Page 25 of His Cursed Heart

"Who says I am?"

"Me."

"And you think you have control over me?" This woman.

"I don't. But you don't like parties." She doesn't like people in general.

"I am here to celebrate my last days as a single woman. I can do whatever I want." And she leaves me standing alone on the dance floor.

I go after her and wrap my hand around her middle. She fits perfectly in my arms and yet I want to strangle her.

I feel her body stiffen at my touch and I press my finger deeper in her skin.

"Watch your words, uccellino. You know I'll love to shut your mouth, but you're not gonna like it." I whisper in her ear.

She turns quickly in my arms and suddenly I feel her hands on my chin and her fingers on my cheeks, digging her nails in them until they break into my skin.

"I don't know how many times I should repeat this to your little brain, but if you call me 'uccellino' one more time, I'll make sure you're a dead groom in the church." I see a flicker of hurt invading her eyes and that makes my arm let go of her waist.

We stare into each other's eyes and it feels like we're having an interior battle.

"Ah, the happy couple is here!" Allan's voice cut our eye contact. "It was such a great idea to combine your parties, wasn't it?"

"The greatest." Althea murmurs, rolling her eyes.

Before I have the chance to beat Allan up, my phone starts vibrating in my pocket.

Orion's name makes my mood change and Allan sees the text too with a simple:

Orion: Now.

"Don't you dare move from this place, Althea." I say in a serious tone.

She looks at me with a frown, but for the first time since I met her, she nods.

"If you want to go home talk with Ivan. He'll stay with the two of you." Althea nods again.

Allan and I turn and go to the door that separates the club from the mafia rooms, and I feel Althea's gaze watching me.

I open the door and I give her a wink before closing it.

Let the fun begin.

Fred’s prayers are heard even outside of the room.

Black walls lead us to where Arius is doing goddamn what to him. It’s the first time I’ll ever meet him in person, and for fuck’s sake, I’m pretty nervous.

Arius Novak doesn’t like to be around people so that’s why he always works behind computers.

Me and Allan arrive at the room and a masked bodyguard nods in respect when he sees me, and then he opens the door for us.

He’s one of the Empress’s bodyguards.

When the Empress appeared for the first time decades ago, she created a whole new army with loyal men. Masked bodyguards that would die for her.

We enter the dark room which is lit only by a single light bulb in the middle of the ceiling. Fred is in the middle of the room on his knees, naked, whimpering like a baby, while Orion is behind him with his eyes on everyone.

And Arius Novak is in front of Fred, tall as a mountain and dressed in a black suit. His dark hair is messy and the black masks with big pink X’s as eyes

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