much to the Famiglia’s disapproval. I wasn’t sure why they clung to their beliefs when they broke every rule established by their religion on a daily basis. Every man would end up in Hell, if what they believed was truth.
I waited at the altar that had been set up in front of the tent in the gardens. Remo stood beside me as my best man, his eyes undressing Kiara’s bridesmaid Giulia in a way that made her husband Cassio scowl. I sent Remo a warning look but he ignored me. He probably would have preferred a bloody wedding, and from the look on Matteo’s face as he sat in the first row, he would too. Adamo and Savio sat a few seats away from the Vitiellos. To my surprise, Luca had allowed Aria to sit beside Leona. They seemed to be getting along well, and even Fabiano exchanged the occasional word with his sister.
Remo rolled his eyes when he followed my gaze. He should have been happy that his insane plan was working. A truce between the Famiglia and Camorra seemed like a valid possibility.
A hush fell over the crowd when the music began to play and Kiara appeared at the end of the aisle. She had chosen an elegant dress with a veil that covered her shoulders. Felix led her toward me, but Kiara never raised her eyes to meet mine, instead keeping them fixed on my chest.
When Felix handed her over to me, her hand shook in mine. I pressed my thumb against her wrist, feeling her pulse raced under my fingertips. I regarded her face. Her expression was neutral, but in her eyes was a look I’d often seen in people’s eyes before I started to torture them.
Given our reputation, her terror was understandable, but it was completely unfounded. She wasn’t my enemy but my wife. I hadn’t given her reason for that kind of reaction.
She never once glanced my way as the pastor gave his long-winded sermon and finally declared us husband and wife.
“You may kiss the bride,” the pastor said.
I turned to Kiara and her pulse sped up even more. Her terrified eyes finally lifted to mine, and she swallowed hard. Holding her gaze, I cupped her cheek, ignoring her trembling, and pressed my lips to hers. They were soft and quivered against mine. When I pulled back, she swallowed again.
We made our way past the guests and stopped beside a table, which had been set up with champagne flutes.
After we’d accepted congratulations from our guests, the buffet was finally opened. Kiara was tense throughout dinner and hardly ate anything. She only relaxed when she got up and walked over to Aria and the other Scuderi sisters to talk.
“Excited about making your wife bleed tonight?” Remo asked the moment she was out of earshot as he leaned back in his chair. I was surprised he’d bothered to wait until she couldn’t hear his words.
Leona’s eyes widened, and she looked up at Fabiano. “He’s referring to the tradition of the bloody sheets that the Famiglia still upholds. It requires the groom to present the sheets he and his bride spent the night on.”
Leona pursed her lips. “You are joking, right?”
“And they call us barbaric,” Remo said with a smirk. “But I have to tell you
, I envy you your chance to spill some blood tonight. It’s been too long. I really want to kill someone.”
Fabiano rolled his eyes at Remo.
“When has there ever been a day without blood in our lives?” I asked.
Remo’s eyes tightened with an emotion I could not read. “True,” he said. “Remember, no taking her up against the wall or bent over the desk. Bloody sheets is what the dear Famiglia wants.” He raised his glass and took a sip of wine, but neither of us would get drunk today.
“Don’t worry. I will provide bloody sheets.”
Remo smiled twistedly. “I know you will.”
My eyes found my wife again. She was still talking to the Scuderi sisters but turned her gaze to me when she noticed my attention. She tensed and swallowed, the hand holding her glass shaking slightly.
Fearing me like she did, she’d probably bleed her second and third time as well. I knew how to please women with my hands, tongue, and cock, but even sexual skills had their limits when faced with terror.
When it was time for our first dance, I stood and Kiara came over to me, accepting my outstretched hand. I led her toward the center, and our guests gathered around us to watch. She allowed herself to look into my eyes for longer than she ever had. Fear and uncertainty flickered across her face. When she didn’t find whatever it was she was looking for, she lowered her gaze back to my chest and swallowed hard. It must have been her way to suppress the fear.
I touched her lower back and pulled her against me. She made a small sound in the back of her throat, a strong sound of unease. I regarded her face. She was breathing faster and her cheeks had paled. This was only a mere dance. If this unsettled her, the consummation of our marriage would be particularly unpleasant. She wasn’t the type to fight, too dutiful and raised to please. She would yield to me, but it wouldn’t make things any easier for her.
Maybe words of consolation would have soothed her terror, but I wasn’t a man who comforted others.
