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However, it seems my father was determined to force me to think about a family. There’s no doubt in my mind he expected me to have children, and since he knew my views on women and matrimony, he took the decision out of my hands and ensured I would obey his wishes and marry. It rattles me, somewhat, that he’s still ruling my life from the grave.
I make my way down the hallway towards Brielle’s room. Her room is in my wing of the house, overlooking the university in the distance. Even though Black hollow is an island, it’s a vast expanse of land that allows us to enjoy our games.
I grew up in Calabria, and when my father agreed to allow me to come to the island, I couldn’t have been happier. I wanted to experience the reality of this life I grew up in, and I needed to know what my future entailed. When I first moved here at sixteen, I didn’t attend classes like the rest of the students, I had personal tutors until the time came for me to go to Black Hollow University.
I matured, I focused, and I found I enjoyed the danger that comes from his life. There was no doubt in my mind, this is where I needed to be.
As wealthy students, we could afford fast cars, and that gave us the opportunity to amuse ourselves by speed racing through the streets and up the high cliffs, only stopping short of falling over the edge.
Every Sunday we would convene in the centre of town, and like clockwork, every student, new and old, would arrive in their sleek sports cars. But I, along with my friends, would always win. It’s one of the reasons we became known as the Lawless Princes. We’d do anything to finish first.
The small town, sitting between the Venier manor and the university, provides accommodation for the faculty members and the security guards and enforcers who are here to ensure a mutiny doesn’t take place on the island.
And that’s where the fun came in for us. We loved the chase and being able to escape with a quick shift in gear. We still compete in the races, whenever we get the chance, but that’s not as often as we’d like.
I stop for a moment by the windows that overlook the garden and I’m close to where I know Brielle is in her bedroom. I take in my domain, as a king would his kingdom. The title is one I have never truly wanted because I didn’t need to be bowed down to, but over the years of being here, I’ve found my need to be King instead of a prince has grown. But I take the title of a Lawless Prince seriously. I don’t obey the rules, I certainly don’t listen to the law, and I make sure those who follow me are free to do as they please.
By the time I get to Brielle’s bedroom and push open the door, without knocking, I’m calm. But what I find inside the room knocks the breath from my lungs.
As I stand in the doorway, Brielle screams, shock painting her pretty face crimson, and her mouth pops into an O. Her eyes are wide as she glares daggers at me and demands, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
It’s not her words that have my blood heating, though, it’s her near naked body. She’s only wearing a pair of black lace panties, her one hand covering her ample tits, and her long legs are bare, showing off smooth, tanned skin.
“How long do you have, darling?” I ask her, dragging my gaze slowly from her feet to her eyes. With each inch I devour, I notice her visibly shiver.
“Get the fuck out!” Her screech is cute. And I step into the room and shutting the door behind me. “I said—”
“If you continue screaming at me, I’m going to bind you to the fucking window and ensure everyone on the property can see those perky tits,” I inform her coolly, twisting my cufflink between my fingers while imagining it was her peaked nipple.
“Fuck you, I’m not your property yet,” she spits her venom, causing a smile to tilt the corner of my mouth.
It’s been a long time since any woman has been brave enough to say something like that to me. Actually, most of them would fall to their knees in my presence, but Brielle is different. Trust my father to find someone fiery and defiant.
“I’m thrilled you saidyetbecause once there’s a ring on your finger and you’re bearing the Venier name, if you ever so much as utter a defiant word to me, I will take you across my knee,” I inform her, as I cross my arms and lean against the door.
“You’re a joke,” she throws back. “I’m here to study. You’re just a complication in my life.” Her voice lowers, and her tone turns sad. “My father should never have promised something that wasn’t his to give.”
Almost as if the fight leaves her, she pulls on an oversized tee, affording me a split-second peek at her perfect tits before her upper body to the top of her thighs is covered. I’m shocked to find I miss seeing the smooth skin that will most definitely feature in my fantasies when I’m alone.
“This life isn’t fair,” I tell her, thinking about my own future. I didn’t choose her, but she’s here, and I have to make the best of this situation my father threw me into. “Especially when you are a member of the familia. Choice is taken away from you and you’re no longer your own person.”
Brielle lifts her eyes. Those pretty gold orbs remind me so much of Emilio’s. I still can’t believe my father arranged for me to marry her. But looking at her long, flowing, chestnut locks, those soft, plump lips, and her watchful gaze, I don’t think it’s such a terrible deal.
“But I never wanted to be part of this life,” she insists. “My father took me away from it and raised me alone. He risked his life to save mine, yet I’m now being thrown back into the darkness without a safety net.”
Something inside me twists painfully, my chest tightens, knowing she’ll never have a normal life either. We’re nothing but slaves to our fate. And destiny is a frightful bitch. Serendipity and all that bullshit is nothing more than a lie. It’s not there to be good to us, it’s there to force us into lives we can never escape from.
“You’re part of us now. The Princes will never allow you to get hurt.”
I make her a promise I’ve never made to anyone outside my circle of friends. But it’s true. No matter how she came into our lives, I have a responsibility, and so do my brothers. We may be immoral, but we’re not out to hurt innocents.
“But don’t mistake our protection for kindness,” I tell her. “I still hate you.”
DANGEROUS STEPS
BRIELLE
I have seennone of the Princes all day. I spent most of my time in my bedroom, not wanting to take the chance I might bump into one of them. Judah instilled fear in my heart last night when he told me he hates me. Not that I should care, but I can’t stop my chest aching from the knowledge.
