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I clicked my tongue at her. “Watch your language. You’re right: I am a sadist. You’d do well to remember that.”
I waited until she reluctantly reached for the gown before I turned my back to her, indulging her desire for modesty. Eventually, she’d surrender herself to me fully, and her bodywould be mine to admire and play with whenever I pleased. I was content to toy with my bride for a while longer.
Chapter 13
Nora
The nightmare was happening all over again, but it was so much worse this time. It’d been awful enough when Luca had kidnapped me and forced me into marriage. This time, a madman held my hands in his as the officiant droned his way through the wedding ceremony. We stood in a cavernous dining room, a space large enough to host several dozen guests, but not as large as the ballroom where I’d married Luca. Despite the vastness of the room—empty save for a handful of witnesses, the officiant, Dante, and me—the ivory walls seemed to press in on me, the gilding on the intricate crown molding glittering at the edges of my wavering vision.
I blinked away the sheen of tears and slipped further behind my composed mask, trying to hide from Dante. His vibrant green eyes were keen on mine, attempting to slice straight to my soul. Despite his beauty, there was something innately disturbing about the terrifying capo with a fearsome reputation. He watched me with a stomach-churning mixture of amusement and hunger, his sharp features alight with triumph.
I was nothing more than an object to him, both a pretty trophy and vulnerable bait. This sham wedding signified hisvictory over Luca, and I was meant to be the key to my husband’s undoing.
I had no doubt in my mind that Luca would come for me. Not because I’d deluded myself that he had deep feelings for me, but because his pride and authority wouldn’t survive the shame of another man stealing his wife.
I can make you happy. Let me.The memory of his strange command made my eyes burn. Because even if there was no love between us, I’d softened toward my domineering husband. I’d started to dare to imagine a future of comfort and safety with him.
Now, Luca’s life was on the line because of my father’s treachery. Dante didn’t seem at all concerned at the prospect of my husband coming to take me back from him. He was ready for an assault, and he intended to make Luca suffer before he killed him.
This insane ceremony was meant to seal Luca’s fate: Dante thought he could marry me because my real husband would be dead soon.
“Do you, Elenora Ricci Vitale, take Dante Torrio to be your husband? Do you promise to obey him, honor him, and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, and in sickness and health, and be faithful to him so long as you both shall live?”
The vows issued by the officiant were nearly identical to the ones I’d made on the day I’d married Luca.Honorandobey, in particular, stuck in my mind. These sick men expected me to be a dutiful wife, an accessory to their lives without a will of my own. Even Luca had demanded my unquestioning obedience, humiliating me with dark pleasure when I didn’t immediately comply.
I swallowed the bile that rose at the back of my throat, shoving the poisonous thoughts about Luca away. He was myonly hope of salvation, and guilt nipped at me for even thinking of him in the same way as sadistic Dante.
“It’s your turn, darling,” Dante crooned. “SayI do.”
My lips were numb, but somehow they formed the words: “I do.”
I had to say the lie. I didn’t have a choice. Dante would hurt me if I didn’t comply.
I am a sadist. You’d do well to remember that.
I kept my face serene, not allowing my features to so much as twitch with the disgust and dread that boiled inside me. I stared at a spot directly between Dante’s dark brows, allowing his fierce grin and dancing eyes to blur into the periphery.
When it came time to exchange rings, he grasped my hand tighter and slid Luca’s wedding and engagement rings off. Smirking, he dropped them to the floor like garbage. The soft, musical sound of precious metal pinging on wood lanced my heart like a blade.
I tried to yank my hand away from his rings, but he held me fast. He’d chosen a diamond eternity band and an enormous cushion cut emerald surrounded by diamonds for an engagement ring. The gemstones glittered, so bright that my eyes stung.
I took a deep breath and tore my gaze away from the rings that might as well have been shackles.
It doesn’t mean anything,I told myself.We’re not really married.
Luca was still my husband, not this monster who was looking at me like I was a decadent treat he couldn’t wait to devour.
The officiant declared us married, completing the farce of a ceremony. “You may kiss the bride.”
I tensed, my beatific smile slipping. I tried to pull my composed mask back in place, but fear shuddered through me in a shockwave, cracking it.
Dante cocked his head at me, his gaze bright with amusement as he watched me crumble ever so slightly. He studied me as though I was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen, his full, intense attention fixed on every nuance of my expression.
I straightened my spine, defiance sparking through my terror. His dark amusement chafed at my pride, provoking me to betray a glimmer of the fire that raged deep in my chest. I was furious at him for doing this to me, and I was angry at my own powerlessness to physically resist cruel men like Dante.
All I could do was endure, but I was sick of meekly surrendering my body to heartless monsters who only wanted to use me for their own nefarious ends.
Dante’s eyes searched mine, and a delighted smile illuminated his angelic features, making him almost painfully beautiful. The effect was both stunning and terrifying.
