Blurb: "You're going to operate on me, Dottoressa Bianchi. And you're going to make damn sure I live." Damiano Valentini'e voice is low, commanding and terrifying. But as Dr. Alessia Bianchi stands over the infamous Mafia King, her scalpel trembling, she realizes this is no ordinary patient. Damiano is cursed. Bound by an ancient blood pact that keeps him alive, but in torment, barely alive. Every life he takes feeds his power and fractures his soul. A soul now hanging by a thread. Alessia's world is torn apart when her twin brother vanishes during a secret investigation into the deadly Moretti family. Her only lead? Damiano, the man whispered about in both criminal and supernatural circles. She should run. She should fear him. But instead, she's drawn to him... To his shadows, his secrets, and the darkness behind those sliver eyes. As the delve into the Mafia underworld to uncover her brother's fate, Damiano and Alessia must face bloodthirsty enemies, unravel a deadly curse, and resist a magnetic passion that threatens to burn them both. He is the monster she should hate. She is the light he never thought he'd deserve. But together, they maybe the only ones who can survive the storm.
View MoreAlessia's POV
"Clamp."
"Got it," A nurse said, slapping it into my hand without hesitation.
"Pressure’s dropping," the anesthesiologist warned.
"Not for long," I muttered. I found the tear and sealed it. Blood slowed. "Bleeding’s under control."
"Vitals stabilizing," someone confirmed.
"You’re clear to close, Dr. Bianchi," the resident said, their voice steadier now than when we had started.
I worked on the stitching, trying to be as careful as always.
"Last stitch—" I looped the thread and tied it off. "—Done."
"Nice work, doctor," someone murmured.
I stepped back and peeled off my gloves. My fingers ached.
"Let’s move him to post-op," I said, already heading for the door.
Outside, the hall felt colder and quieter. But the kid was alive. That was the only thing that mattered.
He had been brought in early in the morning. Reports had it that he had been constantly abused by his parents. A bunch of sickos.
"Dr. Bianchi!" A familiar voice called out, pulling me out of my thoughts.
Speaking of sickos. I let out a sigh before turning to meet the sicko who had called me.
"Hi, Dr. Conti," I muttered trying to sound nice.
I couldn't help but stare at the weirdo. He was an ugly old man in his late fifties—short as a twig and round as a ball—with a scalp that was tired of growing hair.
He was the assistant director of the hospital and a pervert. Well, I don't blame him. The ladies in the hospital make him feel like he is special.
I remember the first time I walked into his office. He was all teeth, with sweat breaking from his forehead. He was so quick to dismiss me. But that wasn't before I saw the shoe of a woman poking out from beneath his table.
Since that day he had been acting all nice around me. What he didn't know was that I preferred the cold shoulder he used to give to me.
"I have to say, you are such a talented person. I couldn't help but admire you while you worked."
I forced my lips into a curve. "Thank you, Sir. Coming from you that means a lot."
Yuck! Even saying those words felt disgusting.
I was about to turn when his words made me halt.
"I was wondering..."
I rolled my eyes inwardly. Now what?
"If you would like to go out for dinner with me tonight?"
"Definitely not, you pervert delusional old man!" I thought to myself.
I couldn't say that out loud. This was the third hospital I was working in within just two years—and the longest I've stayed in.
The last thing I needed was to lose my job.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Conti, but I'm feeling a little bit sick, and I need to rest up a bit—" I lied. It was better than getting fired because of some loser, anyway.
"Oh, I understand," He replied.
I smiled, turning around. Thank goodness.
But before I could take a step forward, I felt a hand grip one of my b*tt cheeks.
That was it. F**k the job. I'm killing him.
I turned, slamming him against the wall as I reached for the spare scalpel in my pocket.
"Listen here, Old man," I whispered as I let the scalpel hover above his groin. "The next time your hand touches a part of me, even if it's a strand of my hair, I'm going to make sure I cut off that thing in between your legs that's making you feel like a man. Got it?"
