Page 2 of Always Yours

“Well, for one, where are we going to go? There isn’t anywhere we can hide that they won’t find us. Our parents have a far reach. You expect to leave all our family behind; our life?” I ask in shock.

“I will do anything if that means I can keep you safe. We have three years. We use that time to plan and save whatever money we can so that when we get away, we have the means to do so. We’ll have time to make fake IDs and everything. I’m not letting you become that man’s wife. In the meantime, he will try to think he can get his hands on you since you are to be married, so I think I need to start training you. Let’s go,” he says while pulling me up.

“Go where? This isn’t the end of the conversation, Nikolai. What you are saying is crazy,” I say, pulling us to a stop before we leave his room.

“You are my best friend. I’d like to think you would do the same if some psycho girl ever got her hands on me,” he says with a smirk.

“I would cut and gut the bitch who hurt you,” I say with a look of cold determination.

He nods his head like he expected that response from me.

“Exactly. I can’t let you out in the world by yourself. We are each other’s ride or die. Til the end. We do everything together,” he states.

“Alright, where are we training because your father isn’t going to hide that from mine, and there is no way that my father would let me learn such useless skills,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“We will go somewhere they always expect us to go so they don’t get suspicious. I’m sure Dawson will let us use a room to train and won’t say anything. Look, you know my brother Arturo has been the black sheep of the family for years. My father doesn’t know where he is, but Art gave me a way to contact him if I wanted out. He may be our chance,” he says.

I swallow hard and think about his words. He’s right. Arturo left years ago when I was just a little girl. He didn’t want to live this life after his girlfriend was killed. I didn’t blame him for leaving, and he could be the chance we need.

We both are silent and lost in our heads as we leave.

I follow him out the house to where my driver is still waiting for me. We ask him to take us to the local restaurant we like to frequent. It’s true that they won’t suspect anything since we come there to eat almost every day. The owner, Dawson, has a table on reserve just for us. Plus, Dawson has an apartment above the restaurant, so maybe that is where Nikolai is thinking we will train.

When we get there, we talk to Dawson who leads us upstairs. You would think this place would be dingy and small for an apartment above a restaurant, but it’s pretty spacious.

He has a room that already has mats in it where he trains, and I hear Nikolai ask if there’s a way he can order targets so that he can teach me how to use a knife.

All of it makes me nervous, but I know he’s right; these would be useful skills to have. Especially if we can’t find a way to get me out of this marriage.

There is no way I would want this marriage to happen either. I couldn’t imagine that man’s hands on me.

I have to do whatever it takes to get away. I know that will be the only way. I’d hate to leave my brothers, but I feel like I have no choice. I don’t want that kind of life for myself. If my father had told me to marry anyone else, it might be different.

The hard fact is that he didn’t. He wants me to marry a monster.

That will never happen.

~

I spent the week training with Nikolai. There was no school during the week for some holiday, and I was avoiding being home as best as I could. My house was a very tense place to be in. My brothers were pissed, and they only voiced that opinion to me and each other since no one really had the guts to talk back to my father. Even though we are his kids, there isn’t much he would tolerate from us.

We also knew better than to speak down to him in front of anyone else, so it was always best to keep our mouths shut.

I didn’t want to be around my mother or father. Thankfully, I only had to be around for supper, which was when everyone was expected to be there.

Today was the first day back at school which meant that I was going to see Matteo; my future husband if I didn’t find a way out of it.

By the look on his face when he saw me walk into the school, I could tell that his family had told him about their arrangement for us. He was smug, and his eyes held a desire that looked sick and cruel. I could tell that he could not wait to sink his teeth into me.

“Well, if it isn’t my future bride,” he says, leering at me.

“I’m not your anything right now,” I snap at him with my brothers and Nikolai backing up behind me.

“Not yet. One day though, you will be my wife and you won’t have these bodyguards behind you. You will be all mine behind closed doors. I’d watch what you say. I’d hate to make the wedding night... unpleasant,” he says with a wicked gleam emerging in his eyes while he finishes his last word.

I bite my tongue so that I don’t say what I really want to say back to him. I don’t want to give away that I would never be his bride or wife. Associating those words with him make me shiver in disgust.

“You will not lay one finger on her,” Enzo growls.