Page 101 of Seizing Control: Part One

“Neither are you,” he sneers.

I stumble toward him, off-balance on my too-high heels, determined to make him fight instead of run. Slash advances on me and takes hold of my throat. As he shakes me, fear flickers to life in my stomach. A churning nausea fills me when I spy the same madness in Slash’s eyes that I’ve discovered in Zeke’s many times—and Alex’s more than once.

Memories flood me.

I stiffen, my fight, flight, or flee response activated.

Slash chuckles at my distress.

A dark sound that spikes my adrenaline.

“Different but equal is bullshit, and you know it,” my husband flays me verbally. “He’s ditched you again, but I’m here. That makes me the better man by default. It’d do you good to wrap your head around that fact before he completely fuckin’ destroys you, and any chance we have at a future.”

I can’t find the words to tell him that he’s the one who’s going to destroy me.

His jealousy.

His ultimatum.

His inflexibility.

When Slash shoves me away from him, I stumble backward. Catching myself on the rocking chair before I fall to the floor, I bite down on my bottom lip to stop from crying. My husband leaves without another word, and as the small room fills with my side of the bridal party, I do my best to pull myself together. The women cluck at my dishevelment, correctly jumping to the assumption that Slash and I have been together. Sera calls for the makeup artist to come and fix my hair while the modiste fusses with my wrinkled dress.

I avoid looking at Crystal when she tries to catch my eye.

“I’m gonna burn him alive.” With a huff, Nadia takes hold of my chin and forces me to look at her. “What the fuck did he do to you?”

Her fury is a balm to my soul.

“He ruined us.”

“I’ll get my matches,” she retorts.

“Don’t bother,” I tell her. “All he did was beat Zeke to the punch... this was inevitable.”

“Fuckin’ men.”

My veil is pulled over my face, and I’m lead out of the smaller chantry to meet Uncle Duke and Uncle Cass at the entrance to the main chapel. They come to stand on each side of me as Nadia, Seraphina, Serena, Ziva, and Indi take hold of the arm of their assigned groomsmen, then lead the way, one by one, down the aisle. When it’s my turn to walk, I keep my chin up. I meet Slash’s gaze with a blank countenance when he lifts my veil after we’ve exchanged our vows for the second time this week.

In his ice-blue gaze, I spy his regret.

It makes my heart ache, but I refuse to soften for him.

If this marriage is to work, it’s imperative that we keep our emotions out of it.

The same goes for any interactions I have with Zeke.

Of course, as soon as I make that decision, the universe takes another shot at me.

“Venom has requested your presence at the lock-up,” Gabriel tells me once my husband and I have made it back up the aisle as Trinity-certified man and wife. “We need to leave now.”

Inclining my head to acknowledge his order, I plaster a smile on my face.

After fielding off a bunch of well-wishers, I follow the Adjudicator out to the SUV parked at the front entrance without offering my husband so much as a backward glance.

It’s nothing less than he deserves for his behaviour, yet I still feel guilty.

Settled into the back seat of Gabriel’s vehicle in my over-the-top wedding dress, I ignore the ache that jolts through me body every time we hit a bump in the road. My body is satiated but sullied. Overwhelmed yet drained. My brain is filled with recriminations and blame.

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