C9 Chapter Nine

I squeal as he yanks me to him, his eyes boring into me.

“I can’t have my princess walking around dressed like a pauper, now can I? You’re a Milani, not some guttersnipe Fontana.” He adds a cruel smile to his words. “Come with me.” He releases me, then walks past me.

I keep my eyes on him, turning to watch as he stalks down the hallway. I don’t want to follow him, but I don’t want to anger him either. My heart sinks farther with each step I take, but I follow him into a bedroom at the end of the corridor. It’s huge, even bigger than my parents’ lavish bedroom back home. Dark wood panels the walls, and the floor is similar but dotted with rugs beside the large bed and in the sitting area in front of a fireplace. It smells like him in here, a hint of some sort of expensive cologne and soap.

He disappears through another door.

I stop, hesitating. I don’t want to move farther into what is clearly his bedroom, and I definitely do not want to get closer to his bed. It’s not rumpled at all, the navy duvet perfectly crisp. He didn’t sleep last night?

“Are you coming, princess?” he calls.

I jump, then press my palms to my cheeks, trying to calm myself. It doesn’t work, but I still have to follow him. I walk slowly and hover at the doorway. It’s a closet, a huge one that’s mostly bare except for a few things on hangers.

“This is your closet.” He turns to me, a ridiculous outfit in his hands. “You will sleep in our bed every night, and you will comport yourself as a dignified wife should.” He holds the clothes out to me.

I blink and make no move to take them from him. It’s nothing but a ridiculous maid costume, a tiny one at that.

“What is it?” He steps to me, towering over me as I crane my neck to look at him. “I tried to choose things befitting a Fontana princess. Do you not like what I picked out?”

Despite his calm demeanor, he’s laughing at me. I can see it in his eyes, in the way he mocks me every time he calls me “princess.”

My resolve to play his game evaporates as quickly as my freedom did. “I’m not wearing that.” I hate the quaver in my voice.

“No?” His tone drops low. “Are you saying no to me, princess?”

I step back.

He matches me. His gaze eats me up, and I can’t tear my eyes from his face, from this man I’d never seen before in my life, but now he looms large. The dark hair, 5 o’clock shadow, sharp jaw, and pale blue eyes-all of it is seared into my mind, into my nightmares. He’s a handsome man, no one could deny that, but his cruelty obscures his beauty.

“I asked you a question, princess. Are you telling me no?”

“I’m not wearing that.” I step back again.

He reaches out, his hand gripping the sheet and yanking it down as I try to grab it. He’s too strong, his grip sure as he pulls it to my knees despite me trying to hold it and pull it back up.

When his hand goes to my throat and wraps around it, I scream and try to shove him away. It doesn’t work. He walks me backwards, my sheet gone, and shoves me onto the bed.

I scramble back, getting to my knees and fisting my hands.

He looks me up and down, his nostrils flaring. “You’re going to fight me?”

I’d kill him if I could, but I know that’s not possible. No one can kill the devil.

“Don’t touch me.” I edge backward toward the other side of the bed.

“You’re my wife. Of course I’ll touch you.” He watches me, his gaze following every minute move I make. He’s a cat, one with claws I’ve already felt. “I’ll do a lot more than that, princess. I’ll stuff you full of my love. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

“Stay the fuck away from me!” I scream and bring my pathetic fists up again, my entire body shaking.

He tisks, his gaze harsh as he stares me down. “If I wanted to, I could pin you to the bed on your stomach and give you pleasure that will make you screamed. You wouldn’t be able to stop me.”

“I’ll scratch your eyes out.” I bare my teeth.

“I’ve already made you come for me.” He licks his lips. “Or have you forgotten the way you screamed all over last night while I watched ?”

Shame coats me like oil, and I clench my eyes shut at the memory trying to invade. The worst part of it is the way my body harden, the way I feel warmth spreading through my chest and lower. Shame. Nothing more.

“No.” He laughs low in his throat. “You remember just fine, don’t you, princess?”

I snap my eyes open and raise my fists higher. “Stay away from me.”

He sighs as if he’s bored and tosses the maid outfit on the bed. “You wear this or you wear nothing. It’s your decision. But I expect you downstairs in five minutes.” Turning, he strides to the door, then pauses. “Five minutes, princess. If you take longer than that, I’ll come looking for you. And when I find you …” He walks out and doesn’t finish the sentence. He doesn’t have to. He’s already made his threats.

“And don’t forget the shoes.” The laughter in his fading voice makes me rage and tremble all at the same time. He’s mocking me, poking at my pain like a sadist.

I collapse onto the bed once he’s gone, tears welling in my eyes as I hang my head.