The Monster’s Protection

MADONNA

  

   

  

  The cell door slammed open and I backed up against the wall scared. The two men that walked in had creepy smiles on their faces.

  

   

  

  I scrambled to my feet, backing against the cold wall. The bigger and smelliest of them came up to me and I pressed my face to the wall because of his awful smell. He took a strand of my hair and tangled it around his fingers. "Adrian didn't say we couldn't have fun with his new toy." He breathed into my hair and I cried out in fear. He then pulled out my hair and I reached out to scratch his face.

  

  The thinner one cackled enjoying the scene in front of him. "I like her, shes feisty. Let's see if she's worth all this trouble."

  

  I calculated distances and angles like Sergei taught me. When they lunged, I struck first.

  

  My elbow connected with the first ones throat. He choked and stumbled back. I spun and drove my knee into the other's groin. He doubled over with a grunt.

  

  "The bitch can fight!" The bigger one gasped, recovering faster than I expected.

  

  They were angry now. Before I could blink, the bigger one backhanded me so hard, blood ran down my lips. I crashed on the floor, my vision dark except stars. I shook my head, trying to make the scene in front of me unblur  and before I could recover, the thinner one grabbed my throat and slammed me against the wall.

  

  I couldn't breathe. I kicked and clawed at his face, but he just squeezed harder. I screamed as the other one grabbed my arms and tears ran down my eyes as he twisted it to my back. I've never bucked so hard in my life, pain shit through my shoulders.

  

  Bigger one raised his hand to slap me again but the door crashed open, and his hand hung midair as his face swung to the door, angry at whoever was disturbing him now.

  

  It was Adrian. My heart soared. The man holding me dropped me so fast. I fell on the floor, my wedding dress ripping.

  

  "Boss, we were just—" he started.

  

  Adrian moved. He grabbed both men at the collars before they could run and bashed their heads together. It cracked and blood spilled from their heads. It was a blur, I could hear the sounds of bones breaking, flesh hitting the concrete. I closed my eyes unable to withstand the violence in front of me.

  

  In less than thirty seconds, they were on the floor unconscious, bleeding. Adrian wasn't even breathing hard. I curled up on the floor, my entire body in pain. His eyes locked on mine then he walked towards me and picked me up gently. I didn't have the strength to fight him.

  

  "You belong to me and no one touches what's mine," he said flatly, as he must have seen my bewildered expression.

  

  He tucked a handkerchief from his pocket, and reaches to clean the blood from my face. I flinched back.

  

  "Don't touch me," I snapped.

  

  "Stop being stubborn," Adrian replied, but it wasnt harsh, it carried a rough softness.

  

  I pressed my eyes closed as he wiped the blood from my lip. I was so scared of him, but when he wiped my lips, it was so gentle. A huge contradiction from the violence from before. When he released the hanky from my face, I exhaled, realising that I've been holding my breath in all this while.

  

  Our eyes locked. I looked away sharply. He pulled back from me.

  

  "This place isn't safe for you."

  

  I let out a bitter laugh. "You think?"

  

  His lips twitched, almost a smile. "You're staying in my quarters now."

  

  I scoffed. "Like hell I am."

  

  Adrian was already walking out, expecting me to follow. "Would you rather stay here with them?"

  

  I looked at the bleeding men on the floor, then back at Adrian's retreating form. I followed. He stopped and waited for me to catch up to him, then he took my hand and led me through the corridors to his quarters. I couldn't believe his quarters were so far from the main house, why did he live so close to the slave quarters?

  

  They were guards everywhere. I swallowed. If I did kill him, would I be able to get away with it with this much security?

  

  He opened his door and I was in a bedroom, then he took me to another small room inside his bedroom. "This is where you will be staying?"

  

  "Till when?" I snapped. He didn't answer, he went to the wardrobe and got a black dress out, then threw it to me. "It belonged to my previous personal slave. She died by my hand, because she was increasingly stubborn. That will be your fate if you don't be submissive."

  

  I fumbled in the dress in hand, wondering why.

  

  He waved dismissively at me. "Go and change. Then we meet my father."

  

  I caught it. "Why am I coming?"

  

  Adrian's eyes bored into mine. "Because I'm marrying you."

  

  What? No. If I got married to him, I'll be a widow. Cause he'll be dead very soon and by my hands.

  

  Sigh.

  

  He was shocked by my reaction, he at least planned for me to fight about it. I looked up at his surprised reaction and I shrugged.

  

  "You can't just decide that."

  

  "I just did." He turned to leave, paused at the door without looking back. "Change quickly. Don't keep me waiting."

  

  I dressed, quickly and  we entered a car to the other end of the estate where the mansion was, we walked through the mansion together. Like Ethan, he couldn't keep his hands off me.

  

  Guards opened the doors to Enzo's office.

  

  Inside, Enzo sat at his desk. Ethan was in a chair with his arm in a sling. When Ethan saw me with Adrian, his face drained white.

  

  "What is she doing here?" Ethan's voice cracked.

  

  Enzo stood, furious. "Adrian, explain yourself."

  

  Adrian pulled me against his side, his arm around my waist. "She's with me now."

  

  Ethan struggled to his feet. "You shot me for a homeless girl?"

  

  "I shot you because you tried to cheat me out of my inheritance," Adrian said coldly.

  

  Enzo slammed his desk. "You drew blood on your own brother, over a woman. It has never been done in this lineage, we don't let women have hold over men."

  

  "I shot him, not because of a woman but because he tried to steal my position through marriage."

  

  "She's nothing," Ethan spat, staring at me with pure hatred. "A street rat who was convenient."

  

  Adrian's grip tightened on my hand. "Watch your mouth."

  

  Enzo's voice rose. "Brothers don't turn on each other like this."

  

  "Then we were never really brothers," Adrian replied.

  

  "This girl is tearing our family apart." Ethan slammed the desk, bellowing with full force. I cowered at Adrian's back.

  

  "The family was already broken," Adrian said. "I'm just making it official." He paused. "I'm marrying her."

  

  Ethan exploded. "You can't be serious."

  

  Enzo's face turned purple. "Absolutely not. I forbid it!"

  

  My mind was reeling. This was spiraling out of control.

  

  Adrian's voice cut through the chaos. "I'm deadly serious."

  

  Enzo opened a drawer, pulled out a document, and slammed it on the desk.

  

  "Then this won't matter to you. I'm changing the rules." He read from the paper. "Marriage no longer determines succession. The next Volkov boss will be chosen by clan vote."

  

  Ethan's face lit up with sudden hope. Adrian's face was emotionless. He didn't let go of me.

  

  Enzo smiled viciously, enjoying the shocked expressions on their faces. "May the best son win."

  

  "The vote doesn't change anything," Adrian said, looking at me. "She's still mine."