ADELINE

 

I'M DREAMING A wonderful dream of Lucien.  I'm curled up against his chest, and he's murmuring sweet nothings to me, which warm me down to my very soul.

"I missed you," I tell him.

"I missed you too," he whispers.

His hand softly strokes my hair, and I purr, nestling closer to the warmth of his suit jacket.  It feels so real.  My eyes flutter, but I don't want to wake up.  I want this dream to last forever.

"Lucien," I whisper, still in a twilight state between dream and reality.

But I'm instantly snapped out of it when powerful fingers clamp around my jaw, squeezing until I'm whimpering and crying out in pain.  My eyes pop open, and I meet the eyes of the devil himself — Giovanni.

"I don't want to hear his name come out of your mouth ever again!" he roars, his voice booming in the back of the limousine.  "He's dead.  Do you hear me?  I killed him, and he's fucking dead.  He's never coming back!"

His words are so harsh that they cut straight through me like a sharp butcher knife.  I jerk out of his grip and move to the opposite side of the bench seat, quietly sobbing and rubbing my sore jaw, which is no doubt bruised.

I can practically feel Gio seething next to me.  I can't believe I curled up to him in my sleep.  Shaking my head, I vow to never let my guard down around him ever again.

"We're almost home," Gio says in a much calmer tone, and he actually sounds…happy.

His mood swings remind me of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  And that makes him even more dangerous since I never know which personality is going to come out or when.

This is not the same man who took care of me when I was sick as a child, who read me bedtime stories of castles and princesses and knights in faraway lands or the man who taught me how to drive when I grew older and who promised to take care of me always.

I don't know this man.  This man is nothing but a stranger.

A few minutes later, the limo is pulling up to an unfamiliar place.  There is a large, metal gate with a surrounding fence and even a guard shack.

I peer out the window at the armed guard as he speaks to the driver of the limo.  With a nod of his head, the guard presses a button, and the gate begins to open.

Looking out the back window as we drive up what looks like a very long driveway, I watch the gate close behind us, effectively shutting us into this prison.

Every few feet I see guards patrolling the expansive grounds, and my hope of escaping begins to dwindle little by little.

Even if I would make it past the guards, how would I be able to climb a fifty-foot fence?

Wringing my hands in my lap, my heart thumps erratically as the limo stops in a circular driveway and parks near a set of steps leading up to a place I cannot see.

Giovanni steps out of the limo, and I stay seated, breathing deeply in through my nose and out my mouth, trying to calm my frantic heartbeat.

My door suddenly opens, and Gio is there with his hand extended.  Ignoring the gesture, I get out by myself, pushing my way past him.  But he quickly grabs my arm in a bruising grip and hauls me back towards him.  "Don't disobey me, Adeline," he hisses in my ear.  "You won't like the fucking consequences."

I glare up at him, wanting him to see my defiance and wanting him to know I'm not the naïve little girl he sold all those months ago.

After several seconds of an intense stare down, Gio relinquishes his glare and forces me to walk beside him towards the staircase.

I gasp at the immense size of the manor we're walking into.  The front is like a sea of tinted windows overlooking the vast property.  And the opulent foyer we walk into with a grand staircase and glittering chandelier overhead has me turning my head this way and that to take everything in.

"Who owns this place?" I ask Giovanni, curiosity getting the better of me.

"Your father did.  He used to entertain his most valued guests here," he tells me.  "And now it's ours."  His eyes meet mine as he says, "Welcome home."

Home.

There's that word again that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

People dressed in similar black and white attire appear out of nowhere, and Gio is quick to spout off instructions to them.  "And show Adeline to her room, please.  She's had a long day, and I'm sure she wants to get some rest."

I glare at him as I'm carted upstairs by two men.  They deposit me into a large bedroom on the second floor and lock the door after they leave.

I rush to the window and see that it's sealed shut.  Not just that, but the glass is very thick and looks like it's shatterproof…maybe even bulletproof.  This place is like a fortress, and I'm just another prisoner…again.

Sulking, I slide down to the floor and curl up into a ball.  I don't know what will become of me here, but I don't know if I can survive this without Lucien.

My heart aches for him as I sob against the plush carpet.  Just as a fresh wave of tears stream down my face, I notice that my watch is glowing in the darkness.

But instead of the date, time and other usual data…there are four words.

I'm coming for you.