Keeping his bride

Selina

I WAKE UP from a nightmare, my body trembling under the blankets. I sit up slowly; and when I raise my hands in front of my face, I can still see the blood covering my skin. “Oh god, no!” I gasp as I desperately try to rub the red stains away. My nails scratch at my skin, tearing it open as I try to rid myself of the image.

Running to the bathroom, I turn on the hot water in the sink and scrub my skin until it’s red and raw. I know their blood is just in my head, but I feel like it’s still on me. The dream followed me into real life, and it’s staining my very soul.

I can still hear their screams. I can still see their faces when they realized their fate…because of me. It was my fault. It was all my fault. They’re all dead because of me!

Screaming, I lash out, my fist connecting with the mirror before me. The glass fissures, creating a distorted reflection of my face. My features look ugly, warped. And that’s how I truly see myself – a fucking monster, a murderer. If I hadn’t been so damn selfish that day, they would still be alive.

And now I’m bringing that same danger upon the Vitale family, who have only shown me love and compassion. The curse has followed me here, and I don’t know how long it will be before I’ll be wearing their blood too.

“No,” I say out loud, shaking my head vehemently. I won’t let that happen to them. I refuse to let Constantine harm them. He’s taken everything from me. I won’t let him take them from me too.

Fleeing from the bathroom, I go to the closet and pick out the darkest clothes I can – a pair of black yoga pants and a dark gray hooded sweatshirt. I dress quickly, scooping up a pair of black and white sneakers in the process and stepping into them before I slip out of my room.

The compound is quiet. I’m sure there are guards somewhere…maybe everywhere…but I don’t care. I’m not a prisoner here. They have to let me leave whenever I want to. Right?

Even I don’t know the answer to that question, but I’m bound and determined to find out.

My feet move quickly, carrying me down the hall. I glance back at Nico’s room one last time, hating the thought of possibly never seeing him again. But I know it’s for the best. I’m only endangering him and his entire family by staying here. And I’m sure he’d rather have his family alive and well with me gone than the opposite of what will happen if I stay.

I tread lightly down the steps. The compound is quiet and dark, save for a few dim security lights here and there.

I stare at the front door when I reach the bottom level, but I’m not that stupid. There has to be some kind of alarm associated with that entrance. Instead, I turn and go to the back of the house where I’ve seen the inground pool.

I stop at the sliding patio door and take a breath. My hand trembles as I grip the handle and test it, pulling it just an inch before stopping, hoping that a loud alarm will not sound, waking up the entire house.

I cringe, waiting, but nothing happens. Blowing out a sigh of relief, I open the door just enough to slip out before closing it behind me. I walk past the swimming pool, anxiety creeping up into my bones as I slink past the patio and make it to the yard.

Ducking down, I run through the large garden, the tall flowers and shrubs giving me cover. I shrink down by a bush and wait, panting. The night air is crisp and cool against my skin as I look back at the compound. Tears fill my eyes at the thought of leaving behind the only family who ever loved me, but I know it will be better this way. At least I will know that they won’t have to suffer. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to the Vitales because of me.

Steeling my nerves, I slip out of the garden and cross the yard. All of this seems…too easy, and I’m shocked by the lack of security. I’m beginning to wonder why Constantine hasn’t attacked or come for me yet. If I can get out, that means he can get in. And that thought alone is what pushes me towards the fence. I grip the bars, and the metal is cold and unforgiving. The fence is tall, and I know it will not be easy, but my determination and sheer will might just work in my favor.

I grip the bars, preparing to try to pull myself up when I hear a deep, ragged voice call out, “Stop!”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

My heart pounds against my ribcage as I stand still, not sure what to do. Should I stop? Should I run?

It only takes me a moment to make up my mind. Before the person behind me can make a move, I take off running.

Nicholas

In the middle of the night, I’m awoken by an alarm sounding on my phone. It’s a strange sound, not one of my usual alerts, waking me up out of a dead sleep.

Unlocking my phone, I switch on my bedside lamp and read the messages popping up on my screen. The first text from Aldo asks what he should do. There’s a photo attached to the message, so I open it up and stare at it. I’m confused at first, not exactly sure what I’m looking at. It’s a photo captured from the motion detector cameras in the hallway. Zooming in, I see Selina sneaking out of her room. Normally that wouldn’t raise alarm…except that she’s fully clothed, dressed in all black with sneakers. The subsequent pictures are of her walking downstairs and then disappearing outside one of the side entrances.

Aldo’s next text has my heart doubling in speed.

We’ve got a runner.

Fuck. Texting him quickly, I make sure he alerts the guards to stand down. I don’t want anyone laying a finger on her. Not only would it drive me fucking crazy to see anyone touching her, but I know Selina might lose it if one of the guards manhandles her. They’re trained to not let anyone in. But they’re also trained to not let anyone out without permission first. Selina is not a prisoner here, by any means. It’s simply a safety precaution.

