He’s not holding my hand like the monster who nearly made me cry just moments ago.
Aiden’s grip is tight, but not dominating, and the heat from his palm is so intense that I hardly realize the significance of what is happening until I’ve already taken a dozen steps outside of my cage.
I’m out.
For the first time since I was brought here, I’m free from that red-bathed bedroom.
Though, I’d hardly call it true freedom. My cruel captor holds me close. I can’t allow myself to be fooled by the tenderness in his touch. Still, if I didn’t know any better, I might be fooled into thinking that he feels sorry for snapping at me back there.
Maybe Tara wasn’t so wrong after all. Maybe Aiden isn’t all monster…
But I can’t allow myself to think that. Not right now. He’s liable to switch back into a demon at any moment. If I let my guard down and he erupts, then it could mean the end of me. Not that I would be able to do much even if I was ready for his rage.
The inner turmoil that burns inside of me takes a back seat as I’m led down a staircase and towards a huge set of glass doors that look out onto a magnificent garden that’s bathed in beautiful white moonlight. At the foot of the glass doors are Maeve and Tara. The second they see us coming, they start in on the cat-calls.
Over the past few days, I’ve gotten to know the two women better. They’re much nicer and more accommodating than I was expecting. Still, their compliments feel out of place in this prison. A sharp contrast to all of Aiden’s harsh words and tear-downs. Behind closed doors, his cock may tell me that I’m beautiful, but his words rarely go that far.
“Oh my, what a pretty gown!” Maeve starts.
“It’s drop-dead fucking gorgeous,” Tara loudly corrects her, before suddenly toning it down.
Aiden has shot her a sharp look. Still, it doesn’t stop either lady from whispering some more praise as they hold the doors open for us.
“I’d tap that,” Tara giggles under her breath as our shoulders brush. I can’t help the silly smile that crosses my lips. Still, I push my mouth into my shoulder to hide it from Aiden. There’s no telling what will set off the monster in him.
We leave Maeve and Tara behind, venturing into the lush garden together. The freshness in the air gives me tingles. The sweet scents of the flowers make me swoon. And then, I see the large white table at the center of it all.
Tall candles and tiki torches surround the romantic scene. In the middle is a feast of all my favorite foods. If there’s one thing I can’t complain about through all of this, it’s the food. After not eating for the first bit, Meave and Tara started prodding me about what I actually like to eat. Eventually, I told them and they seemed to have little trouble in procuring the delicious delicacies. Those two are lifesavers. Really.
But they aren’t here as Aiden sits me down at one end of the table. When he takes his own seat at the other side, it’s just the two of us.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, looking around at the extravagant garden.
“I agree.” Aiden’s eyes don’t leave me.
The novelty of being finally let outside isn’t wearing off anytime soon, but now it’s joined by fear and sadness. I’m still trapped by a monster who’s liable to snap at any moment.
“I’m guessing you didn’t choose any of these flowers?” I tease, trying to fight off the dread with a little jostling.
“You’d be wrong. I chose every last one.”
That catches me by surprise. “Big fan of cherry blossoms, huh?” I say spotting one through the shrubbery.
“It was for my mother.”
For some reason, the thought of Aiden having a mother hits me like a fist to the chest. It’s never even crossed my mind. Who could have raised a man like this? Would she be a demon or a saint?
“Does she visit her cherry blossom tree often?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s dead.”
The gut punch is enough to draw the fresh air out of my lungs. Silence follows, before Aiden breaks it.
“Eat,” he orders.
Suddenly, the garden feels much darker and Aiden’s world becomes just a little bit more understandable.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“For what?”
“About your mother.”
Through the flickering candlelight, I can see Aiden’s nostrils flare as he takes in a deep breath.
“Move on,” he grumbles.
But I can’t. Suddenly, I’m thinking about my own mother. “My mom died when I was a toddler. Sometimes, I feel like I can remember her, but I know it’s probably all made up. Who can remember that far back?”
“I said, move on.” The anger in Aiden’s voice practically rattles the table. The suddenness of his rage shouldn’t shock me anymore, but it’s so violent that it’s impossible not to be affected.
“Ok…” I mumble.
