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My name is Aria Talvery and I’m the daughter of the most violent crime family in Fallbrooke.
But there’s this thing about breaking; the more you harden yourself and try to fight it, the easier and sharper the snap is when you inevitably break.
As much as I’d love to fight, I have to be smart or I’ll die. It’s impossible to be smart when you’re terrified though.
Anger ripples through me at the sight of the fresh wounds. That fucker put his hands on her. They hurt her. They hurt what’s mine. The tic in my jaw spasms again as the rage intensifies. They should know better than to touch what’s mine.
“Fuck you,” I dare to sneer at him. Anger rises quickly inside of me and my breathing quickens. “You fight now, but you’ll submit later,” Cross says easily, completely unaffected by my words.
“You will give me everything that I want,”
“You’re going to love doing it too,” he whispers
She’s the reason I lived and turned into this. I don’t just want her at my mercy. I want everything she has. I’m not going to stop until I have her and her everything.
“I’d feed you, care for you, fuck you and put you to bed used and sated.”
“Humor me, Aria. I already know you’re strong.” “You make me weak.” Her voice breaks and the tension from the other day returns in full force. She steadies her trembling lip between her teeth. “Is that what you’re afraid of? Being weak?” She nods her head slightly, ever so slightly. And I can see the last bit of her walls crumble for me. Crashing down to the ground in small, insignificant piles of rubble. “I don’t want you weak.” I lean forward, whispering against her lips, “I want you mine.”
“Any man who thinks they can lay a hand on you will die at mine. Is that clear?” Her eyes search mine for sincerity, even as she nods her head. “I told you, you belong to me.”
It’s a delicate balance, knowing what to offer her and when to take from her. Tonight, I’ve given more than enough, and I’ll feel her break beneath me. I’ll feel her shatter under me as I take every bit of her that I want. And she’ll fucking love me for it.
“Why are you doing this to me?” The words are torn from the other side of me. The side I want to hide and tell to be quiet. Walking back to the dresser, I think Carter’s ignored me until he answers, “Because I can,” he answers
He’s a sinful addiction, creeping into my blood and fueling the lust and fire for the forbidden. I crave him, his acceptance, his dominance, and yet I’m so aware that’s all wrong. That small voice that whispers there must be a way out of here is getting quieter by the day. That’s what scares me the most.
I want to yell at him. I want to hide. I want to cry. The question is on the tip of my tongue, why are you doing this to me? But I already know the answer. It’s why Carter does everything. Because he can. Because he wants to.
“You have her sit at the table?” Stephan questions me with a glint of humor in his eyes. His thin lips twitch into a smile and I manage a smile back, remembering that this is for her. She’s the one to do it. My grip on her waist tightens, to keep me from ruining everything. “You do as you’d like in your home, but do not question me in mine.” My words are sharp and not to be taken lightly. They force the smile off his pale face while Romano coughs at the head of the table.
