The tension between them was palpable, and I could feel the man’s indecision in the way he shifted his weight. He wasn’t sure what to do, and that gave me just enough time.
With a burst of adrenaline, I twisted beneath him, bringing my knee up and slamming it into his side. He grunted in pain, his grip loosening just enough for me to slip free.
I scrambled to my feet, backing away from both men, my heart pounding in my chest.
Marco watched me for a moment, then turned his attention back to the man. “You should leave while you can.”
The man sneered, clearly unhappy with the turn of events, but he knew he was outmatched. He gave me one last look—cold and full of promise—before he turned and disappeared into the shadows.
I stood there, panting, my body trembling with fear and exhaustion as I watched him go. Marco remained where he was, his expression still unreadable.
Finally, he turned to me, his voice low.
I ran, the forest blurring around me, branches tearing at my skin, and every breath a sharp, jagged reminder that I couldn’t stop. Marco’s footsteps crashed through the trees behind me, relentless and unforgiving. I had no sense of direction anymore—only the pounding rhythm of my heartbeat and the desperate drive to stay ahead of him.The cold air stung my lungs as I pushed harder, my legs burning with exhaustion. I could barely hear anything over the blood rushing in my ears, but Marco’s voice cut through it all.“Elena!” he shouted, his voice laced with fury. “You think you can outrun me? You’re only making this worse!”The rage in his voice sent a chill down my spine, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Haines had run, and I could only hope he was far enough away now. He wasn’t built for this, but maybe… just maybe he had gotten out. And if Marco was chasing me, it meant he wasn’t
We ran, the forest closing in around us, the branches tearing at my skin, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Every step was a desperate attempt to stay ahead, to keep moving. Marco’s footsteps weren’t far behind, and even though his voice had faded into the distance, I could still feel him closing in.Haines stumbled next to me, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He wasn’t built for this. He’d always been someone who thrived in quiet spaces, far from danger, and now, here we were, running for our lives. I wanted to shout at him to keep going, to push through the exhaustion, but I could feel his strength fading. We couldn’t last much longer.“Elena…” Haines wheezed, grabbing my arm for support. “I—I can’t keep up.”I glanced at him, the moonlight catching the lines of fear etched into his face. His legs were trembling, his chest heaving. I knew if we kept pushing him, he’d coll
(Elena’s POV)The car rumbled beneath me, the engine’s hum a steady reminder of my imprisonment. Dante’s hand remained a cold iron vise around my wrist, his grip unrelenting. I stared at his hand, the way his fingers pressed into my skin, feeling the subtle strength he always managed to radiate, even when he wasn’t trying.I was trapped, and he knew it. He reveled in it.The silence in the car was suffocating, the tension like a heavy fog that I couldn’t escape. The only sound was the soft hum of the tires against the road, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.“Elena,” Dante’s voice broke the stillness, low and menacing, yet smooth as velvet. He dragged out my name like it was a delicate secret meant to be savored. “You made things very difficult for me.”I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breath. His words were like a noose tightening around my neck, each one a
I stood there for a moment, my mind spinning, my body trembling. Everything had happened so fast. I had been so close to freedom, so close to escaping Dante’s grasp. But now, I was back in the same place I had fought so desperately to leave. The weight of Dante’s words pressed down on me, suffocating any hope I had left.My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the bed, the soft mattress doing nothing to ease the tight knot in my chest. The room was cold despite the luxurious surroundings, and no matter how warm the blankets felt beneath my fingers, I couldn’t shake the chill that had settled into my bones.Dante’s voice echoed in my mind: *“You belong to me. Don’t ever forget that.”* It wasn’t just a warning; it was a promise. A dark, twisted promise that no matter what I did, no matter how far I ran, I would never be free of him.My hands trembled as I pressed them to my face, trying to hold back the wa
**Dante’s POV**The glass of wine in my hand trembled slightly, the dark liquid swirling against the sides as I gripped it harder than necessary. My eyes were fixed on the vast expanse of darkness outside the window, but my thoughts were anywhere but calm. The night was still, suffocatingly quiet, but inside me, a storm raged.I should have killed her.The thought slammed into me for the hundredth time since I brought Elena back, gnawing at my insides like a festering wound. She had betrayed me. Failed to complete her mission. Twice. She had run—**run**—thinking she could escape from me. The sheer audacity of it burned through my veins, hotter than the alcohol sliding down my throat.I didn’t kill her. **Why?**The question roared inside my head like a beast demanding answers, but none came. I had every reason to end her miserable, defiant life. She was weak, an outsider who didn’t belong in my world. And y
The air in the dimly lit room was thick with tension, the scent of blood and sweat clinging to the concrete walls like a curse. Marco stood near the door, arms crossed, watching the man before him with a detached expression. Haines knelt on the cold floor, his breath ragged, his face smeared with a mixture of sweat and dirt. His hands were tied behind his back, his once-pristine suit now wrinkled and stained. There was fear in his eyes. Not just fear—*desperation*. “I—Marco, please,” Haines rasped, swallowing hard. His voice wavered, cracking under the weight of terror. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to kill me.” Marco exhaled through his nose, his expression unreadable. He didn’t respond right away, letting the silence settle between them, heavy and suffocating. Haines took that as an opportunity to push further. “I’ll disappear,” Haines contin
