Prologue

My fingers shook like leaves in the breeze as I raised them, my heartbeat hummingbird quick.

Luca’s strong hand was firm and steady as he took mine and slipped the ring onto my finger.

White gold with twenty small diamonds.

What was meant as a sign of love and devotion for other couples was nothing but a testament of

his ownership of me. A daily reminder of the golden cage I’d be trapped in for the rest of my life.

Until death do us part wasn’t an empty promise as with so many other couples that entered the holy

bond of marriage. There was no way out of this union for me. I was Luca’s until the bitter end. The

last few words of the oath that men swore when they were inducted into the mafia could just as well

have been the closing of my wedding vow:

“I enter alive and I will have to get out dead.”

I should have run when I still had the chance. Now, as hundreds of faces from the Chicago and

New York Familias stared back at us, flight was no longer an option. Nor was divorce. Death was the

only acceptable end to a marriage in our world. Even if I still managed to escape Luca’s watchful

eyes and that of his henchmen, my breach of our agreement would mean war. Nothing my father could

say would prevent Luca’s Familia from exercising vengeance for making them lose face.

My feelings didn’t matter, never had. I’d been growing up in a world where no choices were

given, especially to women.

This wedding wasn’t about love or trust or choice. It was about duty and honor, about doing

what was expected.

A bond to ensure peace.

I wasn’t an idiot. I knew what else this was about: money and power. Both were dwindling

since the Russian Mob ‘The Bratva’, the Taiwanese Triad, and other crime organizations had been

trying to expand their influence into our territories. The Italian Familias across the US needed to lay

their feuds to rest and work together to beat down their enemies. I should be honored to marry the

oldest son of the New York Familia. That’s what my father and every other male relative had tried to

tell me since my betrothal to Luca. I knew that, and it wasn’t as if I hadn’t had time to prepare for this

exact moment, and yet fear corseted my body in a relentless grip.

“You may kiss the bride,” the priest said.

I raised my head. Every pair of eyes in the pavilion scrutinized me, waiting for a flicker of

weakness. Father would be furious if I let my terror show, and Luca’s Familia would use it against us.But I had grown up in a world where a perfect mask was the only protection afforded to women and

had no trouble forcing my face into a placid expression. Nobody would know how much I wanted to

escape. Nobody but Luca. I couldn’t hide from him, no matter how much I tried. My body wouldn’t

stop shaking. As my gaze met Luca’s cold gray eyes, I could tell that he knew. How often had he

instilled fear in others? Recognizing it was probably second nature to him.

He bent down to bridge the ten inches he towered over me. There was no sign of hesitation,

fear or doubt on his face. My lips trembled against his mouth as his eyes bored into me. Their

message was clear: You are mine.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***