Antonio
Feeling her warm skin against mine, the sound of her rapid breathing, being buried inside her—this was my heaven. She was my angel, the only being in the entire fucking world I didn’t want to be without.
After killing the Watson fucker, I rushed home with the beast in me clawing against every bone in my body. He wanted her. He wanted our angel.
Killing for her. Spilling blood for her. It was the highest high I had ever experienced. And I wanted her to feel this exact same high. I wanted her to be strong enough to take the justice owed to her in her own hands, which was the main reason I embarked on this journey. Slowly, I coaxed her out of the fragile shell she hid behind. Little by little, I lured her out, tempting her with every taste of revenge I fed her.
No one knew what she needed like I did. And she needed this. She needed to extract every ounce of atonement out of everyone who had ever done her wrong. It was the only way for her to let go. And now…she was finally ready.
I eased her down, flinching as I pulled my cock out of her warm body. She stared up at me from under dark lashes, her eyes heavy and hooded. “You killed for me.”
I weaved my fingers through her hair, wrapping them around the back of her neck. “My dear Doe,” I searched her face, her eyes, her lips, her flushed cheeks, “there is no amount of blood I won’t spill for you. I’ll gladly pave my own fucking way to hell with the ashes of those who dare to do you harm.”
A soft gasp rolled over her red, swollen lips. “Why? Why would you do that for me?”
Without fucking blinking, I kissed her. My greedy tongue forced its way into her mouth, craving her taste. I pressed harder, our teeth crashing and breaths gasping.
I pulled back, licking my lips, wanting to savor every ounce of her taste, and kept my gaze on her while her eyes remained closed.
Gently, I touched her chin. “Rule number one, Doe.”
She looked up at me.
“That’s my girl.”
The apples of her cheeks turned the most beautiful shade of pink, and I brushed my thumb across her jaw. “I will steal for you. I will kill for you. I will burn in hell for you…why?” I kissed her softly one more time then leaned my head against hers. “Because I love you.”
She stilled, her beautiful brown eyes focused on mine, disbelief painted across her face. “You…you love me?”
“I do. I love you so much, it consumes me to a point where I don’t know how to fucking breathe right.”
Her teeth grazed across her bottom lip. “No one has ever loved me before.”
“And no one will love you after.” I palmed her cheeks, forcing her to keep her gaze on mine. “Because there’s no way in hell I’d let anyone get that close to you.”
With a sweep of my finger, I brushed her hair back to reveal her mutilated ear. For a moment, I stared at her skin, thinking about what lay hidden underneath. It was time to take care of that.
I took a step back. “Come shower with me, then you need to get some rest. Tomorrow, it begins.”
“What begins tomorrow?”
I placed my thumb on her bottom lip, excitement crackling through my spine. “Your journey toward being able to do what you’ve been born to do. Rule.”
All these weeks of preparation, manipulating her to break out of her shell, and finally it was time for us to put this plan in motion. My Doe was ready. She was ready to become the queen I knew she was meant to be. After all this was done, she would be the one standing on the ashes of those who destroyed the ten-year-old Alessia.
After our shower and getting into bed, Doe fell asleep within minutes. I, however, was unable to close my eyes. All I thought about was her, the woman sleeping so peacefully in my arms. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to make sure she was as strong as she needed to be. Somewhere between finding her at Boston Harbor that night and falling in love with her, I stopped being the selfish bastard I had always been. Even though I would have loved nothing more than to be the one who would skin Vadik alive, little by little, until he eventually screamed himself to death, the revenge was hers to take. Not mine.
The next morning, I stood beside the bed staring down at the angel half covered with the black silk sheets. Her beautifully flawless skin enticed the fuck out of me. The dark curls splayed over the pillows begged to be fisted, pulled, and yanked while her body accepted the brutal pleasure my cock fucked into her. But unfortunately, my barbaric fuckery had to wait…for now.
“Doe.” I sat beside her, tracing my knuckles down the side of her face. “Wake up.”
She stirred, the most beautiful sounds coming from her lips.
“Wake up. There’s much to do today.”
Dark lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. She smiled while her sleepy gaze swept over me. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear a t-shirt and tracksuit pants.”
“Come on.” I grabbed her arm and hoisted her up and out of bed. “Get dressed. And even though I love the little dresses you wear, I picked out something a little more comfortable for what we’re about to do today.”
She eyed the black tracksuit pants and pink shirt I laid out on the bed for her. “What are we going to do?”
“You’ll see.”
Doe wasn’t like other women. She took less than ten minutes to get ready. Obviously, it was expected that a woman like her, who had lacked the necessary resources for the everyday grooming routine of a normal female, to not care about make-up and all the superficial crap that went with it. Of course, Karina had supplied everything Doe would ever need—and more—in order to pamper and paint herself into one of those artificial porcelain dolls. But Doe had yet to use it. It didn’t seem like something she cared for, and I liked that. I liked the fact that she didn’t have the need to hide behind a shitload of layers.
After breakfast, we walked outside, the yellow Renegade quad bike ready and waiting for us. Doe frowned when she glanced from the bike to me, confusion causing creases on her forehead.
I smiled then shrugged. “This is one huge-ass estate, and these babies are the best mode of transportation to get around.”
I knew she’d be nervous, so I grabbed her hand and led the way. Like the good girl she was, she let me guide her as she climbed on behind me. “Don’t let go,” I said over my shoulder.
She tightened her hold around my waist. “I don’t think I can even if I wanted to.”
The second I started the bike, she tightened her grip. It only took a few seconds of feeling the morning air against her skin and the wind blowing through her hair for her to relax. I wasn’t even halfway to the other side of the estate before she loosened her hold around me a little.
“This is amazing,” she shouted over the noise of the engine.
I smiled, making a mental note that once all this shit with Vadik was over, I was going to get her her own damn quad. His and hers. Good God, I was turning into a pussy-whipped dork.
We pulled up to the barn house, and Doe stared at the building as she stepped off the bike. “I didn’t even know this was here.”
“How could you? It’s hidden pretty well. No one besides the family knows it’s even here.”
She looked at me. “Why is it so well hidden?”
“You’ll see.”
I could sense she was nervous. And why wouldn’t she be? I was giving her nothing, not even the simplest hint of what we were about to do.
“Don’t be nervous,” I said as I unlocked the door and guided her inside.
“I’m not nervous.”
I cocked a brow. “Liar.”
Inside, it seemed like a simple barn house. Leather couches, a long dining table in the middle of the open-plan building, and of course, a bar. But the real story behind the supposed barn house? This was where we gathered with all our associates and allies, discussing business away from the main house where too many ears roamed the halls. This was the place where the most important decisions were made. The place where we didn’t have to hide our true colors.
I glanced at the seat at the head of the table. We hadn’t used the barn house since Dad died. It just didn’t feel right, and I wasn’t ready to sit in his seat, taking his place.
Suddenly, I missed my brother. I missed Dante being by my side, but I knew the best place for him right now was with his family. Again, it seemed like the selfish asshole in me decided to take a back seat.
“Why are we here, Antonio?”
Doe’s voice pulled me back, forcing me to shake the feeling of nostalgia as I took in the oaky scent of the building.
I turned to face her. “We’re here so you can learn.”
Nervously, she took her hair in her hand and pulled it down her left shoulder. “What am I going to learn?”
My gaze remained fixed on her, my face stone. “You’re going to learn how to kill.”