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His eyes remind me of Nicolo’s, if a little unsteady, not crazy so much as the window to a broken soul. I stare into them, despite my fear, and tug again. “Can you let me go now, please?”
From one second to another, his gaze hardens. He twists and lifts my arm toward him, dragging me closer, almost up onto my tiptoes. “Your father killed my mother. He did it in front of me when I was only a child.” His voice is a whisper of animosity. A growl of contempt focused on me.
A rock of emotion has formed in my throat, and I swallow around it and try not to let the tears that are building fall. “I don’t believe you. I know he isn’t a good man, but I can’t imagine him being so cruel…”
Can’t I?
Oh, my god, what if it’s true?
He leans into me, his breath fanning against my lips. The spicy mint scent is too close, too intimate, for all the anger he hurls at me. I cringe and try to turn away, but there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
“Are you sure about that, little girl? Do you even know anything about your dear old dad? No doubt he keeps the gory details out of your precious little head. Why bother the womenfolk with things they have no right knowing, right?”
Well, he’s not wrong. It doesn’t mean I want to congratulate him on knowing my father better than I do. Anger rises, mixing with the guilt and sudden sadness. “Fine, do you want me to apologize for your mother’s death again? I’m sorry.” I really am sorry. Even if I had nothing to do with it, I am sorry for his mom dying, but the anger twists my tone into sarcasm.
He tilts his head to watch my expression, rather like a dog waiting for a trick from his master. I try to jerk my hand free again, but he only tightens his grip. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from wincing. My fingers are going numb, and a sharp pain shoots up my elbow with every one of his movements.
“What do you want from me?” My voice cracks, and I’m utterly defeated. I’ll be beaten to death by this one or raped by his brother come the end. My options keep getting better and better.
“I want you to admit your family is nothing but scum. I want you to know what kind of kingdom you were born into.” He spits the words at me, his face mere inches away from mine.
“You don’t think I know that already? My family sucks, and I’m the same as them, apparently,” I shout, grabbing onto whatever bravado I seem to have tucked away inside. “I get it. You want revenge. You want to dish out punishment for my family’s sins. If so, I’ll pay the price. I already have, but that’s apparently not enough for you.” With my free hand, I shove him back, and finally, he releases my arm.
I’m caught off balance at the shift in weight and tumble back toward the bed. Lucas reaches out to snag my arms, maybe to keep me from falling or something else entirely, I don’t know. What I do know is that I can’t let him get a hold of me again. Without thinking, I lash out with my fingernails, dragging them across and deep into the flesh of his forearms. Everything happens so fast. With a hiss, he shoves my hands back, and somehow, we both tumble onto the bed. Me flat on my back, and him towering above me.
I shove at his firm chest to get him off me, feeling like things have taken a bad turn when I hear a booming voice from across the room that causes us both to freeze. “What the fuck is going on in here?”
Lucas recovers first, shoving off the bed and putting much-needed distance between us. “Nothing. I was just having a brief chat with our guest.”
I’m shaking now, my limbs rattling, no matter how strong I’m trying to be. I can feel Nicolo’s intense stare scanning me from head to toe. Once he’s had his fill, he turns his attention to Lucas, giving him a glare. “Looks like you did a bit more than talking.”
“Aww, don’t be such a poor sport, brother. We were just having a little heart to heart. I wasn’t stealing her precious virtue or anything.”
Nicolo doesn’t even blink. “Get the fuck out.” When his brother doesn’t make a move, he repeats his order. “Are you deaf? Get. Out.”
Lucas rolls his eyes but doesn’t say another word as he walks out of the bedroom and disappears into the hall. With him gone, it’s just Nicolo and me alone in the room. It’s my turn to scramble up, to get out from under the rage I see building in the set of his shoulders and the hard crinkle around his eyes.
