Prologue - The Wedding That Never Happened
The day I was supposed to become his wife.
The first sign that something was wrong with my wedding was the priest’s smile. It was not the smile of a man preparing to join two people in holy matrimony. It was the smile of a man who had finally found what he had been searching for.
Me.
I stood at the altar in my white wedding dress, my fingers trembling around the bouquet of white roses. Beside me stood Alexander Blackwood. The man I was supposed to marry.
The man who had promised to free my brother from prison. The man I did not love. I forced myself to look at him. His expression was cold, as usual. Unreadable. Powerful. But something in his eyes made me uneasy. Not because of him. Because of the priest. I had never seen him before. Yet he was staring at me as if he knew me. As if he had been waiting for this moment. As if the wedding had nothing to do with Alexander. The priest lifted his eyes to mine. And smiled.
“You came”.
My heart stopped. I frowned at him, confusion slightly visible on my face.
“I’m sorry?”
His smile deepened.
“You finally came”.
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Alexander turned toward him.
“Do you know my fiancée?”
The priest’s eyes never left mine as he gave a short response to Alexander.
“No”.
The answer came too quickly. Before I could say anything, the church doors slammed shut. Everyone turned. Then the lights went out. A woman screamed. Something crashed outside. Then came the sound of gunfire. Alexander immediately grabbed my arm.
“Stay behind me”.
But before I could respond, someone struck him from behind and he fell. A loud scream escaped my mouth and I rushed toward him. I shook him but no response. He remained still. I was about to scream again, louder this time when a hand covered my mouth. The scent of something sweet filled my nose. The world began to spin. The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was the priest standing over me. His white robe was gone. Beneath them was an expensive black suit. And on his face was the same smile. The smile of a man who had finally gotten what he wanted.
Me.
Then he whispered.
“Now you’re mine”.
And everything went black. Those were the last words I heard before slipping into unconsciousness.
