I struggle against his grip, but the heavy dress tangles around my legs, making it impossible to break free. He drags me through a narrow corridor, away from the gunfire and shouting.
"Let me go!" I gasp, clawing at his hand in my hair.
"Not a chance." He kicks open a door and shoves me inside what looks like a small office. "We're going to finish this."
The door slams shut behind us, and I hear the click of a lock. We're alone.
Kieran advances on me, his composure finally cracking. "You ruined everything," he spits. "My perfect plan, my perfect wedding. But that's okay. We can still make this work."
I back away until I hit the wall, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Stay away from me."
"I'll fuck you here and now," he snarls, his voice turning savage. "Make sure no one else can have a claim to you. Once you're not a virgin anymore, no one will want damaged goods."
"I'll never be your wife."
"We'll see about that." He reaches for the front of my dress, and I slap his hands away. "I was going to wait until tonight, but you've forced my hand."
His hand closes around my throat, pinning me against the wall. The other starts tearing at the delicate fabric of my bodice. I struggle frantically, but he's too strong, too heavy.
"You can't take what I already chose to give to someone else," I gasp out, desperation making me cruel. "I'm not a virgin, Kieran. Dante had me first."
He freezes for a moment, his eyes going wide with rage. Then his grip on my throat tightens dangerously.
"You filthy whore," he spits, his face twisted with fury. His free hand disappears into his jacket, emerging with a switchblade that clicks open with a menacing sound. "You think that matters? You think that changes anything?"
The cold metal touches my cheek, and I freeze in terror.
"I'll still take what's left of you," he continues, his voice deadly quiet now. "But first, I think you need to be marked. So everyone knows exactly what you are."
The blade drags down my cheek in a deliberate line, sharp and burning. I scream as warm blood runs down my face, the pain white-hot and immediate.
"There," he breathes, admiring his handiwork. "Now you'll have a matching set with daddy's cigarette burns. This one's from me—so you never forget who owns you."
I can feel the blood dripping onto my dress, staining the white fabric red. The cut throbs with every heartbeat, and I know it's deep enough to scar.
"When I'm done with you, you'll know exactly who owns you," he continues, pressing the knife against my throat now. "And every time you look in the mirror, you'll see my mark."
This is it. This is how it ends. Not just violated, but mutilated by this monster who wants to brand me like cattle.
The door explodes inward.
Dante fills the doorway, his gun trained on Kieran with deadly precision. Blood streaks his face and shirt, but his handsare steady, his eyes blazing with controlled fury that turns absolutely murderous when he sees the blood on my face.
"Get your fucking hands off her."
CHAPTER 33
Dante
The sightof blood running down Sofia's face turns my vision red.
Not metaphorically. Literally. Everything in my field of vision takes on a crimson tint, and the roar in my ears drowns out everything except the sound of my own heartbeat and the bastard's breathing.
Kieran still has the knife pressed to Sofia's throat, using her as a human shield. But all I can see is the deliberate cut on her cheek, the blood staining her white dress, the terror in her green eyes.
"Well, well," Kieran says, his voice steady despite the gun pointed at his head. "The cavalry arrives. Too bad you're too late. I've already marked what's mine."
"Let her go." My voice doesn't sound like my own. It's cold, flat, deadly.