The night outside was still, the vast estate silent except for the occasional rustle of the wind against the iron gates. The moon hung high, casting pale light over the mansion’s sprawling grounds, but inside Dante Ricci’s study, there was no warmth, no softness—only the weight of power and the suffocating quiet of a man who ruled his world with ruthless precision.Dante sat behind a grand mahogany desk, his posture relaxed but commanding, the golden glow of his desk lamp illuminating the papers before him. The room smelled faintly of old books and the whiskey he hadn’t touched.There was always work to be done. Deals to close, betrayals to punish, enemies to outmaneuver. But tonight, something else demanded his attention.A knock came at the door. Sharp. Deliberate.Marco.Dante exhaled through his nose, glancing up from his paperwork. He didn’t need to ask who it was. Marco’s timing was as precise as ever.
The air in the study felt heavier now, thick with something unspoken. The dim lighting did little to ease the tension crackling between the two men. Marco stood rigid, his fists clenched at his sides, the muscles in his forearms taut beneath the fabric of his tailored coat. His normally composed demeanor was marred by the slight twitch in his jaw—a subtle tell, but one that Dante did not miss.Seated at his desk, Dante observed him with amusement, swirling the whiskey in his glass, watching the amber liquid shift under the warm glow of his desk lamp. He had hit a nerve. And that, more than anything, intrigued him. Marco was not a man easily rattled.Marco exhaled sharply through his nose, his posture stiff as he turned toward the door. His hand reached for the handle, fingers brushing against the cool metal. It was clear—he was eager to leave. To put distance between himself and whatever storm was brewing between them.But Dante wasn’t finished
Antonio's cold gaze stayed locked on me, his stance still as stone. His eyes were bottomless pits in the fading light, revealing nothing yet conveying everything. The shadows from the setting sun cast half his face in darkness, the other half illuminated in harsh relief, emphasizing the sharp angles of his features—the prominent cheekbones, the rigid jaw, the hawkish nose. Not a muscle twitched in his face, not a flicker of emotion crossed those granite features. In that moment, he seemed more statue than man, carved from some unyielding material that knew neither mercy nor fatigue. The silence between us stretched, elastic and dangerous, weighted with unspoken threats and consequences.I could see it in his eyes—he wasn't going to let this go. There was calculation there, cold and precise, as he measured my defiance against his authority. In all my weeks of training, I had never directly challenged him like this. I had pushed back in small ways, had questioned ce
My steps faltered, my legs barely obeying me anymore. Each movement was a battle, a negotiation between mind and muscle, will and exhaustion. My feet, once sure and steady, now dragged against the gravel track, catching on the uneven surface. My ankles rolled, threatening to give way entirely. I stumbled, catching myself at the last moment, the jarring impact sending a fresh wave of pain through my already agonized body. The rhythm I had maintained for hours—the mechanical, mindless pattern of one foot after another—was breaking down.The world around me felt distant, blurred at the edges like a painting smeared by rough hands. Colors ran together, shapes lost their definition. The trees that ringed the training grounds had become dark smudges against a bleeding sky. The compound buildings in the distance wavered like a mirage, like something I had conjured from memory rather than something real and solid. My senses were shutting down one by one, self-preservation
Two days. Forty-eight hours. That was the deadline I had given him. That was how long I told Marco he had to get Dante back here."Tell Dante he has 48 hours to return, or he won't like the consequences."I had said it with every ounce of defiance I had left. Standing in that kitchen, coffee forgotten, eyes locked with Marco's, I had felt powerful. Dangerous. I had stood tall, voice unwavering, willing to challenge the very man who had kept me caged in this world. In that moment, I had believed my own bluff—believed that I could create the kind of chaos that would force Dante's hand, that would make him acknowledge my existence again. The marble countertop had been cool beneath my fingertips as I leaned forward, my reflection fractured in Marco's dark, unreadable eyes. Something had shifted between us in that moment—a balance of power tilting ever so slightly.But now—now that time had passed—doubt crept in, insidious and persistent.
