Claimed By My Mafia Stepdad

FIRST BLOOD AND BRUISES

I had to know the truth.

My hands were still shaking from last night as I slipped out of the penthouse through the service elevator. The folder burned in my mind. Viktor’s signature. My father’s face. I couldn’t stay there pretending everything was okay.

The city streets felt colder at night. I pulled my hood up and walked fast, heading toward the only person I thought might help. An old friend of my dad’s who worked at a small diner downtown.

I never made it.

A black van pulled up beside me. Two men grabbed me before I could scream. A hand clamped over my mouth.

"Got her," one of them growled.

They dragged me into an alley. My back slammed against the brick wall. Pain shot through my spine.

Marco Rossi stepped out of the shadows. Tall. Cruel smile. Eyes full of hate.

"Well, well. Kane’s new toy out for a walk all alone."

"Get away from me," I spat, trying to sound brave even as my heart hammered.

Marco laughed. He grabbed my chin hard, forcing me to look at him. "You think Viktor can protect you forever? I’m going to ruin you before Kane even gets the chance."

His hand cracked across my face. Harder than Sofia. Harder than the funeral. My lip split. Blood filled my mouth.

I cried out.

"Stop! Please!"

Another slap. Then a punch to my stomach. I doubled over, gasping for air.

"You’re nothing," Marco hissed, kicking my legs out from under me. I hit the wet ground. "Just a weak little girl playing in a man’s world."

I tried to crawl away. One of his men grabbed my hair and yanked me back.

"Look at her cry," Marco mocked. "Pathetic. Your father was a rat and you’re just the leftovers."

He kicked me in the ribs. Once. Twice. Pain exploded everywhere.

I screamed.

"Shut her up," Marco ordered.

A boot connected with my side again. I tasted more blood.

"Victor’s going to lose his mind when he sees what we did to his precious stepdaughter."

I curled into a ball, sobbing. Every breath hurt. This was it. They were really going to kill me.

Then I heard it.

A roar. Not human.

Gunshots. Screams.

Marco’s men started shouting.

"What the f**k is that?"

Viktor exploded into the alley like a nightmare. His eyes glowed silver in the dark. His face twisted with pure rage.

He grabbed the man holding me and threw him against the wall like a ragdoll. Bones cracked.

"Touch her again and die," Viktor snarled.

Marco pulled a gun. "Kane. You’re too late."

Viktor moved faster than I could track. He disarmed Marco and slammed him into the ground. The sound was sickening.

The other men tried to run. Viktor was on them in seconds. Brutal. Efficient. Terrifying.

Then it was quiet. Just my ragged breathing and Viktor’s heavy footsteps coming toward me.

"Aria." His voice broke on my name.

He dropped to his knees in the filth and pulled me into his arms. Gentle. So careful it hurt worse than the beating.

"I’ve got you," he whispered. "I’ve got you, baby."

"It hurts," I sobbed against his chest. "Everything hurts."

"I know. I know." He lifted me like I weighed nothing. "Hold on to me. Just hold on."

The ride back to the penthouse was a blur of pain and his voice murmuring soft words I couldn’t quite catch. He carried me straight to his bathroom. The big one with the massive tub.

He set me on the counter and started peeling off my ruined clothes carefully. Every touch made me wince.

"Stay with me," he said when my eyes fluttered. "Don’t you dare pass out on me."

"Why did you come?" I whispered.

"Because you’re mine." His hands trembled slightly as he cleaned the blood from my face. "I felt it. Something was wrong."

He filled the tub with warm water and eased me in. The heat stung my cuts but soothed my muscles.

Viktor knelt beside the tub. He washed me with slow, careful strokes. His silver eyes never left my face.

"Daddy’s got you," he murmured. "Let me take the pain away."

The words should have shocked me. Instead they wrapped around something deep inside my chest.

I reached for him. "Viktor."

He climbed in fully dressed. Water sloshed over the edge. He pulled me against his chest, holding me like I was made of glass.

"I was so scared," I confessed, voice breaking.

"I know, princess. I know." His lips brushed my temple. "But you’re safe now. I’ve got you."

The fear slowly melted into something else. Heat. Need. A desperate hunger to feel alive after almost dying.

I turned in his arms and kissed him. Hard.

He groaned into my mouth. "Aria. You’re hurt."

"I don’t care." I straddled his lap, ignoring the pain. "Make me forget. Please."

His control snapped.

He kissed me like he was starving. Deep. Possessive. His hands gripped my hips, careful but firm.

"You’re mine," he growled against my lips. "Say it."

"I’m yours," I gasped.

He lifted me slightly and slid inside me in one slow, deep thrust. I cried out, nails digging into his shoulders.

"f**k," he groaned. "So tight. So perfect."

He moved carefully at first. Deep strokes that made me see stars. Every thrust pushed the pain away and replaced it with pleasure.

"Daddy," I whimpered without thinking.

His grip tightened. "That’s right. Good girl. Let Daddy take care of you."

The words pushed me higher. I rocked against him, chasing the feeling. The water splashed around us. His mouth found my neck, sucking marks into my skin.

"You feel so good," he panted. "Taking me so well even after everything."

I came hard, crying his name. He followed right after, burying himself deep and holding me tight as he spilled inside me.

We stayed like that for a long time. Just breathing. Holding each other.

He finally carried me to his bed and laid me down gently. He cleaned me again with a warm cloth, pressing soft kisses to every bruise.

"Some truths will destroy you, princess," he whispered as he pulled me against his chest.

I looked up at him. My body still hummed with pleasure. My heart felt raw.

"Who killed my parents, Viktor?"

His entire body tensed. His arms tightened around me.

"Aria," he warned, voice dark. "Don’t dig deeper. You won’t like what you find."

But I already knew.

And the monster holding me so tenderly was the one who had taken everything from me.