chapter 3

Silas didn't leave the estate immediately. Somehow my father was able to convince him to  push the engagement dinner up to tonight, desperate to put on a final show for the families before Silas took me away.

Hold still," Beatrice ordered.

​ As she yanked the zipper up my spine. The gold and black fabric cut into my ribs and  It pushed my breasts up and left my back completely bare.

​"You're breathing too hard," Beatrice said, slapping my shoulder.

​"It's too tight."

​"It's supposed to be tight." Beatrice's blonde hair was sprayed stiff into a tight bun. Her fake smile didn't reach her cold blue eyes as she tugged hard on the hem of the dress. "Your father pushed this dinner up to tonight. You need to look perfect."

​"I didn't ask for a dinner."

​"You don't ask for anything." Beatrice glared at me in the mirror. "You look like a cheap escort, but maybe that's what Thorne wants. Don't ruin this. Smile, nod, and keep your mouth shut tonight."

​"I always do."

​"See that you do. If Silas backs out, your father is ruined."

​I didn't answer her. I turned around and walked out of the bedroom.

​The fireplace lounge was filled with  our men. My uncles, my cousins, and my father's top soldiers stood in small groups. The room smelled of expensive cigars and spilled liquor. The noise died down the second I walked in.

​Their eyes dragged over my body, heavy and dirty.

​"Well, look at this," Uncle Marco said. He was a thick, balding man with cruel eyes. "Arthur finally put his daughter to use."

​"She looks exactly like her mother," my cousin Enzo muttered.

​"A waste of a good dowry," Marco said, taking a drag from his cigar. "Look at the slit on that dress. Thorne's going to tear her in half by midnight."

​"I give it an hour," Enzo laughed.

​Silas sat in the center of the room. He had taken off his dark coat, leaving him in a tailored black shirt that pulled tight across his chest. His broad shoulders filled the large leather armchair. He watched me walk in and didn't blink once.

​"Come here, Kira. Let us get a good look," Marco said, stepping into my path.

​Silas raised his whiskey glass. Then he brought it down hard on the solid mahogany table.

​*Clank*

​The sharp noise echoed through the quiet room. Everyone froze. Enzo swallowed hard. Marco quickly looked away from me, suddenly finding his polished shoes very interesting.

​Silas kept his stormy gray eyes fixed on my face but didn't say a single  word to the room, but the message was loud and clear.

​I was his property.

​The heat in the room choked me. I needed air so  I turned my back on the staring men, slipped out the side door, and walked down the dim corridor toward the kitchens.

​"Kira."

​I stopped. Tonino stepped out of the shadows. My cousin was twenty-five, with a weak chin and dark hair slicked back with too much gel. He always smelled like cheap cologne and sweat.

​"Tonino. Leave me alone," I said, keeping my voice flat.. 

​He stepped closer, blocking my path to the door. "You look good in that dress. Must be easy to unwrap."

​"Get out of my way."

​"Not yet." Tonino smiled. It was a nasty, wet smile. "You think you're better than us now? Because the Boss of the Iron Citadel wants to fuck you?"

​"I don't want to talk to you, Tonino."

​"You should. I know about Uncle Arthur. I know about the missing money."

​My stomach dropped but I forced my face to stay blank. "I don't know what you're talking about."

​"Don't play dumb with me." Tonino grabbed my bare arm. His fingers digging  hard into my skin. "Your father's skimming from the shipment cuts. He's bleeding the family accounts dry. He's planning to run."

​"That's a lie."

​"Is it?" Tonino laughed softly. "If I tell the bosses tonight, your father is a dead man. You and your little sisters will go down with him. You know what happens to traitors' daughters."

​"You wouldn't."

​"I will," he whispered. He leaned his sweaty face close to mine. I could smell the stale wine on his breath. "Unless you cooperate. Give me a taste of what Thorne is getting tonight and  I'll keep my mouth shut for a few more days."

​He reached for the front of my dress.

​I didn't panic nor scream.  Instead I reached up and pulled the sharp silver hairpin from my updo. My dark hair tumbled over my shoulders. I gripped the pin tightly like a knife.

​"Touch me again and I'll blind you," I hissed

.

​Tonino looked at the pin and laughed. "You stupid bitch. Put that down before I break your arm."

​"Move."

​"I'm going to rip that dress off right here."

​He raised his hand to grab my throat.

​A massive hand shot out of the dark.

​Silas grabbed Tonino's wrist. The sharp crack of bone was loud in the quiet hallway.

​Tonino screamed. His knees buckled. But 

​Silas didn't let go. He shoved Tonino forward with brutal force, slamming his face flat into the small wooden side table against the wall. Tonino choked on his own blood as his nose broke against the wood. Silas forced Tonino's hand flat onto the table.

​"Silas, wait!" Tonino cried out. His voice cracking with fear. "It was a joke! I swear, I was just playing! Let me go!"

​Silas didn't speak. He reached for the heavy silver letter opener sitting on the edge of the table. In one fluid, violent motion, Silas drove the blade straight down through the center of Tonino's hand.

​The blade cut deep through flesh and bone, pinning Tonino's hand tight to the mahogany wood.

​Tonino let out a high, terrible scream that tore through the estate.

​Then, dead silence fell over the hallway. The only sound was Tonino's pathetic, wet whimpers. Blood pooled around the silver handle. It dripped down the side of the table.

​I stepped back, breathing hard. Silas stood over him. His face was completely blank with no emotions. His broad chest rose and fell in a steady, calm rhythm, as if he hadn't just maimed a man.

​Footsteps hammered down the hall. My father burst into the corridor with Beatrice running right behind him, holding up her long skirt.

​Arthur stopped dead when he looked at the blood and saw Tonino sobbing and bleeding on the floor, pinned to the table like an insect. Then, Arthur looked at me. His face turned red with blind rage.

​"My house! You disrespect my house?" Arthur screamed, pointing a shaking finger at me. He didn't even look at Silas. "I offer you to a good man, I set up this dinner, and you act like a wild animal! What did you do?"

​"I didn't do anything," I said.

​"You stupid, worthless girl! You provoked him! You've ruined everything!"

​Arthur stepped forward. He pulled his arm back and swung his heavy hand to strike me across the face.

​I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for the blow.

 But ​it never hit me.

​I opened my eyes. Silas had stepped between us. His large, blood spattered hand held my father's wrist trapped tight in the air. Arthur tried to pull back, but Silas's grip was crushing. He didn't move an inch.

​"Let me go, Silas," Arthur demanded.

​The air in the hallway changed. Silas's gray eyes looked entirely pitch black. He stepped closer to my father with his massive frame towering over him, radiating violence.

​"Arthur," Silas said. His voice was a low, terrifying rumble. "Look at your ledger."

​My father swallowed hard. His eyes went wide with panic. "Silas, she_"

​"Your daughter belongs to the Iron Citadel now," Silas interrupted as he  tightened his grip on Arthur's arm. My father winced in pain, his knees dipping slightly. "If you raise a hand to her again, I will bleed your territory dry before the wedding night. Do you hear me?"

​Arthur nodded quickly. His face went pale, and was suddenly covered in a cold sweat. "Yes. Yes, Silas. I hear you."

​"Good." Silas shoved my father's arm away like he was trash.

​Arthur stumbled back, rubbing his wrist. Beatrice stood frozen against the wall, her eyes wide with fear.

​Silas turned his back on my father, looked down at me. His eyes softened just a fraction as they dragged over my messy hair and my bare shoulders.

​"Get your coat," Silas said quietly. "We are leaving.”