already thrilled, the outsiders confused as fuck.
Several of them were also worried.
A hand had been played that they hadn’t expected.
Now there was only the need to finish the deal made with the devil.
“To whom?” Donovan asked.
“To Matteo Constantine Capodanno.”
I could see the level of horror on Senator Bellows’ face, the red puffiness that slipped up from his sagging jowls to his ruddy cheeks. The shock and awe factor had been exactly what Christian was looking for.
While the majority of eyes were leveled in my direction, only the girl standing in front of a plain wooden box had no idea that her fate had been sealed for the rest of her life.
Only when the congratulations began, my hand being shaken by members of the community did she finally realize the man she would spend the rest of her life with.
There were no words to describe the look on her face or the horror in her expression. There was also no way I could tell her that everything was going to be all right, because in my mind, I knew that we were both about to face an absolute nightmare.
But I would promise to love and cherish her with all my heart.
I would also promise to teach her the art of obedience as required.
In those few seconds as our eyes locked, the insane notion of what we were required to face settling in, her face went entirely blank. We’d forged a connection in a few beautiful minutes, electricity that would light up an entire city, but it was destroyed because of secrets and lies.
And rituals.
She shook her head, her eyes narrowing. “This isn’t going to happen, Father. You can’t force me into following your rules any longer.”
The once hushed crowd was already antsy, several community members moving closer.
“You will do as I wish,” her father said loud enough I was able to hear his words clearly.
“No,” she said as she backed away from the table. “Over my dead body.”
My attention was drawn away, several other angry voices creating a wave of anger. As Christian walked forward, no doubt attempting to defuse the situation, I pushed my way through the crowd.
Winter had disappeared.
Chapter Five
Matteo
The noose was beginning to tighten.
“Find her and do so quickly.”
My brother’s last words had been stated with the kind of vehemence he hadn’t used in years. Amidst the near chaos of the party, I’d slipped away, realizing quickly she’d stolen a vehicle. Finding her had been easy enough.
Resisting her was something else entirely.
While I wasn’t my brother, I was certainly keenly aware of what was at stake, now more so than ever after watching the great senator chatting it up with several of the more prominent guests.
Including two of the men responsible for approving the last developments.
They would take the news to heart and within a day, the Taglioni contract will be shelved. I only hoped blood wouldn’t rain in the streets of New York, including in the Hamptons.
Winter sat stoically in the passenger seat, wiggling as if uncomfortable as hell. All the while, my hunger and need to take her remained. If I’d known who she was in the greenhouse, would I have walked away? Would I have told her the truth?
The answer was no.
I had no idea about her story. None. I knew little about her family, other than her father had been a minimal player in the world the sect was living in. However, his influential friends could make or break us, depending on the tactics they used. Still, if there were any levels of sect members, he’d never been considered for a more powerful position. But was the choice regarding Winter only because of her father’s political and law enforcement ties? I had my doubts.
What I could easily tell was Winter hadn’t been clued in regarding what she could expect tonight, although her deer-in-the-headlights look had faded. There was nothing but vile hatred mixing with the rage from before left in her eyes.
On top of everything, I’d fucked her like some animal only minutes before. It was obvious that I’d bought into the indoctrinations, the belief that once the Box gifted such an incredible prize that she truly belonged to me. I twisted my hand around the steering wheel, my cock still aching from coming so hard deep inside her.
As if the intense spanking hadn’t been enough to entice my dark desires, the moment I’d touched her pussy, I’d lost all sense of conscientious behavior. I shifted my gaze, studying her intently. She was such