The Devil's little Bride

Chapter Three

After dinner the men .moved on to the lounge to drink and smoke and discuss whatever else needed to be discussed. I returned to my room, but couldn’t fall asleep. Eventually, I put a bathrobe over my night gown, slipped out of my room and crept downstairs. In a fit of craziness, I took the passage that led to the secret door behind the wall in the lounge. My grandfather thought it was necessary to have secret escapes in the office and the fireplace lounge because that’s were the men of the family usually held their meetings. I wondered what he thought would happen to the women after the men had fled all through the secret passage?

I found Gia with her eyes pressed against the peephole of the disguised door. Of course, she was already there. She. Whirled around, eyes wide but relaxed when she spotted me.

“What’s going on in there?” I said in a bare whisper, worried the men in the lounge would overhear us.

Gia moved to the side, so I could power through the second peephole. “Almost everyone’s already gone. Father and Fyodor have details to discuss with Devani Dilhvea. It’s only Lucifer and his entourage now.”

I squinted through the hole, which gave me a perfect view of the chairs crowded around the fireplace, legs casually crossed, a glass of scotch in his hand. His brothers lounged in the armchairs beside him. Levi was legs wide apart and that foxy grin on his face. Caspian was more reserved, he looked the same age of Levi, so around eighteen. Barely men by society standards but not in our world.

“It could have been worse,” Levi said, grinning. He might not have looked quite as dead as Luca, but something in his eyes told me he was only able to hide it better. “She could have been ugly. But holy f**k, your little fiancée is an apparition. That dress. That body. That hair and face.” Levi gave a light chuckle and a smirk. It seemed as if he was provoking his brother on purpose.

“She’s a child,” Lucifer said dismissively. Indignation rose in me, but I knew I should be glad that he didn’t look at me like a man looked at a woman.

“She didn’t look like a child to me,” Matteo said, then clicked His tongue, he nudge Caspian. “What do you say? Is Lucifer blind?”. Caspian glared then shrugged. “ I didn’t look at her closely”.

Levi threw his head back and laughed “f**k, brother, did grumpy Lucifer tell you he’d caught your d**k off if you look at his girl? He isn’t even married to her”. He sighed. “I guess that is just how you are or maybe is it that you swing in a total different way”. He said and met Caspian’s glare for a second time.

“Relax, I’m kidding”. He said And burst into drunk laughter.

“She’s mine”, Lucifer said quietly, sending a chill down my back with his voice, not to mention his eyes. He looked at Levi, who shook his head. “For the next two years, you’ll be in the Imperium and she’ll be here. You can’t always keep an eye on her, or do you intend to threaten every man of the House of Silva. You can’t cut off all their d***s.

“I’ll do what I have to,” Lucifer said, swirling the drink in his glass. “Caspian, find the two idiots who are supposed to guard Elizabeth.” The way my name rolled of his tongue made me shiver. I didn’t even know I had two guards until now. Tamacti had always protected me and my sisters.

Caspian left immediately and returned ten minutes later with Tamacti and Allucard, both looked butt hurt that they’d been summoned like dogs by someone from the Imperium. Father was a step behind them.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Father asked.

“I want to have a word with the men you chose to protect what’s mine.”

Gianna huffed beside m, but I pinched her. Nobody could know we were listening in on this conversation. Father would throw a fit if we revealed the position of his secret door.

“They are good soldiers, both of them. Allucard is Elizabeth’s cousin and First Prince to Camelot and Tamacti has served the throne for almost two decades.” Father carefully left the part of I once being betrothed to Allucard.

“I’d like to decide for myself if I trust them,” Lucifer said. I held my breath. That was as close to an insult as he could get without insulting my father openly. Father’s lips thinned but he gave a curt nod. He remained in the room. Lucifer stepped up to Tamacti. “I hear you are good with the knife”.

“The best,” Father interjected. A muscle in Lucifer’s Jaws twitched.

“Not as good as your brother, as rumour has it,” Tamacti said with a nod towards Levi who flashed him a shark grin.

“But better than any other man in our territory,” Tamacti admitted eventually.

“Are you married?”

Tamacti nodded. “For twenty years”.

