PROLOGUE ARIA: It was raining own heavily; the drops cruel and the thundering sky merciless as I came to a halt after running. The sound of violent waves crashing against the rocks fill my ears. I stand on a cliff, below me the angry waves collide with the rocks, making those sounds that would’ve scared me a long time ago. My heart thrashes wildly inside me as I take small steps towards the edge of the cliff. “Aria.” I look over my shoulder, my eyes falling on the man who drove me to the cliff. My bare feet ache and throb with pain. Pressure builds behind my eyes, my body aches. “Come here.” “No.” My voice come out as a scared whisper, the sound carried away by the wind. “Right now, Aria.” His face tightens with anger and I smile. I’ve never seen a man like him. Turning away from him, I move forward. I am so close to the edge that I can see the dark waves thrashing beneath me. “Lioness.” I tense, my body shuddering with cold. “Come to me.” My lips twitch at his intentions

2 (WARNING: DARK CONTENT AHEAD) ARIA: It was midnight when the chaos hit us. I was sleeping, tired from the long day when the gunshots rang out, awakening me from the slumber. My heart was beating wildly as I stepped out of the room, confused as hell, and checked the dark hallway. I shuddered when more gunshots rang out, followed by shouts and screams. What was happening? I stepped into the darkness. My bare foot thumped across the floor as I ran towards Gideon’s room. I had been living here for a few days. Alara was gone and I felt paranoid in my own house. It had felt like someone was watching me, staring at my back always. It irked me. Maybe it was just me or the fact that the house was new for me. I jumped, heart beating wildly inside me when another shot rang out. My mind registered something that had me freezing and halting in my step. Curses were ringing out in Italian. My mind spun; my breathing deepened as fear started to make its way into my head. My gut churned. Am

4 FABIANO: Fabiano knew what he had done. How could he not when he had been planning this for months? Aria Whitlock was his, the moment he saw her smiling face in Adriano’s office. His friend had told him she was a problem but Fabiano saw more than that. He saw a brave woman hardened by her past. He saw a woman protecting her family. He saw her. Then he wanted her. Fabiano didn’t know why he wanted her. Maybe it was because she challenged him and never submitted to him. She was a like breath of fresh air in his dull life. One meeting led to another and he knew he had to have her. He waited months for her, bugged her house. He had inserted cameras everywhere in her house, even in her bathrooms. There wasn’t a single corner of her house that wasn’t covered by the cameras. He had seen her roaming round the rooms, watching over her shoulder like someone was there. Her instincts were right. There was someone. Him. The King of Underworld. He was always there, watching her sleep. H

6 ARIA Everything was burnt down. Reduced to ashes. My plans. My hopes. My craving of freedom. Everything around me was black and gray, that was all I could see through my unfocused vision. Ashes. Storms. Thunder. Private island. An island thousands of meters away from civilization. An island surrounded my nothing but vastness of blue. Secluded and hidden, I was no different than a valuable gem to him. An object for decoration. But I was different than a gem. I refused to be like this. I refused to give up. I refused to become an object. I was a human. A survivor after all. I wasn’t taught to give up and run. I was taught to fight. Anger pulsated through me, spreading throughout my body. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, giving me the power, I needed for the fight. Because that’s what I chose. Fight. Not flight. Never flight. Fuck flight. With red covering my vision, my senses haywire and my insides a blur of emotions, I swung my fist at him. It barely touched someth

8 ARIA Warmth seeped into my body, I sighed burying myself deeper into it, enjoying the way it warmed my body and soothed my chilled bones. I was covered in something soft and fluffy— it was so different than the metal box I had been caged in. Metal box? My muscles tightened as consciousness seeped back into me, making me aware of my surroundings. I wasn’t in the cold cage. Instead, when I peeked an eye open, I found myself covered in soft, warm and the fluffiest blankets that felt like clouds. If one could sit on clouds, I bet they’d feel the bliss I was feeling submerged under the weight of these fluffy blankets. Letting out a shaky breath, I pushed myself up, ignoring the ache that spread through my body like a wildfire. “Don’t.” I jerked in my place, gasping at the sudden intrusion. My head snapped towards it; eyes widened when I found a pair of vivid green eyes on me. The owner of the beautiful orbs-a woman just older than me stared back at me with wide eyes. “Don’t get