Page 56 of Queen of Misfortune (Shadows of Redemption)

"Luca made a vow to his father to take care of you. Going with him makes it harder for your father.” The words taste like ash in my mouth.

"I'm well aware of the situation." Her brows furrow as if a lightbulb has gone off in her head. “Has Nico madearrangements with Luca? I suppose I can't blame him if I'm a danger to Elena."

My jaw is so tight I’m not sure how it doesn’t crack. "As Nico's wife, Elena has the protection of the Leone Family. She's basically a queen. Your father is a certifiable psychopath, but he’s not dumb enough to go after her, at least not right now and not without help that no other family will give him. You have people who want to protect you, but technically, your father sees you as a Fiori. Giuseppe is dead, and Luca refused to marry you. That leaves you twisting in the wind, Princess."

She sighs and crosses her arms. "So, what have you all decided to do with me? Hand me over to my father? Ship me off with Luca? Sell me to someone else?"

She’s doing her best to be strong, but I see the pain and the fear hiding in the depths of her defiant eyes. I wish I could make everything okay for her, but I know I can’t. This is the best I can do.

I toss the box I’ve been carrying onto her bed. "Get dressed and be downstairs in an hour. We’re getting married."

18

LUCIA

"What did you just say?" My mouth is agape as I try to understand the words that just left his mouth. I had to have heard them wrong.

"I was speaking English. Do you need me to say it in Italian?Ci sposeremo," Donovan says in Italian that’s pretty good for a man with an Irish name.

But I’m still in shock at his words, wondering what’s come over him. Does he think he owns me now?

"Just because I gave you my virginity, doesn't mean you have to marry me."

Admittedly, I'm still a little unsettled by having had sex with him. Not that I didn't enjoy it. And I can't even bring myself to regret it. But it unsettles me how easily I had fallen into him. I feel like I'm slowly losing myself to him. Wanting to count on him. Wanting his strength. But I don’t want this life. And marriage? That's ridiculous.

“I don't want to get married."

He jabs his hands on his hips and glares at me. "You've made that perfectly clear, Princess. This has nothing to do with the fact that I fucked you."

The harshness of his tone, the vulgarity of his words, makes me flinch. “Then what are you doing?"

"You're the one who said you wanted to be with your sister and help her with the twins. Getting married is how you do it. Or am I so repulsive that you’d rather go back to Italy with Luca? Maybe you want to pick up with him where you left off the other day in the hospital."

I stare at Donovan, not knowing who he is. It's like he's speaking another language. "Now what are you talking about?"

"I saw you two hugging. Is he going to be angry when he finds out that you gave your virginity to me instead of him?"

I've been slow on the upkeep of this discussion, but finally, I understand, and my anger breaks through. "I really want to slap you right now. You're being ridiculous."

His nostrils flare, and that along with his size and the narrowing of his eyes makes me think of a bull ready to charge. "If you want to stay here to be with Elena and those twins, you meet me downstairs in an hour or other arrangements will be made for you to return to Italy with Luca."

My anger is replaced with desperation. "What? No. Why?"

He moves toward me, standing so close I can feel the tension radiating off him. "Because your father is a menace to society and no one around you is safe as long as he has set his sights on getting you back. The only way to protect the Leone Family, to protect that sister you say you love so much, is for you to marry me because only then are you given the full protection of the Leone Family. Didn't you ever wonder why your father stopped going after Elena?"

I step back, trying to organize my thoughts. "Because she's married to Nico. She has no value to him anymore."

"That's right, Princess. And the best way to ruin your value to your father is to marry a toady like me. So, get dressed and meetme downstairs in an hour or pack up and get ready to return to Italy. It's your choice."

It doesn't feel like much of a choice.

Donovan strides out of my room, and before my door shuts, it opens again and Elena comes rushing in. She’s dressed in a satiny pale blue dress one might wear out to a nice dinner.

"Tell me you're going to do it. Tell me you're going to marry Donovan and stay." She grips my forearms.

My past is rushing through my brain, all the moments of my life that are just like the one now. Moments when what I want doesn't matter. I look at Elena, and the envy I feel nearly brings me to my knees. Why is she so lucky to find a man who loves her and whom she loves? Is that too much for me to ask to have in my life?

I tug away from her. "Donovan doesn't want to do this. He shouldn't have to marry me simply because his Boss tells him to."