“That’s a long time”, Levi said. “Elizabeth must look awfully delicious in comparison to your hoggish wife.” I stuffed a gasp.

Tamacti’s hand twitched an inch towards the pairs of daggers around his waist. Everyone saw it. Father watched like a hawk but didn’t interfere. Tamacti cleared his throat. “I’ve known Elizabeth since her birth. She’s a child “.

“She won’t be a child for much longer,” Lucifer said.

“She’ll always be a child in my eyes. And I’m faithful to my wife.” Tamacti glared at Levi. “If you insult my wife again, I’ll ask your father for permission to challenge you in a knife fight to defend your honour and I’ll kill you”.

This would end badly.

Matteo inclined his head. “You could try.” He bared His white teeth. “But you’d lose”.

Lucifer crossed his arms, then gave a nod. “I think you are a good choice, Tamacti.” Tamacti stepped back, but kept his gaze fixed on Levi who ignored him.

Lucifer’s eyes settled on Allucard and he dropped whatever civility had cloaked the monster within until that point. He moved so close to Allucard that my cousin had to tilt his head back to return the stare. Allucard tried to keep his expression arrogant and self confident, but he looked like a Pomeranian trying to impress a dragon. Lucifer and he might as well have been two different species.

“He’s family. Are you honestly going to accuse him of having a interest in my daughter?” I glanced at Father who hoped they couldn’t see through his lie. Allucard was very much interested and the only furious male when he discovered father had cancelled our six year long engagement to marry me off to Lucifer. I was glad it was over, He certainly wasn’t as frightening as Lucifer but you couldn’t put up with him, no one could. He was only ever needed for his skills.

“I saw how you looked at Elizabeth,” Lucifer said, never taking his eyes of Allucard.

“Like a juicy peach you wanted to pluck”, Levi, threw in, enjoying this entirely too much.

Allucard’s eyes darted toward my father looking for help.

“Don’t deny it. I know desire when I see it. And you desire Elizabeth,” Lucifer growled. Allucard didn’t deny it “If I find out you are looking at her like that again. If I find out you are in a room alone with her. If I find out you touch as much as her hand, I will kill you”.

Allucard flushed red. “You aren’t a member of the House of Silva. Nobody would tell you anything been if I r***d her. I could break her in for you”. God, Allucard shut your mouth. Couldn’t he see murder in Lucifer’s eye? “Maybe I’ll even film it for you”.

In a blink, Lucifer had slammed Allucard to the ground and planted the thick soles of his leather boots into his throat. He dug father in as Allucard struggled and cursed, but Lucifer didn’t budget. He reached under his vest with the other, pulling out a dagger.

My legs turned weak. “Leave now”, I told Gia in a whisper. She didn’t listen.

Look away Elizabeth.

But I couldn’t . Father would surely stop Lucifer. But Father’s expression was disgusted bas he stared down at Allucard. Lucifer’s eyes sought father’s gaze—Allucard wasn’t he’s soldier.

This wasn’t even his kingdom. Honour demanded he got permission from the Head of the house—and when my father gave a nod, he brought the dagger down on Allucard’s chest and slowly carved two deep lines that crossed to shaped a large X on his body.

The screams rang in my ears when my vision turned black. I but down on my fist to stifle a sound. Gia didn’t . Sheet out a screech that could have woken the dead before she threw up. At least, she’d turned and aimed away from me. Her vomit spilled down the steps.

Behind the doors silence reigned. They had heard us. I gripped Gia’s upper arms when the secret door was ripped open, revealing father’s furious face. Behind him stood Levi and Caspian with their weapons drawn. When they saw Gia and me, they returned them to their sheaths under their jackets.

Gia didn’t cry. She seldom did, but her face was pale and she leaned heavily against me. If I didn’t have to hold her up, my own legs would have crumpled. But I had to be strong for her.

“Of course,” Father hissed, scowling at Gia. “I should have known it was you causing trouble again. “He wrenched her away from me and into the lounge, raised his hand and slapped her hard across her face.

I took a step in his direction to protect her and Father lifted his arm again. I braced myself for the slap, but Lucifer caught my father’s wrist with his left hand. His right hand was still grasping the d dagger he’d used to carve Allucard’s chest. The dagger and Lucifer’s hands were coated with blood. My eyes widened. Father was the Head of the house, the head over us.

