Page 40 of His Queen

Vlad

The doors swing open and there she is. She is a vision in white satin and lace. Her face, framed by a cloud of red curls, is radiant like a goddess. Her eyes hold a sad look and her face is gaunt. Strained by anxiety. She is still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She doesn't need to speak to me. Her eyes speak for her. She looks so fucking fragile and broken. I don't know how to help her. I want to kill everyone in the room just to get to her. I want to pick her up and take her out of here. But I know that if I did, I would never get her back. I can't help the rage I feel. They would take her and since there are only three of us here, we have no chance of winning this. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, they would kill us, leaving Luna unprotected.

She is staring down at the floor until she looks up directly into my eyes. I can see her sadness and the fear in her eyes. She can see my anger, my shame, and my love. I want to hold her and protect her, but I know that is the last thing I can do for her right now. The only thing I can do is stand strong and show that I am still here for her. I haven’t given up. The pain is clear in her eyes. I know she is hurting and I hate it.

She looks so weak standing there with her father beside her. Even though she looks radiant, I can still see the abuse that mars her skin beneath the makeup. I see it in her eyes. I can feel it in my bones. I know she has no choice but to marry him, and I know what that means. It means rape, abuse, and pain. She is going to be tortured. I am going to have to watch that happen to her from afar unless I can save her. I will never let it continue. I will take him out myself if I have to.

I will kill him and anyone who stands in my way. We haven't been able to figure out where they are headed after this, but we will. Once we do, there is nothing and no one that will keep me from her. Not even her father. I will fight for her. She will never be free of me. She belongs to me and she always will. She looks down at the floor again and then up at Salvatore. She is visibly shaking in fear. She can't hold out for much longer. She is trying her best, but he will break her in the end. I know it. He is a sick bastard.

I see her eyes go wide and an evil smile appears on Salvatore's face. I feel like I've missed something. I look at Demetrius and the look on his face is grim. Falkner looks just as grim.

She steps up to him, and they stand in front of the priest. It takes everything in me to not jump up and go to her. Salvatore places her hand in his and smiles at her. She looks away and keeps her head down. I can tell she is terrified. I can feel it and judging by the crowd, most of them see it as well. It’s an odd day when you see Mafioso look uncomfortable.

"Do you take this woman to be your wife? To love and to honor? Until death do you part?"

"I do."

It's quiet. Too quiet. I can hear the priest talking, but I cannot focus on it. I don't want to hear this. I don't want to hear the words that he is forcing her to say.

"Do you take this man to be your husband? To love and to honor? Until death do you part?"

The entire room is silent.

"I do ..."

The entire room can tell she wants to add to the answer, but I see Salvatore's hand grip her so hard her knuckles turn white. We all hear her gasp at the pain.

"Do you take this man to be your husband? To love and to honor? Until death do you part?" the priest asks again.

"I do,"

"You may kiss the bride."

He leans forward and kisses her lips, and everyone applauds. I see her body tense up. Her hands are shaking so much that she drops the bouquet she is holding. She just stands there staring at the flowers as if she can't believe she is married to him. I see a tear roll down her cheek.

The crowd claps, while some men laugh. Suddenly, he forcefully grabs her arm and pulls her towards the door. The men in the room make way for them, and as the door opens, Salvatore continues to yank her. Unfortunately, she loses her balance and falls, but he shows no concern and doesn’t stop to assist her. With a tight grip on her arm, he drags her down the aisle and out the door. The room falls into a heavy silence, and many onlookers, especially the wives and daughters, avert their gaze. I cannot stand by and watch. I must intervene and rescue her. I refuse to let this become her life.

"Come on, Vlad. We need to leave." Demetrius says as he turns towards the door.

He looks at Falkner and the two of them follow them out of the chapel. I wait a few seconds before I follow Demetrius. I have to get myself under control. I want to kill everyone in here for allowing this archaic shit to happen. We need to get back to his place. I have to figure out where they are going. I HAVE to save her.

Chapter 26

Rose

Heyankedmeoutof the church and into a waiting car while I stumbled behind him, trying to regain my footing. I hate this man and now I am Mrs. Salvatore Rossi. God, this is awful. I’m his wife now. Just the thought brings tears to my eyes. I could see the shame and guilt in Demetrius' eyes. I know he wants to help me, but he can't. Not without declaring war. The horror and anger on Vlad's face as he yanked me out of the church was enough to make me just look at the floor and pray I didn’t fall. I fully believe he would have drug me across the floor.

Salvatore yanks me into the back of the SUV and I fall into the seat. He looks down at me with a cruel smile, grabs my chin, and forces me to look up at him.

"I can't wait for you to give you your surprise, baby," He whispers as he runs his tongue up the side of my face, causing me to shiver in disgust. "I will teach you how to fuck properly."

I feel bile rising in my throat. I look at him and spit in his face. He slaps me so hard my head jerks back into the seat. At least I know what to look forward to as far as he goes. The surprise is his cock, I'm sure. Fuck. I really hope he doesn't get excited about this. It's not like I haven't seen it before. He is smaller than Vlad, but still large enough to make it hurt.

"That wasn't very nice, Rose. You need to learn how to treat me better. You should show your husband some respect."

I can't help the laughter that escapes my lips.

"I'm not your wife. A wife isn't treated the way you have treated me. You are a monster."

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