Page 36 of Savage Heart

All I want is to be as far away from here as possible with Alaric.

People mill about the room talking and laughing. They have no idea what's going on. They have no idea that tonight I'm going to be sold to the highest bidder because my brother feels nothing for me other than what I'm worth to him.

I take my position next to Lucius, and he glances over at me as if to say I'm doing well and I'm behaving as he expects me to. I force a smile that will remain plastered on my face until I can leave this villa. I don't have any other choice.

Slyly, I scan the room for any sign of Alaric, unsure where he's disappeared to but hoping that at any moment he will do something to get me out of here.

Lucius softly slides his hand around my waist in a sign of pure ownership for the men standing around him. As they talk, I notice this slight movement and acknowledge it with an appreciative gaze up him. At least that’s what I hope it looks like and not a death stare from a woman who can’t wait to be away from him.

He returns my gaze with one of his own that tells me he feels like some conquering hero claiming his prize. I am no one’s prize here. I will not be bought and paid for between men who aren’t much better than troglodytes.

I see Gideon over near the doorway to the terrace talking to a dark-haired man around his height. Dressed in a tux like every other man here, he cuts a dashing figure with his chiseled face and sharp gaze. Is that the hitman Alaric was talking about, the one whose daughter Lucius nearly killed? Is he waiting for his chance? I wish he wouldn't wait any longer get rid of this vicious creature who insists on touching me and keeping me pinned to his side.

I want to be free.

The room looks different now that I’ve spent a few moments of time alone with Lucius in his bedroom. His home is full of all the trappings of wealth, but it feels like something more is on display here. It isn't just that he has money. It's that he has power.

And he wears his power so everyone knows it.

I can't help but compare him to my father, who never looked like he had as much power as he did. He always looked like that dutiful civil servant, which is I how I imagine people assumed that he was never into all the horrible things he was actually doing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see my brother beaming a smile. I'm sure he's happy. The transaction is complete. As far as he's concerned, he probably thinks Lucius and I have already had sex.

So now it's just a matter of getting his payment. Fuck him. Before I leave Italy for the last time, I will make sure that my brother understands he made a mistake when he took me from my happy life.

“Lucius, when is the big day?” a man asks, and my attention is immediately focused on him.

I snap my head to look at the man and see he reminds me of my father, a little older than Lucius by a few years, if his gray hair and the wrinkles around his eyes are any indication. The guest eagerly waits for the answer to when our wedding will take place, and unlike most bridegrooms, Lucius never looks over at me as if to say, “When is the big day, sweetheart?”

Why should he, though? That's not what this is about, and everyone in this room knows it. So nobody waits for me to answer. Their attention is entirely focused on him, which is exactly as he wants it to be.

He doesn't seem to be very interested in actually naming a date, so he sidesteps the question, waving his hand with a flourish in the air and giving me a moment’s peace and reprieve from his touching me. “Soon enough. Soon enough, the Angeloni and Rossetti families will be joined.”

The man nods his head solemnly, as if those words are incredibly meaningful to him. “Sienna's father would have loved to have seen this finally taking place, God rest his soul.”

Another man with big eyes full of curiosity asks, “Are you looking to have children this time?”

Oh, God. Who asks that kind of thing at a party? I guess this man views me like everyone else here—merely as an attractive receptacle for Lucius Angeloni’s sperm.

“Lucius, it's never too late,” he says with a chuckle, as if reproducing is an amusing thing for this person.

My intended husband thinks the question is funny too because he throws his head back and laughs. It explodes out of his throat like it’s the most amusing thing he’s ever heard in his life.

“Children,” he says in a low voice tinged with a hint of disgust. “I don't know about that. The little woman here certainly looks like she can bear children, but perhaps we'll wait a little while.”

God, this man is vile. The little woman looks like she can bear children? Why is that? Do I have hips that indicate I’m fertile? What a pig he is.

My stomach turns at the thought of giving this man a child. He's twice my age to start with. We aren't in love, and I'm being held against my will. Why the hell would I be interested in giving him anything as precious as a child?

As Lucius and his guests coarsely talk about my future and potential reproductive abilities as if I'm not here, suddenly I sense the air around us begin to crackle with excitement. I can't put my finger on why, but it's almost as if everyone is making plans at this moment.

Lucius is talking about our future and children as if I have no say in it. I'm waiting for Alaric to show up. I know that other hitman is somewhere nearby. I see my brother practically salivating at the thought that all his dreams are going to come true tonight. It's like anticipation hangs thick in the air with everyone just waiting for something to happen.

I'm not sure what’s about to happen, but all I know is I’ve never felt so on edge in my life.

Alaric’s nowhere to be found, and I watch Gideon for any sign he's nearby, but I see nothing. He continues to speak to that man who I’ve now decided can’t be the hitman. Or maybe he is. I know nothing about being a hitman. Maybe it’s customary for them to walk around casually and act like an everyday, average person and then suddenly pull out a gun.

God, I hope somebody gives me fair warning because I'm standing right next to the man. Someone trained to kill wants to take out Lucius, and all I can think about is how to save myself if all hell breaks loose. Then again, if he or my brother wanted undying loyalty, they should have thought twice about kidnapping me and forcing me to accept a marriage I never wanted.

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