Lucifer’s intervention was an insult against my father’s honour.

Tamacti drew his knife and had his hands on his gun. Levi and Caspian had drawn their blades out of thin air. Allucard laid on the floor, his whimpers the only sound in the room. Had there ever been a red engagement?

“I didn’t mean to disrespect,” Lucifer said calmly, as if war between the Imperium and Britannia wasn’t on the verge of breaking out. “But Elizabeth is no longer your responsibility. You lost your right to punish her when you made her my fiancée. She’s mine to deal with now”.

Father glanced down at the ring on my finger, then inclined his head. Lucifer let go of his wrist, and the other men in the room relaxed slightly, but didn’t put their weapons back.

“That’s true.” He stepped back and gestured at me. “Then would you like the honour of beating some sense into her”?

Luca’s hard gaze settled on me and I stopped breathing. “She didn’t disobey me”.

Father’s lips thinned. “You are right. But as I see it Elizabeth will be living under my roof until the wedding and since honour forbids me to raise my hand against her, I’ll have to find another way to make her obey me.” He glowered at Gianna and hit her a second time. “For every of your wrong doings, Elizabeth your sister will accept punishment in your stead.”

I pressed my lips together, tears pricking in my eyes. I didn’t look at Lucifer or Father, not until I could find a way to hide my hatred for them.

“Tamacti, take Gianna and Elizabeth to their rooms and make sure they stay there”. Tamacti sheathed his knife and gestured at us to follow him. I stepped past my father, dragging Gia with me who had her head bowed. She stiffened as we stepped over the Blood on the hardwood floor and Allucard who was somehow still alive and bleeding. Gia retched as if she was going throw up again.

“No,” I said firmly. “Look at me.”

She drew her eyes from the blood and met my gaze.

There were tears in her eyes and her lower lip had a cut that was dripping blood on her chin and her night gown. My hand on hers tightened. I’m here for you. Our locked eyes seemed her only anchor as Tamacti led is out of the room.

“Women,” my father said in a contemptuous tone. “They can’t even beat the sight of a bit of blood. “I could practically feel Lucifer’s eyes boring into my back before the door closed. Gia wiped her bleeding lips as we hurried after Tamacti through the corridor and up the stairs. “I hate him,” she muttered. “I hate them all”.

“Shh.” I didn’t want her to talk like that in front of Tamacti. He cared for us, but he was my father’s soldier through and through.

He stopped me when I wanted to follow Gia into here room. I didn’t want her to be alone tonight. And I didn’t want to be alone either. “You heard what your father said”.

I glared at Tamacti. “I need to help Gianna with her lip”. Tamacti shook his head. “It’s nothing. You two in a room together always bodes trouble. Do you think it’s wise to infuriate your father any more tonight?” Tamacti closed Gia’s door and gently pushed me in the direction of my room next to hers.

I stepped on and then turned to him. “A room full of grown men watches a man beat a helpless girl, that’s the famous courage of made men”.

“Your future husband stopped your father”.

“From hitting me, not Gia”.

Tamacti smiled like I was a stupid child. “Lucifer might rule over the Imperium but this is Britannia and your father is King.”

“You admire Lucifer,” I said incredulously

“You watched him carve Allucard’s chest and you admire him”.

“Your cousin is lucky, The crimson devil, didn’t make the wound any deeper or do any worse. Lucifer did what every man would have done”.

Maybe every man in our world.

“Go to sleep”. He said with a smile.

“Will you be guarding my door all night to make sure I don’t sneak out again?” I said challengingly.

“Better get used to it. Now that Lucifer’s put a ring on you finger, he’ll make sure you’re always guarded.

I slammed the door shut. Guarded. Even from afar Lucifer would be controlling my life. I’d thought my life would go on as it used to until the wedding, but how could it when everyone knew what the ring on my finger meant? Allucard’s chest was a signal, warning. Lucifer had made his claim on me and would enforce it cold-bloodedly.

I didn’t extinguish the hearth or turn off the lights that night, worried the dar

kness would bring back images of blood and a carved body.

They came anyway.