Vows to the Devil

Five Rules

The next day came faster than usual. Rafael was waiting for me in his study when Mrs. Santos brought me downstairs.

He sat behind a massive desk, wearing a black suit. Papers were spread in front of him, but his attention was focused entirely on me as I walked in.

"Sit," he said, pointing to the chair across from his desk.

I sat, keeping my spine straight and my hands folded. My mother had taught me how to look calm even when my heart was racing.

"We need to discuss how things work here," Rafael said, setting down his pen. He leaned back in his chair, studying my face. "I have five rules, princess. Simple enough for you to remember. Follow them, and your life here will be comfortable. Break them, and there will be consequences."

"What kind of consequences?"

His smile was cold. "The kind you don't want to find out about."

He stood up and walked around the desk until he was leaning against it, close enough that I could smell his expensive cologne.

"Rule one," he said. "You don't leave this house without my permission. When you do leave, Marcus or one of his men goes with you. You don't go anywhere alone. Ever."

"So I'm a prisoner."

"You're my wife. There's a difference."

"Is there?"

"A prisoner is someone being punished. You're someone being protected." His dark eyes held mine. "From everyone who wants to hurt you to get to me."

I wanted to argue, but something in his voice told me it would be pointless.

"Rule two," Rafael continued, his voice dropping to something more dangerous. "You belong to me now. Completely. That means no contact with your old life without my permission. Your mother, friends, anyone from your father's organization, they're all off limits unless I say otherwise. You don't make phone calls, send messages, or even think about reaching out to them."

"What! They'll worry."

"They'll assume you're exactly where you belong." The possessive way he said it made my skin crawl. "You're mine, Maliya. Your loyalty, your attention, your thoughts - they all belong to me now."

My hands clenched in my lap. "You can't control my thoughts."

"Can't I?" His smile was sharp as a blade. "We'll see."

He pushed off from the desk and move way closer to where I was sited.

"Rule three," he said, stopping directly in front of my chair. "You don't go into certain areas of this house. The room on the third floor with the wooden door, that’s my personal space and room is completely off limits."

"What's in there?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

Rafael leaned down until his face was inches from mine. "That room stays locked, Maliya. You don't go near it. You don't ask about it. You don't even think about it, it’s Not negotiable."

Something in his tone made me shiver. Whatever was behind that door, it was important enough to make the Devil himself look dangerous when talking about it.

"Rule four," he continued, straightening up. "You don't hurt yourself. You don't skip meals, you don't make yourself sick, you don't do anything stupid to try to escape or punish me. Because if you damage what belongs to me..."

"What?" I whispered.

"Your mother pays the price." His voice was deadly serious. "Elena Cruize is living comfortably in your family home right now. She's protected, safe, well-cared for. As long as you take care of yourself, it stays that way."

All the air left my lungs. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." The threat hung between us. He meant every word. "If you hurt yourself, I hurt her. If you starve yourself, she goes hungry. If you try to kill yourself, she dies. Simple math, princess."

My vision blurred with rage. "You're a monster."

"Yes. But I'm a monster who keeps his promises." Rafael sat on the edge of his desk again. "Which brings me to rule five."

I braced myself, knowing this last one would be the worst.

"Rule five is simple," he said, his voice almost gentle. "You will learn to love me."

I stared at him. "What?"

"You heard me. You will learn to love me, Maliya. Not just tolerate me, not just submit to me. Love me." His dark eyes burned into mine. "You'll share my bed willingly. You'll smile when I come home. You'll miss me when I'm gone. You'll choose me over everyone else in your life."

I raised my head and burst into laughter, you’re joking right?

“The last thing I would ever do is love you, even in death, I would never.”

You can't force someone to love you."

"Can't I?" Rafael stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the city below. He turned and came to me, tracing the tip of his finger on my face.

I felt heat move through my body, but I shrugged away from his touch and stood up from the chair.

"I'll follow your first four rules," I said, meeting his dark eyes. "But the fifth one? That will never happen. You can force me to stay here, you can control where I go and who I talk to, but you cannot make me love you."

Rafael's smile was slow and dangerous. "We'll see about that, princess."

"We will." I lifted my chin. "Is that all? Because I'm sure a mafia boss has better things to do than threaten his wife all morning."

He laughed, actually laughed. "You're right. We have meetings to attend."

"Meetings?"

"Did you think you'd just hide in this house forever?" Rafael walked back to his desk and picked up his suit jacket. "You're my queen now, Maliya. That means you need to meet my people. Let them see what belongs to me."

The way he said 'belongs to me' made my skin crawl, but I kept my face calm.

"Mrs. Santos will help you get ready. Wear something that shows you understand your new position."

Two hours later, I stood in front of my bedroom mirror wearing a black dress. Mrs. Santos had helped me with my hair and makeup, making me look like the perfect mafia wife.

"You look beautiful, Mrs. De Luca," she said quietly.

Rafael was waiting for me downstairs, dressed in a dark suit that made him look even more dangerous than usual. His eyes moved over me slowly, taking in every detail.

"Perfect," he said, offering me his arm.

We drove through the city in his black car, Marcus following behind us with two other guards. Rafael's hand rested on my thigh, possessive and warm through the fabric of my dress.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The Palazzo. It's where we conduct business." His fingers tightened slightly. "Just smile and let me do the talking."

The Palazzo turned out to be an expensive restaurant that had been closed to regular customers for the afternoon. Inside, at least thirty men in expensive suits waited around elegant tables. They all stood when Rafael walked in.

"Gentlemen," Rafael announced, his voice carrying easily through the room. "I want you to meet my wife, Maliya De Luca."

The men nodded respectfully, but I could feel their eyes studying me like I was a piece of art they were trying to decide whether to buy.

Rafael guided me to the head table, his hand never leaving the small of my back. As we sat down, the other men took their seats.

"To the new Mrs. De Luca," someone called out, raising a glass of wine.

"To new alliances," Rafael replied, raising his own glass.

Everyone drank, and I forced myself to smile like a proper wife should.

For the next hour, I sat quietly while Rafael discussed business with his associates. Territory disputes, shipping schedules, money transfers. The kind of conversations that would send normal people to prison.

I was starting to think this was just a boring display of power when she walked in.

She was beautiful, Long black hair, perfect curves, and the kind of confidence that came from knowing exactly how stunning she was.

She walked straight to our table like she owned the place.

"Rafael," she purred, completely ignoring me. "I heard congratulations are in order."

"Isabella." Rafael's voice was neutral.

Isabella finally looked at me, her gaze traveling from my face down to my hands and back up again. Then she smiled, but it was cold as winter.

"So this is the famous Cruize princess." She extended her hand to me. "How lovely to finally meet Vincent's little girl."

I shook her hand, noting how she emphasized 'little girl' like an insult.

"And you are?" I asked sweetly.

"Isabella. I'm sure Rafael has mentioned me." Her smile turned sharp. "We have such a long history together."

Rafael's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing.

Isabella leaned closer to me, her voice dropping so only I could hear. "Enjoy being the new toy, dear, and least I forget congratulations. "