Page 4 of Cinder
Or how much it is going to hurt.
The door opens and my half-brother steps inside my bedroom, bringing with him the same energy as an approaching shark attack.
Just the sight of him fills me with dread and fear and the deepest hate I have ever known.
Dressed in a black silk suit and a white shirt, his dark hair is slicked back off a handsome face that is reminiscent of our late father. But that’s as far as the comparison goes. My father was a powerful man with a temper, but he only had a gentle touch for his children. My brother doesn’t know such gentleness. Only brutality.
“I take it you have learned your lesson?” he says, pulling at the cuffs of his sleeves.
“You’ve locked me in this room for two days and for what? I did nothing wrong.”
His black gaze sears into mine. “You questioned me in front of my men. You need to learn to keep your mouth shut and to do as I say, or there will be consequences. Perhaps another two days is required.”
Since Luca took over our father’s empire, and without the protection of Santo and my father’s attorney who died recently in a car accident with another one of my father’s trusted men, I am easy pickings for Luca.
He crosses the room to where I am standing by the window, and I turn away from him to focus on the view.
Most days I can hide my true feelings behind a carefully secured mask of acquiescence. But after two days of being locked in this room, I can’t look at him without wanting to claw his eyes out, and I won’t be able to hide it. My disdain for him is so wild I can taste it on my lips.
“Have you forgotten we are at war?” he asks.
Sometimes I think it’s all in his head. But I get locked in my room so often, it’s hard to piece together what is happening anymore.
“What do you want, Luca?” I ask, returning my focus to the dying sunset and wishing it would take me with it below the horizon’s waters.
Anything would be better than living like this.
“It’s time for you to serve this family. It’s time for you to step into your birthright.”
His words make me nervous. “What are you talking about?”
“You need to contribute to the longevity of the Moretti name.”
When I turn to look at him, I see the gleeful twinkle in his eyes, and it makes me even more uneasy.
Because my brother likes to play games.
Cruel, torturous games.
He gets off on the evil he inflects on others.
When Luca’s eyes gleam you know he’s getting off on something.
And right now, his eyes are gleaming.
I swallow thickly, wondering what nightmare he has planned for me. “Which means?”
He smiles and it is cold. “It is time for you to get married.”
My eyes widen. “Married?”
Hearing the derision in my tone, his expression darkens and any minute I expect to feel the sting of his palm on my cheek. Thankfully it doesn’t come.
Because he’s enjoying torturing me in other ways.
“We need to strengthen our family alliances. Through various channels, I put out that the virgin Moretti bride is available for marriage.”
Fear tightens in my chest, squeezing my heart tight and catching the breath in my lungs.Various channelsmeans the dark corners of the underworld where my brother has ruled since our father’s death.
