All Chapters of Cherished By the Devil: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

67 Chapters

Prologue

POPPYChicago. Six Months Earlier.I stared at my reflection in the mirror, surveying the recent damage. It was worse than the last time, but perhaps I should have been grateful that my nose and teeth were intact. A small consolation.My trembling fingers gingerly checked the swollen spot beneath my left eye, and I inwardly winced. This would surely turn into an ugly bruise; that much I knew from experience. The darkening spot on my jaw looked even worse—a mark left by Ardian's signet. It hurt like hell, but I knew I was lucky. I was alive. I had survived another beating. And tonight, I would make sure that this was the last one.The banging on the bathroom door made me flinch. “Angel, our guests arrived. Hurry up and join us downstairs,” Ardian called out, his voice coated with a usual layer of sweetness, as if he had already forgotten he had just beaten the shit out of me.My mask fell into place as I answered, “Um… I will need a moment. I need to do a little heavier makeup, and—”T

Fragile Freedom

New York. Now.The irritating high-pitched beeping sound drilled into my head. Groaning, I swayed my hand toward the bedside table, ineptly trying to turn the damn alarm off without opening my eyes. It didn't work; it never had. Cursing, I tore my sleepy eyes open enough to navigate my finger to the button.And then… silence. I smiled faintly, but my relief lasted only until I realized what time it was. “Shit,” I muttered, slowly dragging myself from beneath the covers.I entered the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water, hoping to wash off the remains of sleep. The sound of shattering glass and cursing burst through the thin walls, causing me to flinch. I grabbed the sink with both hands, my knuckles bleaching. My body began to tremble, and the well-known tension clenched every inch of me.“Calm down, Poppy,” I choked out, looking at my reflection in the mirror. “It's only your fucked-up neighbors fighting… again.” I forced more air into my lungs and stretched my lips into a f

Daredevil

It would have been wise not to stare at him. Only someone with a death wish would look directly into those black eyes. I knew that much, and yet I couldn't look away.His dark hair resembled an unruly mass of silk, and my fingers suddenly itched to dive in and savor the feel of it. His face was a compilation of perfectly carved lines, sharp, symmetric, captivating. His full lips had been made for sin, and my mind eagerly sent me more than a few ideas on how they might be used…My stubborn eyes fell lower, where the final lines of his tattoo swirled on his neck. His black shirt covered most of the pattern, but my imagination was already working on forming the entire picture. God, this was reckless. I should have minimized my contact with him, not fucking provoked him! But my eyes continued to roam until I saw one side of his lips curl up into a smug smirk. Fuck.Dragging my gaze away from him, I finally turned on my professional mode, dutifully reciting the best options on the menu. My

Can't Escape the Past

Grey Maledetti efficiently filled my thoughts as I walked from the bus stop to my apartment building. My mind all too eagerly sent me images of his sinful lips, his dangerous eyes, the tattooed lines on his neck and chest that I would love to trace with my tongue…Yes, I definitely needed to get laid. Lack of sex was clearly messing with my sanity. I couldn't allow myself to follow the same pattern again. I had made enough bad decisions in life, and I had a feeling that one more false move would end with my dead body found in the Hudson River.Surely, had any waitress I knew learned about my encounter, they would have called me a fool for not taking the tip or accepting a ride home… or both. But I knew better, even if, for some fuck-up reason, dark and madly dangerous men were still my type.All of them had this appeal, that unique aura that made them irresistible. I'd seen it in Ardian, too; that was what had drawn me toward him. He had appeared kind and gentle at first. I had mistake

Auction

GREYI passed a red-carpeted corridor heading to a banquet hall. I'd spent less than five minutes in this place, and I already knew this was a mistake. I despised going to those underground auctions. The last time I'd been in a place like this one was when my late foster father had dragged me with him by force. So what was I doing here now? I was making sure that Emidio Abramo wouldn't do anything stupid, like spending several grand on a forged painting.“I truly appreciate you're here,” Emidio muttered as we were entering the hall. “Of course, I could have gone alone, but…”“That's not a big deal. I owed you for telling me about Tavolo Verde,” I tossed before shifting my attention to a man dressed in a black tux.“Mr. Maladetti, Mr. Abramo, your table awaits.” His lips stretched into a trained grin as he bowed at the waist.“Lead the way,” I said curtly. The last thing I wanted was to draw too much attention, which was the exact opposite of what Emidio would want. He knew that showin

