Embrace the Darkness (The Maura Quinn Series Book 1) - Ashley N. Rostek Page 0,35
to my spot on Stefan’s right. I dropped my glass loudly onto the table, popped the crystal cork, and poured myself a generous amount.
I glanced at Stefan as I took a big gulp. His brow rose in question. I ignored it. “What’s for dinner?” I asked, lifting my glass to take another sip.
Stefan reached out to grab ahold of my wrist, stopping the glass from reaching my lips. “What’s making you drink all my good whiskey?” That was hilarious. All he had was good whiskey.
“I’m embracing my Irish heritage by drowning my feelings.”
“I don’t like repeating myself, Maura.” Oh, he pulled out his Boss voice.
“I’m immune to intimidation, Stefan,” I mocked, putting extra emphasis on his name. It wasn’t wise to challenge the boss, but I was itching for a fight. His grip on my wrist tightened, not to the point of pain, just enough pressure to serve as a warning. I scoffed. “If you wanted me to be a timid female who toed the line, you probably shouldn’t—”
“Enough!” he barked. Releasing a frustrated sigh, he leveled his calm eyes with mine. “Might as well spit it out because I’ll find out one way or another.”
A mean smile adorned my lips. “I’m almost tempted to see what you’ll do.”
His anger flared and his eyes narrowed. “I’m trying,” he seethed. “No games. I’m asking you outright, but you’re making this harder for both of us.”
Taken aback, I looked away from him. If I wanted to talk about it, I would. But when he wanted to know something, he was relentless. We were both stubborn and our relationship was anything but easy. There were too many bad memories and too much lack of trust between us. He was trying, though. Could I say the same?
“I withdrew from school today,” I relented.
“And that’s why you’re upset?” he asked with a puzzled brow.
“I feel… I don’t…” I was floundering. Being forced to talk about it had left me unprepared to explain without sounding pathetic. “I feel like I wasted away six years of my life,” I finally admitted. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do now. I have my bachelor’s, but there’s not much I can do without my master’s degree or doctorate. I refuse to take on the role of a typical female in this family. So don’t get any ideas about marrying me off,” I said, eyeing Stefan. “I have no purpose, no goal, no plan. I feel like I’m floating in limbo and I don’t like it.”
“Do you regret killing them?” he asked, dropping his hand from my wrist.
“No.” I didn’t hesitate in answering. “I just need to find something to do before you find a reason to wife me to someone.”
“We both know you’ll never have to worry about that,” he assured.
About six months before I'd left for college, things had not been good between us and the De Luca family—the Italian Mafia who held territory west of the Housatonic River. I’d overheard a couple of goons gossiping about how the don, Giovanni De Luca, had been murdered. And because there’d always been beef between our two families, the De Lucas had accused us. Couldn't say I would have been surprised if we'd been responsible, but Jamie had assured me we hadn't.
There had been talk of war. Security around Quinn manor had doubled. There had been a few deaths on both sides before new rumors had started floating around that the family—all the leaders in Stefan’s inner circle—had been trying to convince him to marry me off to the new don to broker peace. When those rumors made their way to me, I'd snapped. Being forced to marry a stranger and having to consummate that forced marriage? To me, that was rape. I would have rather died than face that again. I'd been barely holding on to my sanity as it was, and they had been going to feed me to the wolves to save their own asses? Fuck the family.
Blinded by betrayal, I'd pilfered a pistol and crept into Stefan’s room in the middle of the night. Pointing the gun under my chin, I'd told him I was going to eat a bullet or he was going to give me his word as a Quinn that he wouldn’t marry me off. There had been no doubt in either of us that I would have done it. Breaking me of my fear of death had bitten him in the ass. I'd been so emotionally fucked up, my finger