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She launches at me, and I have to grab her wrists to stop her from punching me with her delicate fists. Trying not to laugh at the absurdity of her attempted assault, I adopt a stern expression and say, “Stop.”
Her struggle stops, but her eyes bore holes of hatred into me. “Where have you been?”
“Dealing with things. You were locked away and put under guard for your own protection. I will not apologize for that.” Letting her go, I give her a moment to calm down.
Which she refuses to do. “You couldn’t have come to see me even once in the many hours I’ve been kept prisoner here?” she asks, glaring at me. “You couldn’t spare a moment for your fucking wife, Carlo?”
“I’m only going to warn you once, Isabella,” I say, narrowing my eyes at her. She has to understand her place. “You need to watch your tone and what you say to me. You are mine in every way, and I will do whatever I want with you.”
Staring daggers into me, she snaps, “You don’t own me! This isn’t ancient times when men owned their wives. You can’t scare me.”
She needs a good dose of fear. “This may as well be some faraway kingdom in the Middle Ages for all the rights you have, my dear wife. See, you married a man of the Old World. There is no judge who will grant you a divorce. That’s if you ever got enough freedom to get that far in the first place.”
Her eyes go wide. “Will I always be your prisoner?”
She might as well know the reality of her situation. “You are valuable, Isabella, and you must be protected at all times. There will always be guards around you, and your whereabouts must be known at all times. It’s just the way life is when you’re the wife of a powerful man.”
She leans back on the bed but is anything but relaxed. “I had no say in marrying you, and I have no say in whether I want to be guarded or not. I’ve lost all my rights to live a normal life. And all because you had to have me. Me. An unremarkable woman who has never known who I really am.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. Your blood makes you one of a kind. You and I will make children with an even more remarkable bloodline that, if I have my way, will only become purer and purer as each generation brings forth their own children.”
“You make having children sound like some kind of horror experiment.” She clasps her hands over her stomach and looks at me with a sharpness in her eyes that I shouldn’t allow. “When did blood become something so sought after?”
She has been through a hell of a lot, so I ignore her tone. “Bloodlines have always been important. Your bloodlines go as far back as mine do. Binding our blood will make strong and intelligent children.”
Her brows raise. “And if we have a child who is not so strong or intelligent? What then? Will they be given away? Or something worse?”
“You shouldn’t worry about that. It’s not a good idea to tempt fate. It’s important to keep a positive mindset, Isabella. Remember that. Great things will happen for us.”
“You have no idea what the future holds, Carlo.” Scoffing at me isn’t a smart thing for her to do, yet she does it anyway.
Moving with the speed of a rattlesnake, I’m on the bed, hand on her throat, squeezing only a bit. “I warned you to watch your tone with me. You will not disrespect me in any way. Do you understand?”
For a moment, her eyes stare into mine without an ounce of emotion. I need to see fear in them, so I squeeze her throat a little tighter, restricting her air.
Finally, she nods, and I release my hold on her. She moves her hands to her throat as she looks at me with fear. “I had no idea you could be this way.”
“And if you knew, would you not have given yourself to me last night?” I ask, not expecting an answer. “As you have seen, I can be quite pleasant to be around. It all depends on how you act when you’re with me. If you’re nice, chances are I’ll react nicely to you. If you’re a bitch, however, I will be your worst enemy. You’re not stupid. You understand. I know you do. All this is a lot to take in, but I trust that you will—and quickly at that. You have a position now. You are my wife, and that means there are certain jobs that will be yours to take care of. Therefore, the sooner you get over the shock of your new situation, the better it will be for everyone.”
Blinking, she seems dubious. “Are you saying that I can’t be a wedding planner?”
I shrug. It’s not like I care if she plans weddings or not. “If that’s something you want to do, and someone needs it done, then you can do it. You can’t be paid for it, but you can do it.”
She cocks her head, obviously uncertain about something. “What do you mean I can’t be paid for it?”
“You are the wife of a man who has more money than most people can imagine. It would be a sign of disrespect to me if you accepted money from anyone. My mother will teach you everything you need to know about being the matriarch of this family. It’s a prestigious role that you should be proud to have been given.”
Looking down, she says quietly, “I don’t feel I’ve been given anything. What I feel is that I’ve been thrust into something that I never asked for. And it’s not fair at all.”
“No one ever said life was fair, baby.” She’s old enough to know that’s just a fact of life.
“Your mother doesn’t like me.” She looks up at me with sad eyes. “She’s called me a bitch more than a few times. I don’t think she’ll teach me anything.”
“She’ll do as I tell her. And she wouldn’t have called you a bitch if you weren’t being one. My mother is a straightforward woman. Just like me, she can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It’s up to you. I would recommend being her best friend. Her loyalty knows no bounds.” My mother is the least of her worries, not that she knows that yet.
“Would it be disrespectful if I told you that I don’t want to be this person for you?” Her hands grip the blanket, and she stares at them instead of looking at me.
Taking her by the chin, I tilt her head up to make her look at me. “I was born into this role, Isabella, the same way you were. We all have our parts to play, and I think we have pretty fucking great roles. You should try to see the good in being my wife. You were crushing on me up until you found yourself standing at the altar with me this morning. That attraction couldn’t have vanished. I think you can find it again.”
