Thorns And Silk

Chapter 9 — Possession

Aria's POV

Living inside the Castellano estate felt strange in ways I still didn’t fully understand.

Not frightening strange.

Not anymore.

Just… unfamiliar.

Safe places confused me.

The mornings here were quiet instead of tense. Nobody screamed if I woke up late. Nobody criticized how I held a fork during breakfast. Rosa hummed softly while cooking, Marco flirted shamelessly with every female employee in existence, and Dante—

Dante watched everything.

Including me.

Especially me.

I noticed it more after the storm.

The way his eyes followed me across rooms.

The way guards suddenly appeared near doors whenever I left the estate grounds.

The way Dante always seemed to know exactly where I was.

Part of me should have found it unsettling.

Instead, something dangerous inside me found it comforting.

That terrified me more.

I stood near the mansion library that afternoon holding a novel Dante had quietly left outside my bedroom two nights earlier.

No note.

No explanation.

Just the book.

He kept doing things like that.

Small things.

Gentle things.

And every single one chipped away at walls I had spent years building around myself.

“You’re smiling at paper again.”

I looked up quickly.

Marco leaned lazily against the doorway holding an apple in one hand.

Heat immediately touched my cheeks.

“I was not smiling.”

“You absolutely were.” He pointed dramatically at the book. “Was it the brooding male lead?”

I closed the novel quickly. “You read romance books?”

“Please,” Marco scoffed. “I am romance.”

A startled laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

Marco grinned triumphantly.

“There she is.”

I shook my head softly while trying to hide my smile.

The library had become my favorite place inside the mansion over the past few weeks. Floor-to-ceiling shelves surrounded the massive room while warm sunlight spilled across dark wooden floors through tall windows.

Peaceful.

Quiet.

Mine.

At least temporarily.

Marco walked further inside before dropping dramatically onto one of the leather sofas.

“You know Dante terrified an accountant yesterday?”

I blinked. “Why?”

“He forgot a comma.”

I stared at him.

Marco nodded solemnly. “Poor bastard nearly cried.”

Despite myself, I laughed again.

The sound still felt unfamiliar coming from me.

Like I was borrowing someone else’s happiness temporarily.

Marco watched me carefully afterward.

His teasing expression softened slightly.

“You laugh more now.”

The simple statement made warmth spread unexpectedly through my chest.

Before I could answer, one of the younger security guards entered the library carrying several packages.

“Mrs. Castellano.”

I stiffened slightly at the title.

Still not used to it.

He smiled politely while setting the boxes near the table.

“More deliveries for you.”

Confusion crossed my face. “For me?”

“Books,” Marco guessed immediately. “Dante’s feeding your addiction again.”

The guard chuckled softly before stepping closer to hand me an envelope.

“You need to sign here.”

I reached for the clipboard automatically.

But the moment the guard’s fingers brushed my wrist while handing over the pen—

He grabbed too tightly.

Not painful.

Not exactly.

But rough enough that fear shot violently through my body before logic could catch up.

I flinched hard.

The clipboard slipped from my hands and crashed loudly onto the floor.

The room froze.

The guard released me instantly. “s**t— sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean—”

My breathing turned uneven immediately.

Too fast.

Too sharp.

Embarrassment burned across my skin.

“It’s okay,” I whispered automatically while stepping backward. “I’m sorry—”

Footsteps echoed sharply outside the library.

Heavy.

Fast.

Then Dante appeared in the doorway.

And everything changed.

The air itself seemed colder when he walked inside.

Dangerous.

Lethal.

His eyes moved from my face to the guard’s hand still half-raised in the air.

Silence fell instantly.

Dead silence.

“What happened?”

Nobody answered fast enough.

Dante’s gaze darkened dangerously.

The guard swallowed hard. “Mr. Castellano, it was an accident—”

“You touched her.”

The calmness in Dante’s voice terrified everyone in the room.

Especially the guard.

“I-I didn’t mean any disrespect, sir—”

Dante moved so fast the man barely had time to react.

One second he stood near the table.

The next, Dante slammed him violently against the bookshelf hard enough to shake the entire wall.

Books crashed onto the floor.

I gasped.

Marco stood immediately. “Dante—”

“You put your hands on my wife?”

