—Tristan— Eleanor was everything I’d hoped for and so much more. A queen in my game of chess, indeed. Noble and proud like a queen and arrogant and spoiled like one too. She made me want to break her. I emptied my scotch and hit the bar. Jerry refilled my glass. The whores had gathered at the other end of the bar as far away from me as possible. As usual. “She’s so beautiful,” the whore who had brought Ellie clothes said to the others. She was. Ellie was a masterpiece, almost too beautiful. I drank another scotch, considering returning to the basement, to Ellie. Whatever you take, it’ll always be less than what he would have gotten. You will have to settle for the consolation prize. Her words were an insistent pounding in the back of my head. And fuck, I knew she was right. Taking from Ellie what I wanted wouldn’t feel like a victory. There was no challenge in doing so. She was weaker and at my mercy. I slammed the glass down on the c
—Tristan— I raced down the stairs when I heard Simon’s cackling and spotted him in the doorway to Ellie’s cell, not inside of it. I slowed, knowing there was no rush. He wasn’t that stupid. Stupid enough, but not so stupid to try touching something that was mine. “Get out, you disgusting pervert,” I heard Ellie’s voice. “Shut up, whore. You aren’t in New York. Here you are nothing. I can’t wait to bury my cock in your cunt once Tristan is done breaking you in.” “I won’t shower in front of you. Get out!” “Then I will call Tristan and tell him to punish you.” Oh ... so he would call me? Interesting. I stalked closer, not making a sound. Simon’s back twitched like he was busy jerking off, which was probably the case. My mouth pulled into a snarl, but I held back my anger. More silence followed and I approached without making a sound. Simon’s profile appeared in my view, leaning in the doorway with his hand clutching his ugly dic
—Ellie— I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. The minutes seemed to blur together, when Tristan picked me up again and eventually put me down on something soft. My eyes peeled open, heavy-lidded and burning from crying. The first thing I registered was the bed I was lying on. Soft satin sheets, blood-red. A majestic canopy bed made from black wood, the posts twisting as if two branches had wound around another to form each. Tristan appeared beside the bed and sank down, causing the mattress to dip under his weight. He was naked except for a knife holster, which was strapped to his chest. Muscles and scars and barely restrained strength. I averted my eyes, my teeth beginning to chatter again. Tristan reached over me. “Don’t,” I said weakly. Then firmer, “Don’t touch me.” Tristan’s dark eyes held mine with intent. He bent low until his face filled my vision. “After what you saw me do today, you still defy me? Don’t you think submitting to
—Tristan— I grabbed sweatpants to put on before I headed downstairs into our gaming room, where Savio, Damian,and Mason were sitting. Since Damian had married Kate and she had joined our family, my days of walking through the house naked when I pleased were fucking over. My brothers regarded me as if I was a bomb about to detonate. I flashed them a smile. Mason shook his head but didn’t say anything. He didn’t try to hide his aversion toward me or his reluctance about becoming a Camorrista. Damian rose slowly. “You shouldn’t have brought her here.” I grabbed the pizza menu. “Savio, order pizza for us and an extra one for Eleanor.” Nico came around the sofa. My eyes flickered over the tension in his limbs. “Tristan, take her somewhere else.” “No,” I said. “She will stay here, under this roof, where I can keep a fucking eye on her.” My brother stopped in front of me, a deep frown pulling his brows together. That was the equivalent of an
—Tristan— Downstairs, I grabbed one of the pizza boxes before I returned to the guest bedroom in my wing. This time, Eleanor sat on the bed and didn’t look up when I entered. She held the silver nightgown in her hands. “What if I refuse to wear it?” “You can wear your nightgown for the show or be naked. Your blood will look just as enticing against your white skin as it would against the nightgown.” A small shiver rippled through her body, and she let the piece of clothing flutter to the ground at her bare feet. I walked closer. “Here. You haven’t eaten in more than a day.” I set the pizza box down on the nightstand. She eyed it suspiciously. I waited for her to shove it away, to try punishing me by starving herself, like my mother had always tried with our father. It hadn’t worked with him, and it wouldn’t work with me. “I hope it’s poisoned,” she muttered, then reached for a slice and took a big bite. She chewed then raised her eyes t
—Tristan— Damian’s expression was strained, but he wasn’t about to lose his shit again. He was staring into my eyes, no longer at Eleanor. He swallowed then the cold mask took hold of his face and he straightened. “You will have to stitch her up yourself. You played this game and lost. You underestimated your opponent,” he drawled then left, leaving me standing there, fucking furious and fucking ecstatic. I turned around slowly. Eleanor was swaying but trying to stand tall. Her chin was covered in blood from the wound in her lip, from biting down on it to stop a scream. She didn’t give me a single one. My gaze dipped lower. Her nightgown was stained with the blood still trickling from the cut in her arm, which she cradled against her chest. She was supposed to choose differently like all the other women always did. Instead, she’d caught me off guard, had taken the painful road, had forced my fucking hand. She hadn’t given me the triumph of off
—Tristan— After returning Ellie to the guest room, which I locked this time, I was about to start doing my daily training, kicking the punching bag, when Kate stormed into the game room. Damian was close behind her and tried stopping her, but she tore away from his grip and stalked toward me, looking furious. I turned to her, raising my eyebrows. She didn’t stop until she was right in front of me and shoved me hard, her eyes brimming with tears. I caught her wrists because she looked like she would slap me next, and that was something we both didn’t want to happen. A second later, a steely grip closed around my forearm. “Release her now,” Damian ordered. I met his gaze, not liking his tone one bit. His grip tightened further. A warning. A threat. We had never really fought against each other, for good reason, and I would lay my fucking life down before I would allow it to happen. But Kate could be the reason why Damian might risk it. I let go
—Ellie— I lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, worrying about my family, especially Mateo. He was so protective of me, what if he did something stupid like attack and get himself killed? I wanted to be saved but if something happened to Sam, I wouldn’t survive. I’d rather suffer pain and endure Tristan’s presence than see my cousin get hurt. A heavy weight settled in my stomach when I remembered the look in his eyes when Tristan had put the knife against my skin. That look had hurt so much more than the shallow cut. But the cut had given me an important piece of information about Tristan. He had a weakness, and it had something to do with those scars and his brothers. Steps sounded in front of my door and someone knocked. I sat up, surprised. Nobody had bothered to knock. The lock sounded and the door swung open as I stood, and a young woman with dark hair and dark eyes, wearing a yellow summer dress, stepped in. She was shorter than