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Kicking the door open, I ignore the opulence of the room, throwing her onto the king-sized bed with a dozen throw pillows piled onto it.

For the rest of the night, we fuck like there was no tomorrow, and there wasn’t, because I had only promised myself this one night. All I wanted was to pull this woman—whose name I didn’t even know—into my arms and fall asleep tangled together.

But, of course, I didn’t. Instead, I reluctantly slip out of bed, quietly getting dressed and taking care not to make a sound that might wake her.

It was only as I was getting back on my sled and peeling out of the quiet neighborhood under the cover of darkness that I had fucked her without a fucking rubber. Her taste still fresh on my lips, I rode away like a man possessed, cursing myself all the way back to my hotel room. I wasn’t looking for any romantic entanglements after the disastrous relationship with Mariah, so It was essential for me to erase the raven-haired beauty from my memory. No matter how hard that was going to be.

CHAPTER ONE

Seraphina – 6 weeks later

Breathing deeply, I fix my eyes on the graffiti-clad, rundown warehouse, its gritty atmosphere making me question why I was here. Nerves jangle inside me as I slide out of the passenger seat of the blacked-out limousine, ignoring Angelo’s, my stepbrother’s outstretched hand, as Amelia, my best friend, follows behind me.

Ignoring the way his lips thinned with irritation, I stride past him and link arms with Amelia. Together, we make our way into the packed warehouse where the fight will take place.

Ever since I can remember, I have always hated him. As a child, when he and his mother had moved into my childhood home after his mother had married my father, not even six months after the death of my beautiful mother in a car accident. Even at five years old, I knew there was something just not right about the strange ten-year-old boy. Just how not right, I found out not long after.

He would take great joy out of people’s and animals’ misery. I’d caught him one day torturing the neighbor’s cat, and he’d threaten me if I told anyone he would kill Tinsley, my best friend from school.

So, like the scared little girl I was, I ran away from him. But that only made his interest in me all the more terrifying, as he would focus all his attention on me, bullying me mercilessly.

There was no point in telling my father, because he believed the sun rose and set with Angelo, and I was just a stupid little girl. The bullying then turned to something dark and twisted on the day of my sixteenth birthday, when he stole into my bedroom at night, always using the threat he’d hurt Chloe,my pet dog I got for my birthday the year before, if I didn’t do what he said.

I’d hoped they were all empty threats, but when I found Chloe dead from poisoning, I knew he had a hand in it. Even though I was desperate to leave and get as far away from him as I could, his constant threats of harm to the people effectively breaking me down, and reluctantly I stayed. But he made one concession, allowing me to live on the estate in the pool house. At least he’d left me alone there.

And here I was, a grown ass woman now, and he’s still using threats to get to me. He warned me that if I didn’t show up to the fight on his arm, he’d do something to Amelia. I hated the asshole, and so many times I’d wished him dead. But in front of everyone, he was the sweet, amenable big brother I always wished I had. And that’s why Amelia was here as well. I had tried to tell her she didn’t need to com, but she demanded I take her with me. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with Angelo.

She had no idea what he was really like, and even though I’d warned her not to catch feelings, it was too late. She was completely smitten with him, her heart already lost.

I came here because I was forced by him. I wasn’t here to support him, but to keep Amelia, my best friend, safe. The unfortunate thing being she had always had a soft spot for Angelo, and her crush grew year by year until she became deaf to my warnings. I never told her what he did to me, I doubt she would even believe me. But even though we’d been on the outs for a while now, I still had this urge to protect her.

He shaped himself in my father’s image, becoming a monster, just like him. The older I got, the more I was sure my father had something to do with my mother’s car accident. When I was younger, I’d heard them arguing constantly, my mother threatening to leave and take me with her. His response was, ifshe did, he would kill her. Of course, I could never prove it, but deep in my heart, I knew it to be true.

The warehouse where the fight was going to take place was already full of people, ensuring for now I would be safe from him. From the outside, we appeared to be a picture-perfect couple, a wealthy socialite and her handsome partner, radiating a sense of effortless luxury. The mere thought of it made me shudder, a wave of disgust washing over me. After all, I'd always had to put up with rumors about our relationship, which Angelo never clarified with the hungry for salacious gossip, press.

I had a forced smile pinned to my face, and internally wished I was anywhere but here. He wanted me here for appearances’ sake. To avoid scandal, and most of all, his wrath, I agreed.

Quickly scanning my surroundings, the way I was raised instilled in me the habit of searching for anything that could pose a threat. My eyes turn to my best friend, Amelia, who was practically brimming with excitement. It wasn’t because she was a fan of underground fighting. It was because she was here with Angelo. It terrifies me how much she was head over heels for the guy.

As we enter, the air was heavy with the acrid smell of sweat and anticipation, making me turn up my nose, but I force myself to calm down as the sound of pounding music reverberates around the space, making the floor vibrate beneath my feet. Yet again, I wonder just what the hell I was doing here, since Angelo never forced me to come to any of these events before, and none of it was my scene. But I suppress those feelings and continue on.

Tonight was apparently the debut of a new opponent for one of Angelo’s mainstay fighters. An opponent I knew nothing about, since I’m really not into the whole ‘hit 'em until blood spurts everywhere and they stay down’ sort of thing. But I’m not into all the threats of violence and death Angelo has going on either,hence why I was here. I just hoped that this would be the last time.

But who was I kidding, because I doubted he would let me off the hook so easily. I was just hoping to be in and out quickly. Be seen by the paparazzi and leave. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t to be. Angelo was the owner of this fine establishment.

The Killer was in the top five of all underground cage fighters, and as yet no one had been able to best him.

I know all this because my best friend Amelia had told me.

Something she had learned from Angelo, since she’s mostly on his arm at these things.

I close my eyes as a sudden wave of nausea hits, and I curse myself for being weak, where Angelo was concerned, not staying home instead. But he had insisted I come along, and when he insists, you do as he says. I couldn’t wait for the day that I was able to get free from under his thumb and run as far away from him and his controlling ways as humanly possible.

At least he allowed me my own place, even if it was on the same property, it was somewhere I could escape, lock myself away and keep the boogeyman out.

I’ve noticed how much Amelia has changed, her obsession growing where it was constantly Angelo this, and Angelo that. She has been spending more and more time with him, and I didn’t like it. It seems his influence has been rubbing off on her.

But at least he kept away from me, which is a terrible thing to be thinking. But it was true. If my best friend couldn’t keep away from the man I had warned her about countless times, who was I to stop her?

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