He nodded eagerly as he swallowed hard, his face void of any color.
I let him go and turned to walk away. Luckily for me, the hallway was empty, and no one knew what had happened.
That was a win-win for me.
A few minutes later, I was out of the hospital, in my car, and on my way to my apartment.
I showered and was about to jump on the bed when my alarm rang.
"Argh!" I screamed. Here I was thinking I was going to get a few hours of sleep before heading out.
Sighing, I dressed up in my usual disguise before walking out of the house.
I wasn't only a neurosurgeon that most people know me as, I was also a tourist manager. But what made me different from the others was, "Porta Inferni." That's what we called it—the most dangerous place in the city.
No one comes to Italy again to see the arts and pretty crafts. They came for the dark stuff—what lies in Porta Inferni.
They say it's been run by the devil himself.
Well, I'm the girl who isn't afraid to make a deal with him.
My job was both easy and hard. I go undercover into the gates of hell, check for the places where the most dangerous stuff happens, and then I inform my boss, and it's added to the list of our places to tour. The dark list.
But lately, the Porta Inferni had been quiet. Rumors say it's because the Boss—Salvatore—had been out of town.
No one knew him—or her. We only knew the name, and it scared the shit out of everyone. Well, except for me. After what happened twenty years ago, nothing scared me anymore.
I took a detour down the main street and into the gates of hell. No one bothered stopping me. They all recognized my bike.
I stopped in front of a club, taking off my helmet.
"Ciao, bella signora," Luca called out to me, a smile arching his lips.
"Ciao, brutto," I replied, winking at him as I got down from the bike.
"You're still not going to loosen up around me," He muttered.
I chuckled. "Only when you stop trying to steal my bikes."
He laughed as he hugged me. Luca was one of my main informants. He ran a network of thieves and was also working for the Cops. Talk about weird.
"Are you here to spend some time with me?" He asked.
"You wish," I scoffed. "I'm here for some information, as always."
I was about to walk into the club when he held my hand.
"What?" I said as I turned to him. His smile had vanished, replaced with a frown.
"I told, Lombardi to tell you not to show up today. Didn't he?"
"Why?" I asked, confusion and curiosity creeping in.
I didn't bother to tell him that Lombardi—my boss—didn't say a word to me. He had always been a sc*m bag.
"You can't be here," He muttered, pulling me towards my bike.
"Why?" I asked again, pinning my feet to the ground. "What's going on."
He was silent for a while before finally speaking.
"Salvatore. His third in command is around." He pointed to my eyes. "And for some dumb reason...he hates ladies with those eyes of yours."
Alessia’s POVPulling away, I gave Marcello a playful squint. “Okay, but spill it. How did this happen, Mr. Marcello Fernandez? Did you bribe the Director or the board with opera tickets? Blackmail them with karaoke videos? Or maybe…” I leaned in conspiratorially. “Did you sell your soul to Cassandra after all?”Marcello just smiled, patient as always. “None of the above. The director simply thought I was the right person for the job.”I gave him the look. The raised brow, the silent yeah right, and I’m the Pope.But instead of calling him out, I chuckled, shaking my head. I had always known he came from money—the suits too sharp, the cars too sleek. It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure that one out. Connections had probably helped, but I knew better than to poke. I hated when people meddled in my business. The least I could do was extend the same courtesy.So I grinned and said, “Well, however you managed it, you deserve it. Congratulations, Dr. Fancy Pants. Or should I start ca
Alessia’s POVThe car was silent again. No more stories, no more confessions. Just the weight of everything hanging between us, suffocating and relentless.Then the locks clicked, releasing my door with a sound that felt too loud, too final.I sat there for a second, fingers resting on the handle but unmoving, because even with my way open, something in his words had rooted me in place. As much as I wanted to brush off his confession, as much as I wanted to cling to the hatred that kept me sane, a small voice whispered that Leo wasn’t lying.And I hated that.I hated that the part of me that wanted to believe him was louder than I wanted it to be.For the first time, I realized Leo wasn’t just Damiano’s shadow. He was another prisoner—one who had chosen his cage. And maybe that was why his words clung to me, even as I tried to shake them off.Because no matter how tightly I wrapped myself in anger, no matter how sharp my tongue, his confession had cracked something open inside me.An