New Cage

POPPY“What did you fucking give her?!”Someone's roar tore through the blur of my mind. Then my head began to pound. I couldn't see anything. I could only feel—feel pain. “Make it… stop,” I breathed, wrapping my arms around my body, ineptly seeking relief. “Make… it stop…”“You'll feel better soon,” a deep, male voice said. I liked that voice. It soothed me. “Just wait a little longer.”I couldn't open my eyes. My head was spinning. My body trembled. But then the pain faded, and I was pressed against a warm body—a warm and firm man's body. My hand moved, fingers idly tracing the chiseled muscles.“Play nice, Poppy,” the deep voice purred. “You don't want to provoke me now. Trust me.”But I didn't want to play nice. I wanted to touch more. My fingers were all too eager to explore every rigid inch of him, and the heat inside me grew the more I touched. A desperate moan slipped through my lips. I wanted him. I wanted to feel more of him…“Not tonight, Sunshine.” I thought I heard laughte

Anything But Boring

GREYI walked through the hallway leading to my office as my lips continuously curved into a smirk. After a rather sleepless night, I expected exhaustion. Yet, my body buzzed with adrenaline, filling me with the excitement I hadn't felt in years.Perhaps I had completely lost my mind. Then again, insanity wasn't anything new in my world. Sane people tend to die quickly. Only sick bastards remained, those who refused to die, no matter how much fucked-up shit they'd been through.My office was in the corner of the east wing, possibly the farthest place from my bedroom. I liked to keep my business and private matters apart, and currently, this arrangement was even more welcomed. With two of my trusted sentinels guarding the room, I had no doubts that my newest possession was safe, but I needed more than that. I wanted to keep her out of the prying eyes for as long as possible.The news of what had happened at the auction traveled fast, and the fact that I'd bought a woman surely sparked

Fighting My Fear

POPPYJust as Grey had said, a nurse, a lady in her fifties with brown hair tied in a large bun on top of her head, appeared in my room moments after he'd left. She'd barely said a word to me, too focused on her task, or perhaps annoyed with it. I was too weak to argue as she quickly patched my hand and picked another spot to stick another cannula into it. Before I realized what she was doing, sedatives began to enter my body. A few minutes later, my eyes closed…When I'd woken up again, the sunrays falling from the wall-to-ceiling window were the shade of orange and red. The IV drip was gone, and the awful cannula had been replaced by a neat patch. Heart pounding, I scanned the room and sighed in relief when I realized I was alone.Of course, I didn't hope that I wasn't watched. I could bet that at least two cameras were hidden in this room. One of them was right in front of me. I could see the vague red dot in the clock hanging on the wall. A normal person might have missed it, but

My Reasons

GREYI stared at one of my managers as cold fury saturated my blood. Incompetence was what I loathed the most, and since that man was also the reason why I had to leave New York for three fucking days, I currently considered snapping his neck.“I apologize, Mr. Maledetti.” His voice trembled as if he were about to cry. “Please… give me another chance.”I pressed my lips together, rising from my seat. The fucker stepped back as I walked around my desk and leaned against its front. I looked at his pathetic pale face—at the layer of cold sweat coating his forehead—and clicked my tongue. It would have been swift. I would have grabbed the sides of his neck, my fingers on his jaw and the back of his head. One sharp turn, and I would have felt the distinctive snap underneath my fingers. That would have been his end. The only thing saving his life right now was the fact that moving his dead body in the middle of the day might have been troublesome. Not to mention wiping the footage in the ent

Negotiations

“Make yourselves comfortable, gentlemen.” The blond-haired secretary smiled, bowing down low enough to be certain we saw her cleavage. “Don Bellezza will see you shortly.”We hadn't said our names as we entered. Then again, no one had asked us either. The secretary had most likely assumed we were potential buyers and led us to the VIP part of Bellezza's Gallery. I could bet that Bellezza's choice to hire her had little to do with her brains and a lot to do with her other… assets.She swayed her ass from side to side as she led us to velvet-upholstered settees. Lanzo raised his brows in a silent question, but I shook my head, letting him know that this might temporarily work to our advantage.I scanned the room, noting two sentinels standing by large doors, most likely leading to Bellezza's private quarters. I had recognized the two. I had seen them during the auction. They had been the ones who had helped carry Poppy's cage.Once the secretary disappeared to prepare our drinks, I walk

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