The guard looked genuinely terrified now. “I swear it wasn’t intentional!”

Dante grabbed the front of his shirt tighter.

His expression looked cold enough to kill.

“I should break your f*****g wrist.”

Fear shot through me instantly.

Not fear of Dante hurting me.

Fear of what he would become if nobody stopped him.

“Dante,” I whispered shakily.

He didn’t move.

The guard’s breathing turned panicked.

“Please—”

“Dante.”

This time my voice came louder.

His eyes snapped toward me immediately.

And just like that—

The rage paused.

Not gone.

Never gone.

But controlled.

I stared at him while my heartbeat crashed unevenly against my ribs.

“He didn’t hurt me.”

Silence.

Dante’s jaw tightened visibly.

“He grabbed you.”

“By accident.”

The guard nodded frantically. “Yes, sir. I swear.”

For several terrifying seconds, nobody moved.

Then finally Dante released him roughly.

The man stumbled backward immediately.

“Get out.”

The guard didn’t hesitate.

He practically ran from the room.

Marco exhaled slowly afterward. “Well. That was deeply concerning.”

Dante ignored him completely.

His attention remained fixed on me.

“You okay?”

The question softened something painfully inside my chest.

I nodded quickly. “I’m fine.”

Lie.

My hands still trembled faintly.

Dante noticed instantly.

Of course he did.

His expression darkened again, though this time not with anger toward me.

Toward himself.

“I scared you.”

The realization in his voice sounded almost rough.

“No,” I answered immediately.

Another lie.

Not entirely.

I wasn’t scared of him.

I was scared for him.

Scared of the violence constantly waiting beneath his skin.

Marco rubbed a hand across his face tiredly. “I’m leaving before somebody dies.”

Neither of us answered.

Marco pointed between us dramatically. “This relationship needs therapy.”

Then he disappeared from the library muttering something in Italian.

Silence settled afterward.

Heavy.

Tense.

Dante looked down briefly at the fallen clipboard still lying near my feet before walking toward it.

He picked it up quietly.

Then held it out toward me carefully.

Like he was approaching something fragile.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

The apology startled me enough that I forgot to breathe properly for a second.

“You apologized again,” I whispered.

His mouth flattened slightly. “Don’t start counting.”

Something tiny and dangerous fluttered inside my chest.

I took the clipboard carefully from his hand.

Our fingers brushed briefly.

Warmth spread instantly beneath my skin.

“You were protecting me,” I said softly.

Dante’s eyes locked onto mine.

“Yes.”

The single word wrapped around my heartbeat like smoke.

Possessive.

Honest.

Terrifyingly sincere.

No hesitation.

No shame.

Just truth.

Mine to protect.

I could almost hear the unspoken words between us.

The realization made my pulse stumble unevenly.

Dante studied me silently for several long seconds afterward.

Then quietly—

“You shouldn’t apologize when people scare you.”

My throat tightened painfully.

“I know.”

“No,” he corrected calmly. “You understand the words. That’s different.”

Emotion rose unexpectedly inside my chest again.

Dangerous emotion.

The kind that made people weak.

The kind that made people hopeful.

I looked away first.

Dante's POV

Luca cornered me in my office less than an hour later.

“You nearly killed a guard over a wrist grab.”

I continued reading shipment reports calmly.

“He startled her.”

Luca stared at me like I’d lost my mind completely.

“You threatened to break his arm.”

“He touched her.”

“There are married men less possessive than you.”

I looked up slowly.

“Careful.”

Luca sighed heavily before dropping into the chair across from my desk.

“This is exactly what I warned you about.”

Interesting.

I leaned back slightly. “Explain.”

“You’re attached.”

The word hung heavily between us.

Attached.

Not love.

Not obsession.

Something worse.

Because attachment made men reckless.

And Luca knew exactly how dangerous reckless men became in our world.

“She’s my wife,” I said evenly.

“She’s becoming your weakness.”

Wrong.

Aria wasn’t weakness.

She was the first thing in years that made violence feel unnecessary sometimes.

The realization irritated me immediately.

Luca studied my silence carefully before speaking again.

“You watch security footage just to make sure she eats lunch.”

I remained expressionless.

