Camille
Resting my head against the satin wall, I stare at the sea in the distance through the long casement windows. I'd think the intricate carvings in the wood were beautifully designed if I weren't trapped behind them like a bird in a cage.
My mother believed patience was the most powerful of virtues.
I always agreed. But there are some situations where not even the highest level of patience can help you.
Mine is without a doubt one of them.
Two hours ago, I arrived at the massive compound of Alessio Scarfoni's mansion on Cape Cod. The house is one of the old-style Tudor homes you'd normally find in Salem, but his is ostentatious and has a haunted vibe.
The idea of being in a haunted mansion is creepy enough, but I feel like I'm trapped in one of my nightmares.
When I arrived, a rude-looking woman with silver hair and an upturned nose met us on the driveway. Then, without a word, she escorted me to this huge master bedroom I knew straightaway belonged to a man. It's the décor. Dark colors surround me, from the navy wallpaper to the long curtains at the window, and the black silk sheets covering the king-size bed.
The only touch of difference is in the white Persian rug in the center of the room.
The woman left me in here to my thoughts—the first being that the room belongs to Alessio.
There was really no question about it. His scent, a mixture of the forest and the sea, clung to the air with the same power he exuded when he walked into my wedding and turned my world upside down.
To confirm my suspicions, I looked inside the wardrobes and chest of drawers. When I found men's clothing that suited his style, I knew I was right.
As the time drifted by, my thoughts have become a chaotic mess.
I even tried to come up with an escape plan but realized all too quickly there was no way out for me—except the way I came in. The house and grounds are heavily guarded with armed men who look like they could form their own Bratva. And even though I was captain of the girls' swim team in high school, I don't think I could jump in the sea and swim out of here. Doesn't mean I wouldn't try; I just know the chances of escaping that way are slimmer than slim.
Dad, of course, hasn't left my mind, but my biggest worry is what will happen when Alessio eventually graces me with his presence.
When I see him again, it will be in here. In this bedroom. And I will be all by myself.
I'm trying to balance my thoughts, but I feel just as unhinged and manic as when I found my mother lying dead in her bathtub—her body lifeless and gone forever, the water bloody from her slit wrists, and a bottle of pills scattered on the floor beside her.
It's an image I'll never get out of my mind. I don't think anyone would, much less a fourteen-year-old who adored her mother to the ends of the earth.
I feel like I'm in that same limbo and my worries are chewing up my insides. Whatever Dad did is going to dictate what happens to me next.
With Dad, this mess could be about anything, and I know he has his secrets.
My father is an important man with a job that has taken him everywhere. Galitze Developments is just the ordinary day-to-day job he inherited from my grandfather, but his power lies in what he does for the Bratva. The range of what that includes is vast and way beyond my scope.
Like most men of status who keep women out of business, my father did the same.
Trying to figure this out is going to be like a fruitless attempt to pick a needle out of the sea. It doesn't help either that while I was carted off to this prison, everyone else went to talk, leaving me in the dark.
I wonder if Richard's hands are tied too.
If not, would he fight to marry me?
I've always thought of us as a couple, even though Dad only allowed us to start dating when I turned eighteen. I knew I wasn't the only woman on Richard's arm, and I didn't expect him to be a virgin like me either.
I'd seen him with women multiple times at events like fundraisers, and I'd heard things from Lorelai. Things I didn't want to hear.
But now I wonder if he loves me enough to challenge Alessio and rescue me.
I know how the Knights operate when it comes to oaths and blood contracts, so Richard might not be able to do anything, regardless of how he feels.
But would he try?
Even if he did, it might not help me right now.
As it stands, the only thing I can do for myself is find out more information.
When I see Alessio, I'll ask what's going on then try to negotiate my freedom.
Surely, I can make him see this can't work and people don't do shit like this anymore. This isn't the Viking age or the time of sea pirates when a man would just grab a woman and keep her under lock and key.
It's—
My thoughts are invaded by the ominous sound of the door opening. Even before I look around, I know it's not the rude woman coming in. There's a shift in the air, like an omen of danger.
So when I meet the bright hazel eyes of my captor, I'm ready for him. And I can see straightaway from the stern expression on his face that talking to him is going to be difficult.
