12. Glimpse of monster

His eyes were bloodshot when they met mine. His jaw clenched so tightly that I thought he might break his teeth. And for the very first time, I felt relieved to see him here.

Slowly his gaze shifted to the three boys, and his fists balled to his sides. He was just restraining himself from snapping their necks right here and now.

With his presence, not only did silence spread but also the temperature of the room dropped by several degrees. And in that moment, I knew these boys would wish they had never been born.

His eyes darkened even further when they flicked down to their hands—hands that were still all over me.

"Ca-Capo?" one of them stammered, cutting through the silence.

I could feel the three of them trembling. The college students feared these boys because they belonged to powerful families. I am sure they are well aware of Nikolai.

In a blink of an eye, Nikolai closed the distance between us.

"Capo, we... You can have her first if you want."

Their hands dropped from me instantly as they stepped back. I shivered when Nikolai’s eyes flicked down to me for a mere second. But his attention soon shifted to them as he roared.

"How dare you!"

Everyone in the room flinched, including me.

"How dare you touch her?" He asked the dread in his voice shuddering through the room.

I could feel the heat radiating off his body. The heat was ready to consume the three bastards standing in front of him. I am sure they sensed that too.

"Capo, we swear. She started it first."

My eyes widened. My head snapped toward the boy who dared to accuse me.

How. Dare. He?

But what scared me more was Nikolai’s silence. His body radiated wrath, yet he said nothing.

Was he going to believe them?

"Yes, Capo! We couldn’t resist when she seduc—"

Boom.

Before he could finish his words, Nikolai punched his jaw so brutally that I could see one of his teeth flying in the air. He spat out blood as he landed on the floor.

And I gasped.

Yes, I had been raised in a mafia family, but the sight of blood made my stomach churn. My father and brother had always shielded me from violence. They had kept me in a cocoon, safe from this cruel world. I had never seen them involved in fights or taking a life.

"With this hand, you touched her, didn’t you?" Nikolai’s voice was low and dangerous.

He was now over the first guy. My heart came to my throat when Nikolai started twisting his arm back.

"Leave me, Capo. I am sorry, please. We swear it is her mista..."

Before he could finish himself, I heard a horrific crack of bones that made my heart pound in my chest. I hugged myself and turned away, closing my eyes tightly as I heard that boy's agonizing, painful scream, followed by another loud snap.

He was now on the floor, sobbing in agony and cradling his broken arm.

My eyes sprang open as I was pushed down the desk by the third person, who was attempting to distract Nikolai so that he could escape. But Nikolai was too quick, not just to catch me on time but also to track down that boy.

I watched in horror as Nikolai grabbed his skull and slammed his forehead against the nearby wall, breaking his nose.

"How dare you touch her!" Nikolai roared, his voice raw with fury. He yanked the boy’s head back and slammed him again, harder, this time cracking his forehead "How dare you!"

Blood smeared the wall, dripping down his face. The air became thick with the smell of blood. I had to punch my heart to keep myself steady.

I couldn't breathe.

But the second one, with broken teeth, lunged at Nikolai with a knife from behind.

"Nikolai....!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Nikolai immediately turned around, grabbed his wrist, and shoved the knife back into his shoulder.

A guttural scream erupted as blood soaked his shirt.

And then Nikolai’s eyes met mine.

He was smiling. It was a victorious smile.

My stomach twisted.

It wasn't because he almost killed the three of them; it was because I screamed to alert him when someone else was going to attack.

Why?

Why had I screamed when I wanted him dead just as much as I wanted revenge?

It would have been better if he had been hurt. If he had died.

But I had stopped it.

My attention snapped when Nikolai pushed the three nearly-dead men on the ground. One by one, he kicked them aside like trash.

And then he picked up the bloodied knife and threw it at my feet.

"They are your culprits," he said, voice as cold as death. "Kill them, Dolcezza."

A shiver ran down my spine.

I couldn’t.

No matter what, I can't take someone's life. If I committed such a heinous act, there would be no difference between them and me.

Nikolai tilted his head, eyes boring into mine.

"Kill them, Dolcezza, before I decide to give them the most painful death," he mumbled, rotating his neck anticlockwise.

He stepped closer. "Pick. Up. The. Knife."

"No, please, Alessia," one of them begged. "Let us go."

"We are sorry," the other one cried.

In response, Nikolai kicked them in their shins to turn their begs into painful moans.

I looked down at the bloodied bodies writhing on the floor, groaning in pain. My hands trembled as I glanced at the knife next to me. My finger twitched slightly as a bile rose in my throat.

Nikolai knelt, gripping my chin between his fingers and forcing me to look into his cold, merciless eyes.

"Stop being so innocent, Dolcezza," he spoke in his dark and authoritative voice. "Do you think they would have spared you?"

No, they wouldn't have. I knew that. If Nikolai hadn't come, I would have been...

I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to let the thought take root.

"Look at them, Alessia," he ordered.

I didn't want to, but my eyes betrayed me. The first one was coughing up blood with pure agony on his face; the second one was clutching his broken arm, and the third? He was unconscious, drowning in a pool of his own blood.

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

Yes, I wanted them to suffer for touching me and for thinking that women are weak but now that my wishes had come true, why did my hands feel so clammy?

Nikolai sighed, releasing my chin.

"Pathetic," he muttered under his breath before pulling out his phone and calling someone.

"Clean this up," he ordered. "And make sure they remember tonight for the rest of their miserable lives."

My breath hitched.

Instead of killing them, he was going to ensure they lived with the fear of him forever.

A lump formed in my throat.

Leaving the men in agony, begging to be spared, he went to pick up my bag before returning to me.

"Let's go"

I slowly shook my head. I didn't want to go with him. He is no better than they were.

Nikolai let out a sigh before walking to me. Without warning, he scooped me up into his arms.

I gasped and instinctively held onto his shoulder. "Put me down!" I demanded.

"Not happening."

I struggled, kicking my legs, but it was useless. He held me as if I weighed nothing. "Nikolai!"

He ignored me and walked out of the room, and I was surprised to see almost the entire college present. Their gazes shifted to me, and students began whispering to one another.

I felt humiliated.

My family's ties to the Mafia prevented me from making many friends. Now that everyone knows Nikolai is with me, no one would dare speak to me.

"Stop fighting, Dolcezza, before I decide to carry you over my shoulder instead." He wanted to.

I went still, my eyes narrowing at him as I spat, "You're a bastard."

He only smirked, finding it amusing.

"You’ve mentioned that before."

I clenched my jaw. "You are a monster!"

"Believe me, darling, I have heard worse."

He chuckled.

"And... now get ready to face this monster." I could hear the underlying warning in his voice.

My face paled and my eyes widened.

What is he going to do to me?