“You bought an entire bookstore because she likes reading.”

“She looked happy.”

Luca blinked once slowly.

Then leaned back in visible disbelief.

“Oh, you’re completely fucked.”

I should have denied it.

Instead, my thoughts drifted back toward the library.

Toward the moment Aria called my name softly enough to stop me from hurting someone.

Interesting power.

Dangerous power.

Nobody else in this city could interrupt my rage that way.

Not Marco.

Not Luca.

Not fear.

Only her.

“You know what the guards are saying?” Luca asked carefully.

“I don’t care.”

“They think you’re going soft.”

Cold silence settled instantly across the office.

Luca watched my expression sharpen.

“There it is,” he muttered quietly. “That’s the Dante people fear.”

Good.

Fear kept people alive.

But then Luca ruined everything by adding—

“And yet none of them are wrong.”

My jaw tightened slightly.

Because part of me already knew.

The problem wasn’t that Aria made me softer.

The problem was that I liked who I became around her.

Aria's POV

That evening, Rosa helped me unpack the newest stack of books Dante bought me.

The older woman smiled knowingly while arranging novels across the shelves inside my room.

“He spoils you already.”

Heat touched my cheeks instantly.

“He buys too much.”

“Mhm.” Rosa looked unconvinced. “And you love every second of it.”

I opened my mouth to deny it.

Then closed it again.

Because maybe—

Maybe I did.

A little.

Rosa’s expression softened gently.

“You know, Dante has never brought a woman here before.”

My hands paused.

“What?”

“Never.” She folded another sweater neatly. “Women existed in his life, of course. But not here.”

Something strange twisted inside my chest.

“He brought you home,” Rosa continued softly. “That means something.”

Before I could respond, a knock sounded against the bedroom door.

Dante entered moments later wearing a black suit, dark hair slightly damp from rain outside.

His eyes immediately found me.

Always.

Rosa noticed too.

The older woman smiled suspiciously before walking toward the door.

“I suddenly remembered I have other things to do.”

Then she disappeared before either of us could stop her.

Silence filled the bedroom afterward.

I nervously adjusted one of the books on the shelf unnecessarily.

Dante stepped further inside.

“You okay?”

“There’s that question again.”

“You avoid answering it every time.”

A tiny breath escaped me.

Almost amusement.

Dante loosened his tie slightly while watching me quietly.

“The guard was fired.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“He was careless.”

“He didn’t mean to upset me.”

“He still did.”

I stared at him helplessly.

“You can’t punish everyone who makes mistakes around me.”

His expression remained calm.

“Yes, I can.”

The confidence in his voice should not have affected me the way it did.

But something warm spread slowly through my chest anyway.

Dangerous warmth.

Dante moved closer afterward before stopping directly in front of me.

Too close.

Not enough.

My heartbeat turned uneven instantly.

“You were shaking,” he said quietly.

I swallowed hard.

“I know.”

His gaze remained fixed on me.

“I didn’t like it.”

The honesty in his voice stole breath from my lungs.

Slowly—

Carefully—

Dante reached toward me.

My body tensed instinctively for half a second before recognizing him.

Then relaxed.

His fingers brushed softly against my wrist.

The same wrist the guard grabbed earlier.

Gentle.

Reassuring.

Mine to protect.

The unspoken message lingered in every touch.

My pulse fluttered uncontrollably beneath his fingertips.

Dante felt it.

I knew he did.

Because his eyes darkened slightly afterward.

Neither of us moved.

The room suddenly felt too quiet.

Too warm.

Too small.

“Aria,” he said softly.

The way he said my name should not have affected me that much.

But it did.

God.

It really did.

Then quietly—

“I bought something else for you.”

I blinked rapidly, trying to recover my thoughts.

“You already bought too much.”

“Not negotiable.”

He handed me a small paper bag resting near the doorway.

Confused, I opened it slowly.

Inside sat a beautiful leather-bound edition of Pride and Prejudice.

My favorite novel.

I looked up instantly. “How did you know?”

“You read the old copy three times this week.”

Oh.

Of course he noticed.

Dante noticed everything about me.

The realization settled heavily into my chest.

Warm.

Dangerous.

Beautiful.

And for the first time in years—

I didn’t feel invisible anymore.