CamilleHe walks in, and the door swings shut, the sound of the click lingering like a reminder that I don't know who I'm dealing with.The biker jacket is gone, but he still has the same drifter look, enhanced by the expanse of muscle on his arms, which I can clearly see now, bulging against his fitted T-shirt.My eyes flick to the clothes folded in his hands. I spot a gray T-shirt and something stretchy like yoga pants. I assume those are for me, and my stomach drops.The beginning of a smile tips his full, sensual lips, revealing dimples that make his already handsome face more striking. I stare back at him, trying to figure him out, but I can't. His personality seems to have several things going on, and I'm not sure what part of him I'm going to get.From the predatory vibe emanating from him, I know to stay focused because despite everything, he's dangerous. All the Scarfonis are, but this one is the one to watch.Especially with that rune on his wrist.The only time I've ever se
Panic writhes through me as I realize how much danger I'm truly in, but I still can't think past the terror. All I want to do is get out of here and away from him."I'm not yours." I try to imbue my voice with the strength I summoned before, but it's evident I'm scared."Say whatever you want. Truth is truth. Now change out of that dress and come downstairs for something to eat."I shake my head. "No. I don't want anything from you. I want to go home.""This is your home now.""Fuck you!" I shove at his granite chest, hurting my wrists.He laughs, mocking me again. "Fuck me? Is that a request, Valkyrie?"The pet names—princess, baby girl, and Valkyrie—just enrage me."You fucking bastard. You know it's not a damn request. Let me go.""I said no, and this is the last time I'm going to tell you to take off the dress.""Fuck. You."I don't even get to entertain my next thought. Alessio shoves me hard against the wall, grabs the top of my dress, and tears it right off me like a bodice-rip
CamilleI stare back at him, feeling the weight of my world crumbling all around me. I know there’s nothing I can do to fix it, but I need to know why this is happening.I need to know what Dad did.“What power do you have over my father to do this to us?”“Enough to bury him.” He uses the same icy tone as before. A steel weight drops in my soul, pulling me under. “I have enough for the Knights’ Council to force him to his knees and execute him. And everyone in his family. Starting with you. One word from me, and that’s it—death.”My heart stops like someone switched off all the power. When it starts beating again, it’s pounding faster and faster and faster, and my brain is paralyzed with terror.Dad, what the hell did you do?Execution?For all of us?Him first? No. I can’t lose my father.I can’t.Not that way. Or anyway.“No. Please. Don’t let them kill him.” I’m begging with my heart and soul because this is so much worse than I thought. “Please. I’m sure he’s sorry for whatever h
Alessio.By the gods, Camille Galitze is fucking beautiful.I don’t know how the fuck I’m standing over her perfect naked body with her tits looking as ripe as they do and managing to restrain myself.Me.Me, whose primary hobby includes fucking, is bridling the beast inside that wants to ravage her body.It would be so easy to bend her over the desk and fuck her senseless now that I have her all to myself. We’re not in a room full of people, and she’s not holding Richard’s hand.It’s only us within the four walls of my bedroom and the savage force of wild attraction rippling between us.But business first, then fucking when I see fit. Right now, I’ll settle for my fascination with our attraction, and her fire, which extinguishes as she processes the fact that I have her father under my thumb and she will be my wife in five weeks.“You’re serious about marrying me?” Her voice is weaker now.I’ve watched her go from strong to weak in a matter of minutes. The transition has been fascinat
Alessio“We did it,” Jayce states.“We did.” I smile, bumping my fist with his.“Shouldn’t we be having champagne?” Gytha asks, raising one perfectly arched brow. “Or something along those lines?”“We will.” I meet her serpentine eyes, which are fixed on me with wild seduction. This is one of those times when we’d usually end up in bed, or anywhere we could get lost in each other, to destress. “For now, how about you each get those bonuses I promised?”“Fuck, yeah,” Zane replies, pumping his fist once in the air then snapping his fingers. “And that’s why I fucking love working for you.”I’d like working for me, too, if I added a bonus of ten G onto an already high five-figure monthly salary.Given my poor upbringing, sometimes it feels unbelievable that I’m able to do this. Me at twenty-eight years old being in charge of what I’ve already been doing without the Scarfoni fortune.“Don’t go wild just yet. The job is still ongoing.” That’s why I’ve summoned them here for a brief check-in
AlessioThe beeping sounds of machines fill my ears as I walk into my father’s hospital room.Not that I wanted to come before, but I might not have gotten past his guards at the door. Now that they’re mine, I have free rein of where I go and when I do it.Dim lights create a heavenly glow in the room. I make my way to the bed in the center of the room, where my father lies motionless.I stop at the edge of the bed and stare at him, finding myself fixated on his face. This is our first meeting. Him being kept alive by machines, unable to see me, and me full of vengeance.Earlier, I noted how similar my brothers and I look. But seeing my father now throws me off balance.I look just like him. Like a clone. Like his younger self. I’ve seen pictures of him, so I should have been prepared. But I’m not.Mom told me who my real father was only days before she died. Prior to that, I didn’t know. I even had her surname. I suspected Leif was my father because he was always in my life. I’d neve
CamilleI rest my head against the wall and gaze at the clock on the desk across from me. The next few seconds tick by, heralding the start of another hour—eleven o'clock.It's been night for a while now, and I've been sitting on the floor with my back against the wall in the spot Alessio found me when we had our little encounter.I returned to it when I saw him with that woman. I didn't see her face properly, but I could tell she was involved with him in some way.As I haven't seen him since, I'm guessing he's with her.I hurried upstairs when he noticed me, so I don't know what happened after. I regret that I was foolish enough to go downstairs in the first place.It wasn't to eat. I needed some ice-cold water after the bomb he dropped on me. Passing the bathroom with a perfectly working tap of running water, I simply wasn't thinking when I went down the stairs.I'd dragged on the stupid clothes he left for me, which I'm still wearing, and I really hope they don't belong to the woma
CamilleMy cheeks burn with embarrassment. and he grins, seeing my debacle.I look away from him and focus instead on the swirling patterns of the plaster cornices."Baby girl, if it pleases you to look, then look." His voice is deeper.Showing him I don't care, I return my gaze to him and give him my best poker face. "I take no pleasure in looking at you."He responds by undoing his belt buckle then shoving his pants and boxers down his legs, freeing his enormous cock.At the sight of his length and thickness, my mind checks out and not even I can lie to myself, or pretend he has no effect on me.He steps out of his clothes and pushes them, along with his shoes, to the side, his cock bobbing and growing with every move he makes.My mouth falls open, my eyes widen, and there's a thickness in my throat I can't work past. What worries me, though, is the pool of saliva gathering in my mouth as I stare at him.I feel like I should say something, but I wouldn't know what. And I wouldn't wa