Page 6 of Wicked Vows
Is he disappointed I’m not the bride he was promised?
His mouth forms a tight line, his brows knit as he glances at his watch.Impatient.I make a mental note.He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.I take a shaky breath and push the door open with trembling fingers, like an obedient daughter.
My father clamps him on the shoulder.“You remember my middle daughter, Odette.”
“I remember her,” Nico says, giving my father a hard smile, but his gaze is trained on me.His words grip me, drawing me closer.
He remembers me.
My heart leaps to my throat.I can’t decide whether or not his remembering me is a good thing.
Nico moves toward me, closing the gap between us with slow, confident steps.My muscles tense.I’m the lamb in the sights of a lion, hoping his teeth are dull and I’m not his favorite prey.
“You’re much prettier than your sister,” he says when he is close enough to touch me.The warmth of his breath is a whisper, a caress against my ear as he leans down and kisses my cheek.
His cologne is earthy with a hint of spice and intoxicating.I’ve never smelled anything more alluring.
I force myself to meet his gaze, but looking into his dark orbs is like staring into an abyss.Murky and full of shadows.
Endless.
I could drown in his eyes.There’s something hypnotizing about them.The longer I stare into them, the more details I take in.His eyes aren’t black at all but a rich dark brown with some flecks of gold peppered in.
His mouth twitches as though he finds my attention amusing.
I should say something.Anything before he thinks I’m mute.
“I’ll learn to like you,” I promise.
He laughs, and so do my father and his men.
I think even the gargoyles are chuckling.
Nico pinches my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze once more.All humor wiped from his expression.
My heart beats faster and harder.
“I’ll do my best to be likeable,” he warns, and all I can think is what it will be like to kiss his powerful lips when I become his wife.
Chapter Three
Thenightskyseepsthrough the dining-room windows like a dark sea held back by the bulletproof glass.The black tide dances around the edges of the dining hall, flirting with the candlelight, stretching into creepy shadows that dance along the vaulted ceiling.I imagine them taking shape into something more sinister than black clouds.I picture them morphing into demons in the form of black snakes with shiny scales ready to drag me to hell as if I’m not already there.
This house reminds me of the creepy old houses the Scooby Gang would investigate in the cartoons I used to love.Lynette always said she was Daphne, and I was Velma but truthfully I wanted to be a Hex Girl.
Nico clears his throat, and I’m brought back to the meeting happening.
Before the wedding takes place, my father and Nico have to finalize the deal they are entering into.One of his men stands guard at the door.No one enters, and no one leaves until both parties are satisfied.
My parents play their parts across the table from me, smug smiles.Nico sits at the head of the table, a dominating force that commands the attention of everyone in his presence.Even my little sister, Gissette, can’t stop staring at him.Not that I can blame her.My husband to be is distractingly handsome.I shouldn’t care that he hasn’t looked at me since I took my seat.He’s like a puzzle that I’m missing the pieces to.I should look away, and yet, I want him to meet my gaze.I pretend to be interested in his conversation with my father.My appetite is lost to the stress of what the night will hold, but I force myself to take small polite bites of the cookies he offered.I haven’t eaten a thing and am worried I’ll have low blood sugar during the ceremony and do something tragically embarrassing like faint.
“I assure you, the Triads won’t be an issue,” Nico says, his voice filled with certainty.
My father nods.“That’s what I like to hear.”They continue to discuss business and territory.Things I have zero interest in.
“We wouldn’t trust her with just anyone, you know,” my mother gushes, fawning over her future son-in-law.Her laughter is too rehearsed and as fake as her acrylic nails.She reaches across the table to pat my hand, a gesture meant to control my reaction, not to comfort me.Unease tightens inside me, winding around my bones like coiled wire.Like snake about to swallow it’s next meal.
“I’ll treat her with care,” Nico replies.His gaze lands on me but doesn’t linger, as a sharp smile crosses his lips.A smile I wish I could read.