“Eat.”
“… I’m not hungry.”
I’d been so preoccupied with the arrival of my clothes, that I hadn’t even thought to ask why dinner hadn’t arrived at its usual time. On another day, I’d be starving by this hour, but now heavy thoughts of our lost mothers weight on my mind and tight knots fill up my stomach.
“Fine,” Aiden grumbles, shifting in his seat. “Don’t eat. Go hungry. I didn’t bring you out here tonight to fill your stomach.”
When I look up from my empty plate, it’s obvious that he’s still angry. “Then why did you bring me out here?” I know it wasn’t out of mercy. Aiden’s shown himself to be incapable of that.
“Because it’s time to move this charade along.” Without much warning, Aiden pushes out of his chair and marches up to me. He doesn’t say another word as he slams a black box onto the table.
My breath hitches. It’s a sudden and brutal reminder of why I’m really here. To be his bride.
But then he opens up the little black box, and I’m blinded by the brilliance inside. The diamond ring is absolutely gorgeous. It sparkles with all the thought and care that any girl could ever ask for.
But only dread flows from its shine. Hot tears well behind my eyelids, fracturing the light reflecting off of the final chain of my captivity. This is real. Aiden wants this to be my life. Forever.
Suddenly, I have to know.
“Why?”
“Because we’re getting married.”
I shake my head. “No. Why are we getting married? Why do you hate my father so much? What did he do to you?”
It’s a question that Aiden clearly doesn’t want to answer. A heavy silence falls between us. “Put the ring on, Elisa.”
My skin pebbles. Aiden doesn’t use my name often. I’m always princess or little flower.
“Please, at least have the decency to tell me. It’s my life, after all.”
Now it’s Aiden’s turn to shake his head. “No, princess. It’s not your life anymore. It’s mine. And I don’t like repeating myself.” He shoves the open box closer to me.
“It’s incredible,” I say, not daring to touch it yet. When I do, that’s when I seal my fate—at least, until he forces me up on an altar.
“It would look better on your finger,” he grumbles. All I can do is watch as Aiden takes the ring in one hand, and my wrist in another, and forces the moment to happen despite my hesitation.
The brilliant diamond seems so out of place on my pale finger. “Why would you give me something so beautiful?” I rasp, the tears threatening to spill. “If this is all a charade. If I’m just a path for your revenge against my father. Why not just give me something bland? Something that shows just what you really think of me?”
“Because that’s part of the charade,” Aiden cruelly responds. “Don’t think that this ring means anything more than that, princess. It’s a tool, just as you are. And you will wear it as I say, or you will be punished. Understand?”
The jewel already feels heavy on my finger. It might as well weigh a thousand pounds. But as long as I’m under Aiden’s grip, it’s going to stay on.
Heat flushes into my cheeks at the memory of the last time I fought back against his wishes. He punished me alright. Under my gown, the raw flesh on my ass tingles. The marks may have faded, but I still feel his hands on me.
Like everything with Aiden, the spanking was all a contradiction. Pain and pleasure. Punishment and satisfaction. Hate and lust.
He finished the smacks with soft but searing kisses, not bothering to hide his hard cock as it pressed up against my legs. Just as he doesn’t bother to hide the hardness in his tone right now. He may have teased me with having a choice when he allowed me to choose my outfit, and he may have teased me with freedom by bringing me out here tonight. But as I look around, all I see are walls. The diamond ring is just the ball to my chains. I’m still his captive. His slave. His to do with as he pleases. Forever.
“Please tell me.” I risk punishment to press the issue. If I don’t, I know tonight will last an eternity. The dread won’t leave me as long as I have this ring on. I need to know why I’ve been forced into this.
Aiden turns his back to me and returns to his seat. Silence follows him, but eventually, he breaks it. “Your father took everything from me. He betrayed my family for nothing more than pure greed. And it shattered us in a way that we have never been able to recover from. He has to pay. I need to make him pay.”
