Novels by Katie o.

CHAPTER 2 LENA POVThe island felt different after the pictures.It looked like someone was watching me or even the walls themselves were watching me now. Every guard I passed stared a second too long before looking away quickly. Conversations stopped whenever I entered a room. Even the servants moved strangely around me, quieter than before.Dante's threat had spread through the fortress fast.I didn't know exactly what had been sent to Salvatore's office, but I knew enough. Pictures. Warnings. A message.And somehow I had become the center of it.I stood near the balcony doors inside my room, staring at the violent waves crashing below the cliffs. The sky was dark again, heavy clouds swallowing the afternoon sunlight.Behind me, Matteo sat cross-legged on the carpet beside Brutus. The massive black dog rested his giant head on Matteo's lap while my brother scratched behind his ears carefully."I still think he likes me more than you," Matteo said quietly.I looked back at him. "Tha

CHAPTER 7.SALVATORE POVDante Caruso should have died at that wedding. The thought had been sitting inside my head for three straight nights like poison.I stood in front of the massive glass wall inside my office while rain hammered against the island cliffs below. Lightning flashed across the ocean, turning the water silver for half a second before darkness swallowed everything again.My hand tightened around the whiskey glass.Dante escaped because I got distracted. Not by anything but her. Lena Moretti.I could still see her standing in the middle of the ballroom wearing white silk stained with her brothers' blood. Terrified but refusing to break. Protecting Matteo while chaos exploded around her.Most people begged when they saw me. She looked me in the eyes like she wanted to hate me properly.That was the problem. Hatred was easier to control than fascination.Behind me, Charlie walked into the office carrying a folder."You haven't slept."I took a slow sip without turning ar

CHAPTER 6 LENA POVThe island looked beautiful from far away. That was the cruel part.White waves crashed against dark rocks beneath the fortress while cold wind pushed rain clouds across the sky. From the bedroom window, the ocean almost looked peaceful.But nothing about this place was peaceful. Men with rifles patrolled below like machines. Cameras followed every hallway. Locked gates surrounded the property like invisible chains.Even the silence here felt dangerous.I stood beside the window with my arms folded while Matteo sat cross-legged on the carpet behind me, sketching absentmindedly inside a notebook one of the maids had left earlier.Neither of us had spoken much since arriving. Sleep barely came anymore. Every time I closed my eyes, I still saw blood spreading across white wedding flowers. Still heard gunshots. Still saw Salvatore Romano standing in the middle of the massacre looking less like a man and more like vengeance itself.Matteo finally broke the silence."Do

SALVATORE POVRevenge was supposed to feel cleaner than this. Simple. Kill everyone responsible, walking away empty but satisfied.Instead, I stood outside Lena Moretti's bedroom at two in the morning wondering why I couldn't stop thinking about the way her hands shook when Matteo smiled at her.It irritated me. Everything about her irritated me. The softness. The defiance. The way she looked at me like she could see the blood beneath my skin.I pushed open the office door instead of going to her room. Rain hammered against the fortress windows. Thunder rolled across the island like distant gunfire.Charlie stood near my desk reading reports while Diego leaned against the wall cleaning a knife lazily. My brother barely looked up when I entered."You haven't slept again," Diego muttered."I don't remember asking for commentary.""You look like shit anyway."Charlie snorted quietly.I ignored both of them and poured whiskey into a glass. The burn barely registered anymore. Nothing did

LENA POVI woke up in silk sheets that probably cost more than most people's houses. And for one horrible second, I forgot where I was.The room was quiet except for the sound of waves crashing against rocks somewhere below the fortress. Pale sunlight spilled through massive glass windows overlooking the ocean. It really beautiful but cold and empty.Then reality hit me all over again. The wedding. The blood. Luca. Killian. Salvatore.My chest tightened painfully.I sat up too fast and immediately looked around slowly. The room itself had massive dark marble floors. Black furniture. Expensive art hanging on the walls. Everything perfectly organized.Even the air felt controlled in this place. Like Salvatore Romano himself had touched every detail and demanded perfection from it. Nothing looked soft.A folded dress sat neatly on the chair beside the bed. Black silk. Of course.The man kidnaps me and suddenly thinks he gets to choose my clothes too. Psychopath.I climbed out of bed car

CHAPTER 3 SALVATORE POVThe first thing Lena Moretti did after arriving on my island was glare at me like she wanted to watch me burn alive. Interesting.Most people arrived here terrified. Broken or either begging.But Lena stood in the middle of my fortress soaked in rain, blood staining her wedding dress, dark hair clinging to her face, and looked at me like hatred alone could kill me.The storm crashed violently around us while my men secured the dock behind us. Nobody spoke. Nobody dared.Because they all felt it too. That tension. Sharp enough to split skin open.I grabbed the dead guard's body and shoved it aside carelessly before scanning the cliffs above us."Find the sniper," I ordered coldly.Charlie nodded immediately. "Alive?""No."My voice came out flat. Emotionless.The men scattered instantly.Lena watched me carefully while keeping Matteo behind her again. Always protecting him. Always standing in front of danger like she thought her body alone could stop bullets.