With Carbone on the hunt for her, we cannot let her leave. If I had it my way, Selina would stay here indefinitely. But ultimately that decision is not up to me. It’s hers and hers alone. However, she can never be allowed to leave until Constantine is either behind bars or dead. We can’t risk him gaining access to her ever again. And the fact that he possessed her for an entire decade makes me think he desperately wants her back and would be willing to do anything to have her in his grasp again.

I run silently through the compound and out through the yard until I see her dark, lithe figure by the fence. As soon as she touches the bars, intending to try to hoist herself up and over the tall fence, I yell out, “Stop!” My voice sounds deep and desperate, and I wonder if she even realizes it’s me.

It only takes her a few seconds to make a decision. And as soon as she darts off to the right, I know that decision was made. She doesn’t want to stop. She wants to run. And my only choice is to run after her.

The adrenaline pumps in my veins as I chase her. She’s fast. But I’m faster. I gain ground on her within the matter of a few seconds, and I gently grab her arm, bringing us to a stop, not wanting to hurt her.

But then she starts to fight. “Fuck,” I curse as she elbows me in the ribs. Grabbing her tightly, I put her in a hold with her arms crisscrossed in front of her and her back tight up against my front. I don’t want to hurt her. That’s the last fucking thing I want to do. “Stop fighting me, Lina!” I order.

“No!” she cries out, kicking at my shins.

I hold her until she wears herself out, and then and only then do I finally release her. Panting, she takes a few steps away from me, glaring. And, fuck, if looks could kill, I would drop dead right here on the spot.

“What the hell is your problem? Why are you trying to leave?” I demand, desperately wanting to know the reason behind her sudden erratic behavior.

“I just need to leave, Nico. You couldn’t understand,” she says, her eyes tilting up to the night sky before she lets out a small sigh.

“I’m not letting you go for no goddamn reason,” I tell her, growing angrier by the second. “Constantine is still out there. Maybe even waiting for you!” I yell, trying to get it through her head.

“I know! That’s the point of me trying to get away from you. Don’t you get it? I don’t want him to hurt you too!” she cries. “I don’t want you to end up dead like them!” “Them? Who?” I ask.

Her eyes grow wide as she realizes she said something she didn’t mean to. “Nothing. I didn’t…never mind.” “No, tell me. I want to know,” I insist.

“It’s not safe for anyone, not you, not your family, if I’m here. He always finds me,” she says resolutely.

“He’d need an army to get in here. Don’t you get that? You’re safe here, Lina. You’re safer here than out on your own!” I say heatedly, trying to talk some sense into her.

She rolls her eyes at my words. “I’ve heard that before. You don’t know him.” She wraps her arms around herself. “No one knows him like I do. No one knows what he’s truly capable of.”

“Enlighten me then,” I suggest. “I want to know what you’re so afraid of that you want to leave the safest place on the planet for you right now!”

She swallows hard and doesn’t speak for so long that I begin to wonder if she’ll ever tell me. But then she finally starts with, “When I was fifteen, I got away from Constantine. They had docked his yacht in this little Italian village. Constantine wanted to go sightseeing or something. I don’t really remember.” She shakes her head. “I just know I was able to slip past him and his security guards. I ran until I couldn’t run anymore.” She shivers at the memory, wrapping her arms tighter around herself. “I found a house at the end of an alleyway. It was a family of five. The mother and father were so delightful, and their three small children were beautiful and kind.” She takes a moment to release a shaky breath. “The father knew a little English, and I explained to him the situation I was in. They agreed to help me.”

I listen to her story carefully; and even though I don’t know the ending, I think I know where this story is going. If it haunts her this much so many years later, it must be horrifically brutal. It obviously scarred her soul deeply.

“Constantine found me an hour later.” Tears fill her eyes, but she doesn’t let a single drop fall. “He killed them. Even the kids. He killed them all in front of me.” She closes her eyes, and a single tear sneaks out and trails down her porcelain cheek. “I was covered in their blood. Constantine didn’t let me shower for weeks. I wore their blood on my skin, on my clothes. He told me it was my lesson to learn – that it would happen anytime anyone tried to help me.” Her eyes flutter open and she gazes up at me. “I don’t want that happening to you and your family, Nico. I don’t want you to get hurt!” she exclaims, her voice wavering with despair.

I take a step closer to her. Slowly, wanting her to know my true intentions, I gently raise my hand and cup her cheek in my palm. Her breath catches in her throat as my thumb wipes away the stray tear from her cheek, and then she looks up at me with those haunting eyes of hers. Fuck, she’s never looked more beautiful. “He can’t hurt me, Lina. Only you can. By leaving,” I explain. “Constantine can’t get to you here. I promise you that. He wouldn’t get within ten miles of this place without us knowing.”

Selina scoffs like she doesn’t believe me, pulling away from my touch and taking a few steps backwards. So I tell her, “Come. Let me show you.” And then I turn and wait for her.

She stares at me, uncertainty written all over her face. But she eventually starts to walk and begins to follow me. I’m going to ease her mind and take her to the control room, as we call it. Because then, and only then, will she see how truly safe she is here.