My gaze drifts up to the mansion walls that rise over the lush garden. “How much could he have possibly taken? You still have everything anyone could ever ask for.” I stop, wondering if it’s worth going on. It is. Or I just can’t help myself. “That helicopter of yours wakes me up when it leaves. Your men stand guard at my door when I eat. You brought me here in a limo. You bought me for thirty million dollars! And it doesn’t seem to have made a dent in your pocket. The only difference in your life now is that you have me to torment. I may be naïve, Aiden Kilpatrick, but I’m no fool. My father was a very powerful man, and you stepped on him like he was a bug. Now, he’s hiding from you. Him! Ciro D’Ignoti! Whatever he took from you, it wasn’t enough. Not for what you’re doing to me!”
Aiden sneers in response. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he growls, slamming his fist down on the table. The cutlery shakes, but I’m not deterred. What do I have to lose anymore?
“Then tell me! Tell me why I’m really here! You clearly couldn’t care less about me. I’m an innocent caught in your evil game. Why punish me for my father’s sins? What will that really get you?”
“It will get me what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“Revenge.”
There’s no holding back the tears anymore. It’s all just so hopeless.
“What about what I want?” I whisper.
“I know what you want, princess.”
“No. You don’t.”
“Yes, I do. You want me. Your body betrays you. You want me to kiss you. You want me to fuck you. You want me to love you.”
“Liar!” I shout. “I want you to die! I want to be rid of this nightmare. I want to be free. I want to help myself and I want to help others. I want to cross the sea and be a nurse and mend the wounded and forget everything about this crummy fucking country!”
“Ah, the Ukraine. Why the hell was Ciro sending you there, you think?”
“Because unlike you, he isn’t a complete monster!”
“Wrong. He is far worse than me.”
I shake my head. “Impossible. I’m glad he escaped from you before you could do him any serious harm,” I rasp. “I only wish I could do the same.”
“He did not, and you will not.”
I wipe away a tear, as if that will help me hear what he just said any better. “What do you mean he didn’t escape? You lost him, you told me yourself!”
“The snake managed to slither out from under our grip for a few days, but he’s back under our control now. And I’m making sure that he’ll never get out again.”
My heavy heart drops so far into the darkness that I can barely even tell if it’s there anymore. “What does that mean?” I shake. If they have my father again, that means my only sliver of hope is gone. There will be no rescue mission.
When Aiden doesn’t respond, another panicked thought enters my scattering mind. What about Felix? I don’t dare ask. But I don’t need to.
“And don’t worry about your friend Felix,” Aiden sneers. “It appears as though he was involved in your father’s mischief. He will pay dearly for it.”
“No! Please! Don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt either of them!”
“You don’t get a say in these matters, princess. I tell you what to do, not the other way around. Don’t think that just because you are weak and naive that I am picking on you. I devour all equally. And soon, I will have devoured all that is left of your old life.”
There’s that contradiction again. It gnaws at me like a pack of wild dogs, threatening to tear me to pieces.
If he’s going to destroy everything about my past, then why did he bring my old clothes here? Just so that he could burn them in front of me? I wouldn’t put it past him. The cruel bastard. But I don’t believe that it’s where his intentions lie.
He’s not being truthful. To himself or to me.
Why else would he be so concerned about Felix? It’s Father who he wants his revenge on.
It must be jealousy. It has to be. But Aiden has been doing his best to make it clear that I mean nothing to him. I’m just a tool. His words. So, why do I feel like he’s lying?
More contradictions. More reasons to tear myself to bits. He’s torturing me.
“Are you going to eat?” Aiden asks heartlessly, when I don’t respond to his declaration to devour all that I’ve ever known.
“No.”
“Then we’re done here.” He pushes back his chair and gives me one last look over. “A seamstress will be over tomorrow. You will pick your dress and in three weeks we will be married. End of story.”
My heart clenches.
Despite the little sliver of sympathy and regret that Aiden teased upstairs, I know that I will be given no mercy. There may be two sides to the ruthless prince, but it’s the demon in him that is clearly in control.
When he disappears into the black garden, four guards instantly appear in his place. Not even the allure of all this fresh air can keep me from wanting to go back inside. I guess Aiden is training me well, because all I want to do is crawl back under the covers in my cage and cry myself to sleep.
He’s won. I’m broken.
I hope he’s fucking happy.
