Page 10 of Sweet Nightmares
Jane inhaled sharply, more tears meeting the first one. But even as she cried, she wouldn’t let him, or anyone, break her. She rolled her shoulders back and met his gaze.
He smiled at her resolve. “You’re going to be so much fun.” He stroked her jaw with his thumb. “You don’t break.”
“No, I don’t.”
He waggled an eyebrow. “Good. Do you understand what you are agreeing to?” he asked gently.
Jane nodded. “Yes.”
He lit up like a thousand beeswax candles. “Then the deal is set. You will have an unending supply of riches in exchange for being my bride and anchor, and you will obey my every command.”
“Yes,” she said harshly.
“Then we seal it as all weddings do, with a kiss.” And before she could respond or protest, he cupped her face, tipped her head back, and touched his lips to hers.
The kiss was gentle and sweet. Barely any pressure at all, like he didn’t want to intrude. It was respectful.
From his lips, magic poured out and into her, seeping into every ounce of her bloodstream. Coating her. Claiming her. Changing her.
Externally nothing looked different, but inside, she felt his bond, his control. Like he was now a part of her, welding them together forever. It was an unbreakable bond that not even death could break.
His lips left her swiftly, but his hand reached out and clutched hers. He turned it over and placed a metal object in her palm.
It was a ring, and she gasped when she saw it—a rare, ancient red diamond ring. But it wasn’t just any ring. “Is this the Heart Diamond?”
Nightmare raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”
“But it’s been missing for thousands of—” She stopped mid-sentence, remembering who and what he was.
“Keep it on you always.”
The command physically washed over her, her blood spiking with heat. Even if she didn’t want to, Jane had to do what he said.
She’d have to do what he said for the rest of her life, and he could ask for anything.
Anything.
She’d traded one monster for something far, far worse. She should have just let the gang kill her.
“Well, bride,”—he stroked her face—“I am going to have such fun with you… Until you break.”
“Nothing can break me.” She sucked in an icy breath. “Not even you.”
“Then I will enjoy trying.”
Chapter Four
Age 21.
“Dinner,” he commanded, turning on his heel and expecting her to follow. And as if her shoes were tied to strings which were latched to him, she was forced to walk in his shadow.
Her heart pounded in her chest, defiant, resistant, but her footfalls were light and cooperative.
As they walked, Jane took in his domain. It was a gothic-style mansion harking back to the Middle Ages, except it wasn’t just any castle. It was alive, the walls whispering and watching. Invisible eyes followed her as she moved, and she felt them on her skin like a haunted caress. A shiver ran up her spine.
The rooms they passed were not typical. They were like portals to other dimensions. One room shone with the moon’s light, another was covered in dancing shadows, and a third was simply empty save for the rotting wood of the walls and floor.
But the room that caught her eye the most was a ballroom made from briars. It had likely once been a magical, lush forest, but it was now a vacant, twisted, and cursed place.