Alessia’s POVI clenched my arms tighter across my chest, forcing a laugh that sounded a little too thin. “Don’t worry, Leo. Like I said, I’ve survived worse monsters than you and your precious Damiano. If your little speech is supposed to scare me, you’ll have to try harder.”This time, he didn’t answer. He just pressed harder on the accelerator, the engine growling as the car surged forward. His silence was louder than any insult he could’ve thrown at me.And somehow, that silence gnawed at me more than his anger ever could.Like guilt.***The rest of the ride was completely silent.The hospital loomed in front of us, its pale walls and sterile windows catching the late morning sun like some kind of sanctuary.Relief flickered in my chest—finally, freedom, even if just for a while. I could almost smell the antiseptic, hear the faint buzz of machines, and see the white coats of my colleagues moving through the halls. My halls. My world.I reached for the handle, already picturing m
Alessia’s POVLeo’s silence after that speech of his should’ve been comforting, but instead it gnawed at me, digging under my skin like a splinter I couldn’t pull out. I stared at him, at the sharp lines of his jaw, at the way his eyes refused to meet mine.What did he mean by Damiano being a monster I had never met before. What did he know about monsters? I've dealt with them all my life. They came in different sizes, heights, genders, skin, and clothes—all offering to treat my brother and me better than the other would've. So, yeah. I've seen enough.My chest tightened with a mixture of defiance and curiosity, and before I could stop myself, the words slipped out.“You know nothing about me, Leo. Nothing about what I’ve been through, seen, or what I’ve survived. But I know enough about Damiano. He’s a killer. And killers like him don’t deserve freedom. They deserve to be locked up for eternity—or better yet, put down like a—”The car screeched to a halt so suddenly as he slammed t
Alessia’s POVDamiano smirked, satisfied. “Good. You have till six in the evening. Don’t be late.”And just like that, he dismissed me, turning back to his glass as though I were already forgotten.I wanted to scream. Instead, I walked out, my bag clutched tight, Leo trailing after me with the key still in his hand. Catarina shot me a glance that was equal parts pity and worry, and I gave her the smallest smile I could muster.The hallway swallowed me up, and finally, finally, I let out the breath I had been holding. My shoulders sagged, my fists curled, and I whispered under my breath, “Dog, huh? Let’s see what happens when the mutt learns how to bite.”I already had a plan. Plan A: behave. Plan B: get to Marcello. Plan C: ditch Leo without ending up in a ditch myself.And if all else failed? Plan D: hope those freaky dream-superpowers decided to show up. Because honestly, if I could set Damiano’s ego on fire, it might just be worth it.***The car was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of q
Alessia’s POVI brushed the thought away. Why waste my time thinking about something like that?Besides, this was my chance to leave this house. It was handed to me on a platter of gold. So, I had to make use of it.I showered and dressed like freedom was a person and that I wanted to seduce him.Not too much, of course—I wasn’t about to show up in sequins and stilettos—but just enough to remind myself that I was still human and not some live-in doctor-and-dog mixed-breed creature. I pulled on jeans that hugged all the right places, a white blouse that said, I’m civilized, thank you very much, and sneakers because… well, running might actually be on the agenda. A little mascara, some lip gloss—because I might be emotionally unhinged, but my eyelashes didn’t have to suffer.Halfway through brushing my hair, I caught myself staring in the mirror. And there he was again. Damiano. Not literally behind me, (thank God, I would have screamed and launched the hairbrush at him) but in my head
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