belief that we were meant to be together were the reasons I was alive now.
She had saved me. Not from the evil of my House but from myself.
She was the only person in this world who could.
12
Natalie
I was a terrible human being. A liar who was about to betray the only person in the world who mattered to me. And there was nothing I could do to stop that from happening.
I forced back the nausea as I lay in bed and stared at the coffered ceiling. The scents of frying bacon filled the room from downstairs. Luc had left me a half hour ago with a kiss to my forehead, telling me to sleep a little longer while he made breakfast.
I didn’t want breakfast. I didn’t want anything but him. I wanted him to climb back in this bed with me, for us to throw the covers over our heads, and pretend like the outside world didn’t exist.
But, of course, we couldn’t do that. His House—the evil men who ruled his country and the world—were out there. They were watching. Lurking in the shadows. Just waiting for me to fulfill my end of our deal. And like the submissive, powerless woman they expected me to be, I was going to give them exactly what they wanted.
Bile pushed up my throat. I managed to throw the covers back and rush to the toilet before I lost it. Since I hadn’t eaten very much yesterday, there wasn’t much in my stomach, but my body revolted until I was left weak and shaking on the bathroom floor, trying to figure out what I was going to say to Luc, trying to figure out how I could keep from making him hate me.
Bracing my back against the wall, I drew my feet in close, perched my elbows on my knees, and dropped my head into my hands. I’d been terrified last night when Luc had seen the bruises on my breast. Terrified and desperate to distract him. He hadn’t known what he’d been looking at. He’d thought he’d hurt me. Then to make me feel better, he’d pleasured me all over again. And like the awful person I’d become, I’d let him. I’d let him while I’d been plotting how to return him to the people who’d raped him.
Oh God... I pulled on my hair. All this was my fault. If I hadn’t gone to New York, if I hadn’t stuck my nose where it didn’t belong, if I hadn’t been looking for answers about Elena’s death, none of this would have happened.
A knock sounded at the bathroom door. My head came up, and horror tightened my throat until I realized I’d shoved the door closed behind me when I’d raced in here.
“Angioletto?” Luc called. “Breakfast is ready.”
I scrambled to my feet. “O-okay. I’ll be right down.”
“Don’t take too long.” He hesitated a second, then said, “Are you all right?”
“I-I’m fine,” I lied, hoping he couldn’t hear the fear in my voice. “I just woke up.”
“Okay. It’s getting cold, so hurry.”
I waited until I heard his footsteps moving away, and when they were gone, I closed my eyes as I slumped over the sink.
Nausea brewed in my stomach all over again, but I forced it back as I braced my hands on the counter. I could do this. I breathed slowly, working to bring my heart rate back down. All I had to do was come up with a convincing lie of desperate proportions that would make him think I hadn’t betrayed him.
Desperate proportions...
My brain latched on to one possibility.
It was a long shot. I stared at my pale reflection in the mirror, a plan slowly coming into focus. He’d figure out I’d lied to him eventually. But if I could get Marco and Felicity to help me come up with a cover for that once we were back in Italy, it just might work.
Knowing I was out of time and options, I splashed water on my face, twisted my hair into a knot, and brushed my teeth. Then I took one last look at my reflection and said, “Enough stalling.”
I tugged on a pair of pajama bottoms and found a sweatshirt in Luc’s drawer. It fell to my thighs, and I had to push the sleeves up because they were too long, but I didn’t care. I was chilled right to the bone, and I needed as much warmth as I could find.
Luc was at the stove, in jeans and a loose gray