Chapter 14
932 Words
Aria
I pulled away from him, gasping for air. My heart was thudding so hard it felt like it was going to break my ribs. Without thinking, my hand flew up and I slapped him across the face.
The sound of the slap was loud in the quiet study.
I froze, my hand stinging. I realized what I had done the second it happened. I had just slapped the Lycan King. I had just slapped the man who held my life in his hands. A part of me expected him to growl, to shift, or to throw me across the room. But I didn't apologize. I stood my ground, my chin tilted up even as my stomach churned with fear.
Dante didn't flinch. He slowly reached up and touched his cheek with his fingers, a small, dark chuckle escaping his lips.
"Marrying you is definitely going to be fun," he said, turning his gaze back to me. His golden eyes were bright with amusement. "At least I know life with you won't be boring, Aria."
"I am not a source of entertainment for you," I snapped, though my voice was still a bit shaky.
"Sign the contract," he demanded, his tone turning serious again. He pointed to the pen on the desk.
"Not until you agree to my rules," I insisted. "I won't be a puppet. I won't be a toy you can play with whenever you're bored."
Dante stepped closer, his presence looming over me. "You seem to forget your position, love. You’re my captive. You’re on my island. You have no choice. You sign that paper, or you stay in a cell until I decide otherwise."
I looked at the stack of papers. I thought about my work. I thought about Lucas and Chloe, about my foster parents who never bothered to reach out. I thought about the fire that had been burning in my gut for six years. I needed Dante's army. I needed his power to finally get the revenge I had worked so hard for.
And then for reasons unknown to me, I thought about Leo. I thought about the way he had clung to me in the kitchen and the way his feverish eyes had looked so relieved when he saw me. He needed me. I don't know why I cared, but I did.
I picked up the pen. My hand was steady as I signed my name on the bottom line of the top copy. Aria Vale. I dropped the pen back onto the desk. "There. Are you happy now?"
To my absolute shock. Dante nodded and moved in front of me, suddenly dropping to one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He snapped it open, revealing a diamond ring so large and clear it looked like a shard of ice.
"Aria Vale," he said, his voice dropping into a low, formal tone. "Will you marry me?"
I was completely dumbfounded. I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. He was asking? After kidnapping me and forcing me to sign a contract, he was actually doing the traditional proposal?
"I..."
Before I could even get a "no" or a "what is wrong with you" out, he grabbed my left hand and slid the heavy ring onto my finger, the metal feeling cold.
Then, he stood up and pulled a matching gold ring from the box, sliding it onto his own finger. He turned and walked back to his leather chair, sitting down as if he hadn't just made me completely speechless.
I stared at the ring on my hand. It was beautiful, and I hated it. It felt like a shackle made of diamonds.
"Well? What are you still doing here? Do you want to immediately resume your wifely duties on my lap?" He asked, a cocky smirk on his lips.
My face flushed a deep, hot red. I felt the heat crawl all the way up to my ears.
"You're unhinged!" I yelled.
I didn't wait for him to respond and turned, rushing out of the room, my heels clicking frantically against the stone floor. I needed to get away from him. I hated how he did this to me. I hated how he could be so dominant one second and then so mockingly playful the next.
Worse than that, I hated how he seemed to get under my skin. My heart was still racing, and it wasn't just from anger.
I reached the hallway and slowed down, trying to catch my breath. I touched my lips with my fingers. The feel of our kiss from minutes ago was still there, stinging and warm. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shake the feeling. I was the Viper. I wasn't some schoolgirl blushing over a criminal.
I needed to see Leo. He was the only thing in this place that made sense to me.
I made my way back to his room. The guards at the door stepped aside, letting me through. The room was dim, the curtains drawn to keep out the bright morning sun.
I walked toward the massive bed, my steps quiet. Leo was lying there, tucked under the heavy covers. He looked so still. Too still.
"Leo?" I whispered.
I walked up to the side of the bed, reaching out to check his temperature. But before my hand could touch his forehead, he shifted, opening his eyes.
I froze.
For a split second, his eyes weren't black. They flashed a brilliant, electric violet that seemed to glow in the shadows of the room.
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