I had asked Marco so many times. Where is Dante? Why is he avoiding me? When is he coming back? And every single time, Marco gave me the same damn answer: "He's busy." Or worse—"He's dealing with the chaos you created."The first time he said it, I had laughed bitterly, thinking he was just trying to get under my skin. A cruel joke meant to make me squirm. I'd rolled my eyes and walked away, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing how deeply his words cut. But the second time? The third? The tenth? I realized he meant it. Every syllable dripped with conviction. There was no mockery in his eyes, no twisted pleasure in delivering his twisted lies—just cold certainty. He truly believed that this was my fault. That Dante was busy cleaning up my mess.And that—that made me furious.How the hell was this my fault? What had I done? I had simply asked for the truth. I had demanded answers that were rightfully mine. I deserved to know what I had
It has been a month. A full month since the last time I saw Dante. I stood at the window of my room, staring out at the sprawling estate grounds without really seeing them, my mind caught in the same loop of thoughts that had plagued me for thirty unbearable days. A month since he pinned me against the wall, his body a cage of barely contained violence, his fingers digging into my wrists with enough force to leave marks that lingered for days afterward. A month since his voice dripped with barely contained fury as he demanded answers from me, questions about Alexandro, about the dance, about whispered words that weren't nearly as significant as Dante had made them out to be.A month since he vanished.Not physically, of course. I knew he was here, somewhere within these walls. The mansion was large, but not large enough for him to disappear completely. Occasionally I would hear his voice echoing down corridors, catch glimpses of his security detail moving with purpose,
A bitter laugh escaped my lips, the sound harsh and unfamiliar even to my own ears. I was fucking losing it. All the control I prided myself on, all the calculated coldness that had seen me rise through the ranks to where I stood now—it was crumbling under the weight of emotions I couldn't name, couldn't understand, couldn't control.Before I could stop myself, I reached for the nearest object—a crystal tumbler left on the desk, the remnants of whiskey still coating the bottom. I threw it. Hard. My arm moved with all the force of my rage behind it, the glass leaving my hand like a missile seeking a target.The impact was violent, explosive, satisfying in a primal way nothing else had been since I witnessed Alexandro's hands on her. The glass shattered against the wall, shards scattering across the floor like tiny, glittering knives, each one reflecting the dim light of the room. The sound echoed through the space, a culmination of the violence build
I stormed into my room, my steps heavy and unforgiving, each footfall a thunderous declaration of the fury coursing through my veins. The rage inside me burned like wildfire, threatening to consume everything in its path, reducing my carefully constructed control to ashes. My heart hammered against my ribcage, the sound deafening in my ears.The second I stepped inside, I slammed the door shut behind me. Hard. The impact rattled the walls, the sound echoing through the vast, empty space like a gunshot in the dead of night. The heavy mahogany vibrated from the force, the hinges straining against the sudden violence. But it did nothing—absolutely nothing—to ease the storm brewing inside me. If anything, it only intensified the hurricane of emotions threatening to tear me apart from the inside out.My chest rose and fell too fast, my breathing uneven, almost ragged, as if I'd run miles instead of simply walking away from her. Each breath burned in my l
I ran after him, reached for his arm, and grabbed him. My fingers closed around the fabric of his sleeve, the solid muscle of his forearm beneath. The contact was electric, a connection forced when he had made every effort to maintain distance. I pulled, forcing him to stop, to acknowledge me, to face what he was trying so hard to avoid."I want answers. Right now." The words burst from me, raw and demanding, brooking no refusal. There was no room for compromise in them, no space for negotiation or delay. They hung in the air between us, a gauntlet thrown down, a challenge issued that could not be withdrawn.And that was when everything shattered.The moment my fingers tightened around his sleeve, I knew I had pushed too far. Dante stopped. Abruptly. Too fast. My momentum carried me forward another half-step before I registered the sudden stillness in him—a dangerous stillness that made the air around us feel electrified.Before I could
My heart was pounding in my chest, my breath unsteady, but I forced my legs to move, pushing forward, running after him. Each beat seemed to echo through my entire body, a drumbeat of determination that drowned out the whispers of caution. The gravel crunched beneath my heels as I hurried up the steps, the sound jarringly loud in the quiet night. My lungs burned with the effort, with the fear, with the desperation that propelled me forward despite every warning sign telling me to stop, to wait, to retreat."Dante!" My voice echoed through the grand foyer, bouncing off marble floors and high ceilings. The sound was smaller than I'd intended, more pleading than demanding. It betrayed the uncertainty beneath my resolve, the fear that tangled with my need for answers.He didn't stop. The straight line of his back remained unbroken, his stride unfaltering as he moved down the long corridor toward his study. The place where secrets lived, where truths were locked awa