Page 1 of Isaia

Prologue

ISAIA

The wails of sirens creep closer, muffled by the thick stone walls of the church. My men move in a controlled chaos around us, guns drawn, sharp orders cutting through the air.

None of it touches me.

My focus is only on her. On the way her body shakes, on the way her lips tremble but no sound comes out.

“Breathe, Everly.” I tighten my grip around her waist as I drag her out of the church.

His blood stains the white fabric of her wedding dress, and the sight of it—her, wrapped in ruin—sparks something feral inside me.

It’s fucking beautiful.

There’s not a single bone in my body that’s not thrilled by the brutal, savage display of my claim.

Her hands tremble as blood drips in slow, glistening drops, her breath hitching like it might stop completely.

“What have you done, Isaia?” Her lips tremble.

I don’t answer her. Not with words.

Instead, I hold her tighter, my fingers curling into the torn lace of her ruined dress. My grip is firm, unyielding, and I tilt her chin so she’s forced to meet my eyes.

Whatever she’s looking for in my face—remorse, regret—she won’t find it. Because I have none.

“I did what I had to do,” I tell her. “And I’d do it again. I’d do it a million fucking times over.”

She flinches, her tears carving rivers down her cheeks, but I don’t let her look away.

“I warned you.” My words are flat, devoid of emotion. “I told you I’m not a good man. And you can hate me as much as you fucking want, but right now I just need you to walk.”

She stumbles slightly, and my grip tightens. I feel her resistance, faint but there, like a thread I could snap with a thought.

“Please,” she pleads, but her voice barely reaches me.

I don’t answer. I just keep her against me, refusing to let go. Because she’s mine.

The shadows outside beckon, swallowing the faint glow of the chandeliers and colored glass windows. The church pews are covered in blood, the altar cloth stained by death, the symbol of an obsession that blurred the line between devotion and damnation.

Screams, sobs, and sirens meld into a single cacophony behind us.

It’s chaos. Mayhem.

It’s me.

“Isaia,” she whispers. “Please.”

But I keep walking.

Because this is who I am. The monster she tethered herself to.

And even if she hates me for it…I’ll burn the world to keep her.

Chapter 1

ISAIA

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