Page 31 of Blood Lust

“Fuck,” I whispered as I considered staying in bed all day. A quick glance at the time told me it was likely Gabriel was gone. He usually was when I got up, since I didn’t have a damn alarm clock, nor did I have my phone.

Gabriel.

Gabriel De Luca.

Christ, why couldn’t he have simply been my Gabe? That man was funny, attentive, and sweet.

Gabriel De Luca was the devil reincarnate.

And I belonged to him for six months.

With a groan, I squeezed my legs together to ease the pulsing ache between them. How he did that to me when he wasn’t even around was a mystery. I hated that my body betrayed me at the simple thought of belonging to him.

Reluctantly, I rolled out of bed. That’s when I smelled the aroma of bacon cooking. My stomach growled, and I pressed my hand to it. I shoved my feet into my worn slippers and warily shuffled out to the kitchen.

I stopped short when I saw a woman cooking with a dark-haired boy clutching her shirt and looking up at her. When he noticed me standing there, he quickly darted between the woman and the stove.

“Charlie! Mind the stove!” she chided as she drew him out. Then she followed his gaze and smiled at me.

“Hello. You must be Alia. Gabriel told us we would be had a guest. Sorry I haven’t been here all week.” Her warm smile threw me for a loop, and horror swirled in my chest. It must’ve shown, because she tilted her head with a worried frown.

“Is he…. Are you…?” My attention dropped to the dark brown gaze of the little boy that seemed a bit too familiar. God, please tell me Gabriel hadn’t brought me into his home with hisfamily.Is that why he told me to stay away from the master wing. I was suddenly nauseous and raced back to the room I’d been shown to, where I proceeded to vomit in my toilet.

The man was even viler than I thought. He’d brought me, essentially his forced mistress, into his home where his wife and child resided. I was disgusted and sick. And this was my life for the next six months? Trying to get my stomach to settle, I rested my forehead on my arm that hugged the toilet seat.

So gross but so necessary.

“Miss Alia?” The woman spoke hesitantly from my bathroom doorway. Internally, I groaned at being caught in such a miserable and nasty position.

“I’m fine,” I croaked.

“Do you think you’re going to want breakfast, or should I make you a plate and put it in the refrigerator?” she softly asked.

The thought of food only made my already fragile stomach cramp.

“I’m good,” I moaned as I heaved again.

“I’ll see you when you come out. If you don’t, I’ll come back to check on you. Okay?”

God, why was she so kind? Was she crazy? Was I? Christ, was this the kind of life the mafia lived? I thought they kept any mistresses they might have in a separate location and away from their wives.

All I could do was nod. Words were too much. My brain was on the verge of exploding along with my stomach. Once I was fairly certain I was safe, I got up, took a quick shower, and crawled back in bed.

The cool sheets against my skin helped to settle my nerves and my stomach. Mentally exhausted, I dozed off.

A firm hand smoothed from my forehead to over the top of my head. In my half-awake state, I nuzzled into the comforting touch. Soft yet firm lips pressed to my temple. The weight of abody held the covers down and partially pinned me to the bed. Feeling constricted, I grumbled and tried to jerk them loose.

The chuckle followed by the covers being tucked around my bare shoulder pulled me further out of my now light slumber. As I blinked awake, I glanced around and realized I was alone. It made me wonder if I’d imagined someone being there or maybe I had dreamed it. Regardless, I definitely felt more relaxed and rested.

Until I felt like I was being watched.

It was a difficult feeling to describe, but I froze. In an effort not to give away that I was awake and also to hear better, I held my breath. There were soft sounds coming from out in the apartment, but my room was quiet. I rolled over, and a squeak escaped as I found myself staring into big, dark eyes that peeked over the top of the mattress.

Charlie.

“Hi,” I quietly greeted him. I’d never really been around a lot of little kids. I wasn’t exactly sure how to interact with him. “Is your mom here?”

He shook his head.

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