Page 33 of King of Obsession

“Is it done yet?” he asks like the impatient prick he is.

“You’ll be the first to find out when it happens.”

“Why the fuck is it taking so long? Are you catching feelings for my cousin? You wouldn’t be that stupid, would you?”

I gnash my teeth. It’s a wonder I don’t break any of them. “Adamo, keeping you breathing is a challenge on my part. Don’t make me break the only rule I have.”

That has him stopping from chortling. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. My offer expires at midnight next Friday.”

“It will be done by then,” I say through gritted teeth and hang up.

Logically, I know it’s impossible to find this well-hidden information in such a short time, even if Enzo isn’t restricted in digging like I am.

When Augustus took me under his wing, he said, “Forget about your past. It doesn’t matter where you come from. Nothing matters but who you will become under my guidance.”

It didn’t matter then. I was a thirteen-year-old girl who knew the church life was not for me.

In one of my fits after I tried to flee and failed, I was punished so severely that I spent a week in the dark. I thought that the beating and isolation were punishment enough, but every time Mother Gloria came to check on me, she’d tell me I’dland on the streets, selling my body. That all those men would break me and take not only my body but rip pieces of my soul each time they’d use and discard me until I’d be nothing but an empty shell.

She recounted that story every day. That scarred me so deeply that the cold chamber in the basement, shrouded in darkness, lost its power over me. Just to spite her, I decided I’d rather die than end like that. That week could have broken me. Instead, I tapped into its innate power. Tackle your fears, and you become unbreakable. It also became my trademark; all my killings happen at night when people foolishly think they’re safe behind the walls of their homes.

I thought I would never break free until Augustus appeared and gave me a choice for the first time. Looking back, I traded one prison for another. It is what it fucking is.

With every year, my sense of loyalty trumped my common sense. I ignored my gut instinct, telling me he knew exactly who I was, but refused to share the information. It pains me that someone like Adamo was more efficient in discovering the truth.

God knows how long it took him to find out. It’s the only thing that could persuade me to disrespect Augustus’s will and disobey him.

Augustus has tried to eradicate the rumor regarding my family ties, which are shrouded in mystery. According to the nuns, I was a year old when someone deposited me at the doors of the monastery. The ones who were there and knew who discarded me quickly disappeared once I started asking more questions. Augustus turning me into his protégé while not being of the same blood has always raised questions.

My first kill was not an order but my choice.

Slipping into her chamber, I looked at the woman, who didn’t even shake in my presence. While I hung her from the ceiling, she laughed in my face. In a scratchy voice, as her eyes bulged out and she had trouble breathing, she told me that I’d land in hell like the sinner I am and will never find out the truth. Of all my kills, Mother Gloria’s is my favorite and the only one that holds personal significance. When Augustus asked me if it was me, I kept quiet, neither confirming nor denying.

Who the fuck am I?I ask myself for the millionth time, but it’s the first time I also get an answer. I could behis. Pushing that silly notion aside, I know Enzo will come to pick me up tonight. He fucked me, so he owes it to me to wine and dine me, at least.

I will go, so there’s no point arguing with myself in my head. If this is the only time I experience romance, then I will take full advantage of my lapse in judgment and embrace the madness.

I also know it’s utterly stupid to be seen in public. One picture would blow my cover. It would be proof I was here, and Augustus would discover I lied. While I think all these logical thoughts in the hope of waking me up, I change, needing some fresh air.

Foolish, probably, but strolling through the city, I lose myself in the crowds, savoring every second of anonymity. A boutique catches my attention, and I walk inside, soaking in the assortment of high-end dresses just waiting for me to try them on.

As the clerk brings me the three dresses I pointed at, I slip into the one I know he’ll like most before trying the other ones. Watching my reflection in the mirror in the dressing room, giddiness spreads through me, just thinking of him not being able to take his eyes off me.

I’ve never been good at choosing between favorites, so I buy all three.

After I return, I prepare for tonight by taking advantage of the spa facilities this fine five-star hotel offers.

Three hours later, every inch of my body has been pampered with a massage and a facial, a fresh mani and pedi, and even a blowout for my hair.

Slipping into the emerald-green silk maxi dress, I pull up the invisible zipper at the back. It hugs my body in all the right places. With a high slit on one side, a cowl neckline and delicate straps, it’s both elegant and sexy. Then I paint my lips a deep burgundy, add a bit of mascara and cat-eye eyeliner, so the silver in my eyes shines even more prominently.

Staring at my reflection, I brush my fingers along my necklace. Will it remain twenty-eight diamonds, or will I add another one in a few days?

My thoughts get scrambled as I sense him. Of course, he let himself in.

Leaning against the door frame, he devours me with eyes sparkling with potent hunger and sheer desire, liking what he sees. I get drunk on the feeling of power that emboldens me.

I sashay to him, wanting him to lose his mind over me, but his pull is just as strong.

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