เข้าสู่ระบบChapter 4Vittorio’s grip tightens for a little bit before he releases me, stepping aside with a grunt. The loss of his heat is immediate, but Alessio is there, his hand replacing Vittorio’s at the small of my back, steering me up the stairs and into the jet’s cabin.The interior is all cream leather and polished wood, the kind of luxury that screams old money, There’s a bed in the back—king-sized, rumpled, the sheets black silk. My pulse kicks up. Of course there’s a bed. Of course it’s already been used. The thought of them in here without me, their bodies tangled, their hands rough on each other, sends a traitorous rush of heat between my thighs.Dante takes the seat across from me, his long legs spread, his tie already loosened. He watches me with the same detached intensity he uses when he’s about to gut a man. "You’ll sit with me," he says. Alessio chuckles, dropping into the seat beside me before I can move. His thigh presses against mine, the heat of him seeping through the
Chapter 3The warehouse gunfire still echoes in my dreams muffled pops, the acrid sting of gunpowder, the way Vittorio’s grip on my wrist tightened like he’d rather break my bones than let me go. Three months later, and I should be used to the weight of their ownership by now. Should be. But standing in the middle of a private airstrip, my stomach twists like I’m still that girl in the dress she didn’t choose, surrounded by men who’d rather shoot each other than share.Dante adjusts the cuff of his shirt, and his gaze flick over to me "You’re staring," he murmurs, not looking up from his phone. The screen casts a cold blue glow over his sharp cheekbones.I tear my eyes away, but not before I catch the way his thumb lingers on the screen, it’s a a text from some faceless associate, no doubt. "Just admiring the view," I lie, nodding toward the sleek white jet The Morelli crest is emblazoned on the tail, Of course it is. Everything they touch gets marked.Alessio steps into my line of
Chapter 2I want to deny it. I open my mouth to shape the words, and Dante's finger presses harder against my throat, silencing me with the promise of pressure rather than its application. My pulse hammers against his leather-clad skin, a Morse code I can't control, broadcasting everything I need to conceal."Listen to her heart." Dante addresses the others as if I were equipment, machinery requiring calibration. "It speaks more honestly than she will. Fear, yes. But beneath it.." his head tilts, that mechanical assessment softening into something more difficult to read "something else. Something that doesn't know whether to fight or surrender because it has never been offered the choice.""Then we offer it." Vittorio's grip in my hair tightens, His other hand rises to my face, turning my chin until I meet his eyes for the first time. What I find there stops my breath more thoroughly than any threat. Hunger, held in ruthless check. Want, directed with surgical precision. The terri
Chapter 1The warehouse reeks of diesel and old iron, the kind of smell that seeps into fabric and never washes out. I stand in the center of the concrete floor in a dress I didn't choose, emerald silk, cut too low, clinging to hips that have lost weight these past three weeks. My wrists are unbound, but that means nothing. There are twelve men with guns between me and the only door I can see."On your knees."The voice comes from the shadows beyond the industrial floodlights. I don't move. I've learned that much, compliance without command, obedience without dignity, that path leads somewhere worse than this warehouse.A man steps forward. wearing a dark wool overcoat.His eyes are the color of wet slate, and they move over me with the methodical assessment of a man pricing livestock. This is Dante Morelli. I've heard his name whispered in the holding house, always followed by silence."She doesn't follow instructions." His observation carries no weight,like might be commenting
Chapter 5The Maids PovThe heavy oak door swings wide open and Alaric stands there with his shirt half-undone and the golden embroidery along the cuffs catching the torchlight. His gaze locks onto me, dark and hungry, and something inside me clenches. He doesn’t even glance at Mira. "You’re late," he says, voice rough as gravel, and the way his thumb hooks into the waistband of his trousers…fuck, I know what that means. My thighs press together before I can stop them.Mira’s grip on my wrist tightens. "Late for what—" Her words cut off sharp as she follows my line of sight past Alaric, into the chamber beyond.The fire in the hearth has burned low, casting long shadows over the desk…my desk, the one he bent me over just last night, the wood still scored with the imprint of my nails. The inkwell is knocked aside, black ink staining the floor And there, half-hidden behind the heavy drapes, is my discarded apron, the ties snapped.Mira’s breath hisses through her teeth. "Oh, you stupi
Chapter 4The Maids PovMy fingers tremble as I adjust the high collar of my maid’s uniform, but it’s useless, the fabric clings to my skin, too thin to hide the dark, bruised imprint of Alaric’s teeth. The mark pulses when I touch it, a slow, throbbing reminder of last night. Of his hands pinning me down, his voice rough in my ear, You’ll wear my mark where everyone can see it.I swallow hard, The castle is already filled with movement, servants bustling with trays of breakfast, guards exchanging quiet words, the distant clatter of silverware from the great hall. And then there’s her…Mira, the head laundress, her arms folded over her apron as she blocks my path. Her gaze locks onto my neck before I can even force a smile.“Good morning, Lyselle,” she says, her voice sweet as poisoned honey. “You look… flustered.”My fingers twitch at my sides. I can feel the heat creeping up my cheeks, betraying me. “Just warm from the kitchens,” I lie, forcing a laugh that sounds too high, too bri
Chapter 4The air is thick with the scent of old books and the faint, musky undertone of sweat… all mine, from the way my body had been betraying me all through out the class. I’d done it on purpose, of course. The way I’d tilted my chin right when I argued with him, the way I let my lips part sli
Chapter 2When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the cold. Not the kind that makes you shiver, but the kind that makes you aware you’re completely naked.Moonlight spilled through the window, and my head throbbed, an ache so deep it made my stomach twist. I tried to sit up, but something pul
Chapter 3My pulse hammered in my throat, and my fingers twitched at my sides as I took in the room. Swings hung from the ceiling, their straps dangling like nooses. On the other side, a sling with its black leather gleamed under the dim light. Even padded benches were lined up and angled for maxi
Chapter 1The sprinkler ticked in steady circles, watering the already perfect lawn. I watched from my bedroom window, with my chin resting on my hand, wondering if grass could get tired of growing in the same place every day. It was a stupid thought, but boredom made me think stupid about things.







