Page 5 of Deadly Vows

Applause erupts over the room as Luca and I enter hand in hand. I see the faces of people I know and people I don’t. To my shock, I recognize some who are important figureheads in society in attendance as well. The Pasquinos truly are a powerful family. Luca pulls me to the center of the room as the spotlight shines on us and the music begins. Everyone watches with smiles as we dance as a couple for the first time.

“Are you enjoying your wedding day?” he asks.

I tense, lifting my head to look at him. For once, he isn’t smiling as he looks at me, trying to figure me out.

“Of course,” I whisper, earning a laugh.

“Really? Because you look like a frightened deer,” he says, smiling down at me. My cheeks burn from his joke, and I remain silent.

“Don’t fret, Elise. All I ask is that you obey. And we will get along just fine,” he says.

His words are accompanied by a chilling expression. His eyes are almost crazed as he looks down at me, his possession of me already forming. The crowd slowly begins to join us as the song ends, and Luca leads me to our table at the head of the room to enjoy the night of festivities. And as I look out at the faces who are enjoying themselves at my expense, I feel a heavy sense of dread wash over me.

The night passes in a blur. I go through everything as I should, politely smiling and responding when needed. I make sure I don’t give away how I’m truly feeling. Not when Luca has already called me on it. Luca, however, has made it very clear how he feels about this arrangement. The entire night, his eyes follow me, and he uses moments like exchanging cake to tease me sexually. He wants to devour me, and he’s made that very clear more than once. Which makes it all the more frightening when the clock strikes twelve, and it is time for us to depart and do our “marital duties.33”

“Are you ready?” I feel a tug on my hand and look to see Luca watching me with that terrifying expression. Everything about his sentence suggests it as a question, but it sounds anything but. I nod in response, earning a grin from my husband as he pulls my hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of it.

“Wonderful,” he smiles at me.

Once again, the crowd follows us, their applause deafening as they wish us well. Our closest friends and family all stand around us as we make our exit, and our immediate family stands at the end. I fight my terror as Luca’s father approaches with a smile on his lips. He and Luca share few features, making me wonder if Luca took more after his mother. He pulls his son in an embrace, murmuring something in his ear before turning to me.

“Welcome to the family,nuora1,” he says.

I lower my head slightly in respect. “Thank you.”

He continues to study me, his expression eerie and unreadable as he does so. Something about him makes me feel uncomfortable. But I don’t have time to dwell on it. Luca gently places his hand against the small of my back, leading me toward my father but I falter. As I look at him, I finally feel something other than the desire to be loved.

I feel resentment.

“I don’t want to see him,” I say under my breath.

But Luca hears me. His hand remains on my back as we exit the reception hall, walking past my father without a word. We’re barely in the hall when I feel a rough pull on my arm, yanking me back and away from Luca. My father’s face is angry as he speaks to me under his breath.

“Have you lost your mind? What the hell are you thinking disrespecting me like that in front of—”

He is cut off as Luca comes to my side, all of his charm gone. “As of nine hours ago, Elise is now my wife. And I don’t appreciate anyone touching what is mine.”

My father immediately releases me, taking a step back, but Luca isn’t finished. His expression darkens as he steps into my father’s space. “Do it again, and I will sever your fingers.”

My blood runs cold at Luca’s words. His eyes are distant, almost as if he is imagining what he would do to my father. My father’s face grows red, but he knows better than to mess with Luca. He is the future head of the Pasquino family. And no matter if I married him, he will always be above my father. I give him one last look as Luca remains next to me, his presence fueling my confidence to speak.

“Goodbye, Papa.”

Our honeymoon suite is the penthouse suite. The walls are made up of windows, giving me a panoramic view of the entire city. It’s strange to see it under these new circumstances. The Pasquinos own all of it. Unlike my father, they have legitimate business fronts. But it doesn’t hurt having people willing to get their hands dirty in your back pocket, and that’s where people like my father come in. This entire city is at my husband’s fingertips.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Luca asks as he steps up next to me. He doesn’t seem nervous in the least. And why would he be? I’m sure he’s done this plenty of times before, hence the woman crashing our engagement party. I, however, am terrified. Ari has explained to me a few times what sex feels like. She’s even goaded me into watching porn. But it doesn’t compare to having a man ready and willing to penetrate you for the first time. It feels like nothing could have prepared me for this.

“Yes, it is,” I whisper.

Luca steps closer pulling my attention. He has a lazy grin on his lips as he brings a glass of a deep gold liquid to his lips. He silently holds it out to me, his amusement growing when I take it from him. I study the liquid and I notice it’s quaking in the glass thanks to me.

“It’s whiskey. It will help with the nerves,” he says.

My eyes widen slightly as I bring it to my lips. My father never allowed me to drink whiskey. He said it was a man’s drink. I quickly sip it down, my chest and throat burning from the strength of the alcohol. My cough fills the room, and I hunch over, trying to breathe the heat from my throat.

“Have you never even had a drink?” Luca chuckles, watching me. I shake my head, but I quickly see what he meant by the drink calming my nerves. My body feels warm from the remnants of the whiskey.

“You are too innocent, Elise,” he laughs as he leads me into the bedroom. I’m thankful that the curtains are drawn. The lightscast a warm glow over the room, the bed covered in expensive sheets.

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