Angela“So what kind of dress do you want?”Darcie’s question took me by surprise. We spent the majority of the car ride in silence, with Gypsy and a woman who was introduced to me as Sylvia riding quietly in the back. The only person who was missing was the blonde who belonged to Cyber. Iris. And I had been told that she would meet us later. She had some prenatal check-ups before that she couldn't miss.“I don't know,” I admitted, not taking my eyes from the window where I was sightlessly looking. That wasn't exactly the truth. I had always had an idea of the kind of dress I would be willing to get married in. But I had never really hoped I would get the chance. My father’s ideas were conservative at best. The total opposite to my own. I had always known he would be bankrolling my wedding and he would have made a lot of decisions for me - including the dress.But he wouldn't get a chance to dictate what I was going to wear on my big day now, though I doubted very much that I would fi
Monster“Honestly, I don't know whether she’s going to be happy with that.” I threw my hands up exasperated. Everyone seemed to have a say in how my wedding was going to be. Everyone except me and Angela. The two people who should have a say. Personally, I couldn't care less. I would have quite happily gone to the courthouse and done it all quietly. Gio had other ideas though. He wanted it to be a spectacle. One big final middle finger to her father. For a crime lord, he was petty as fuck. I might not care, but Angela was female and girls always cared about that kind of stuff. “I'll have to ask Angela and see …”Gio cut me off. His finger tapping on the screen on Cyber’s laptop. My best friend looked none too happy to be using his laptop to plan a wedding. It would have made me laugh under other circumstances. But it was my wedding.My wedding.Shit, even the thought should have sent me into a panic. I was Monster. The last person anyone with half a brain cell would think would ever
AngelaI didn’t know where he got off telling me what was going to happen. This didn't just affect him. It would affect my life as well.“The plan is….” He didn't let me finish, with one small shove against my shoulders he sent me sprawling back against the mattress. I bounced twice before coming to a stop.“The plan has changed, Angel, you need to roll with it.” Climbing over me and looking every bit the apex predator, Monster bit down on the swell of my breasts. “No one even knows if it's going to happen.” He sucked the mound into his mouth, hard enough that I knew he would leave a mark. “All I know for certain is that I'm going to marry you.”I wanted to melt at his words. Not because they were overly romantic but because they were sincere. Not many people in my life had ever been totally honest with me. They always had another motive. With Monster it was different. Sure, he had agreed to marry me to get his hands on my fortune, but going to prison for me? That was for me. Because
Angela“Angela.” My father’s greeting was warm as he kissed my cheeks. His hands were firm on my shoulders. His voice might have been that of a loving father saying hello to his daughter, but his eyes told a different story. They were cold. The look he gave me was one of pure disgust.In the last few weeks I had shattered any illusions he had of me. I had spent years pretending to be someone I wasn't all because I wanted to be free of him. And even though I was free, I was about to put myself back exactly where I had started. Shackled. Imprisoned. It didn't matter what words you used to describe it.I would sacrifice my freedom so Monster could be free. “Hello, Dad.” I couldn't bring myself to call him Daddy. Not any longer. I could barely bring myself to call him Dad. A loving dutiful daughter I wasn't, but he was just as bad. A real father would have been happy that his daughter had found someone she wanted to spend her life with. A real father wouldn't force his daughter to marry
MonsterI hated waiting. Even on a good day it made me feel itchy inside. But waiting for Angela to come back from the trip into town she said she needed to make, especially when I had such a big surprise for her, was like someone had poured itching powder into my brain. It was getting so bad that I wanted to rip my own eyes out just so I could get access to my brain and give it a good scratch.“Will you stop pacing?” Fang snarled as I yet again turned on my heel and headed in his direction. I had been pacing for the last hour.Back and forth.Back and forth.I couldn’t help it. I was full of nervous energy. And I had no way of relieving it. I needed Angela to waltz back in through the doors so I could show her what I had got for her.I wanted to see her face when she opened the box. More than anything I wanted to see her face light up with happiness that I had created. Angela being happy was important to me. Whether we had a few weeks together or longer didn’t matter. As long as at
MonsterEveryone thought I was losing it and maybe they were right. I sank into drink and women but nothing was enough to dull the aching pit in my stomach. It was more than just shame. If I didn't know better I would have said it was heartbreak.Except I was Monster and I didn't own a heart to break.Keeping to myself was the best option, and the only way I had any hope of getting through it. I hated the way my club brothers looked at me. The way the old ladies fussed around me like I was a delicate flower. I’m sure if they’d had their way they would have come in my room with ice cream and chocolate, like they would have if it was a girlfriend. But I wasn't one of their damn friends. I was Monster. And I had just learnt a lesson many learnt in their teenage years: how it felt to be used and then cast aside by someone you thought you had a future with. I had made the mistake of letting Angela in. I downed the drink in my glass before slamming it down on the bar and signalling for an
Monster“I know you, you’re…” My uncle squinted at me with his bleary, alcohol addled eyes but I didn't let him finish. I smashed my fist into his face before he could say my real name and sent him reeling backwards. I stepped into the house as he fell to the floor. The Judge brought up the rear, his chuckle menacing as he closed the door behind us.“What the hell? Get the fuck out of my house!” My uncle's foot lashed out, connecting with my shin and sending shockwaves of pain through me. If he thought a little pain was going to stop me then he had a lot to learn about me. I had dealt with pain my entire life, both physical and mental. Righting myself, I aimed a kick at his gut. The first one landed just below his ribs and I knew from the rush of air he exhaled that I had winded him. It wasn't enough. I put everything I had into the second kick, aiming it squarely at his face. The bones of his nose crunched under my foot. I didn't need to look down to know that his blood now stained
AngelaLooking at myself in the mirror was like looking at a stranger. I didn't recognise myself. The coiffed hair, the too pink cheeks. The dress that encased my body was hideous, the lace like something a grandmother would have in her windows. The skirt reminded me of a mushroom. The only good thing about my God-awful wedding dress was that it made my waist look tiny. Ugh. I turned away in disgust. It was too hard to even look at myself. I wasn't the person who stared back at me. I never had been. It had been a role I was forced to play to stay alive and in my family's good graces. But it wasn't who I really was. As Monster would say, it was a mask I wore to hide my true self. And I was tired of hiding. Being with him even for those short few weeks had made me realise how exhausting being two different people actually was. With Monster I could be myself. Even if I wasn't sure I knew exactly who that was. I had been two totally different people for as long as I could remember. Both