Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
I toss the gun aside, spitting at her gasping, dying body on the floor.
And I swear to myself I'll never love another soul again.
13
Nicoletta
It's the dark of night when I first hear the screams. I don't know what to think of it at first – there are lots of unusual noises in a mysterious house like this, but I've never heard anyone scream in the mansion. And these aren’t the screams of a woman – this is a man crying out.
Pushing my feet out of the warm comfort of my bed, I allow them to meet the floor. The cold shocks me. I shouldn't be getting up, I should be ringing for a maid. But I can't. For some reason, I'm being pulled toward the noise as if a magnet is drawing me.
Mia must've felt sorry for me again, because the door of my bedroom is unlocked. I thank my lucky stars as I sneak down the hallway, following the piercing screams to a room I know to be Ryder's.
My teeth dig into my bottom lip. Am I going through with this? Am I actually going to barge into his room in the middle of the night, demanding to know what all this ruckus is about?
I recall my conversation with Papa. How determined he was for me to have a baby, to get pregnant. Perhaps it's the only thing that can protect me now – my own body. I've spent my entire life hiding it from the world, and now it might be the very thing that saves me from Papa's wrath.
I gently knock on the door. The screaming subsides, and I can hear him muttering, possibly talking in his sleep. I need to get in there, I need to make sure he's okay, I need to be there for Ryder. He's done so much for me, and I've fought the emotions he makes me feel for so very long. But there's something different about tonight. Tonight, there are no rules... and I need to comfort Ryder as much as I need him to comfort me.
I gently push the door and it opens. I walk into a suite not unlike my own, though it's more masculine, and follow the sound of his mutterings to a large bed where Ryder is sleeping. He's shirtless, wearing only a pair of thin gray pants, the sheets and duvet tossed off his body. His torso glistens with sweat, his hair slicked to his forehead with perspiration. He needs me. He needs my help.
I sit down next to him and gently touch my fingertips to his cheek. But instead of the relief I was expecting, Ryder's eyes shoot open and pure panic resides in his dilated pupils.
"Livia," he mutters, making a grab for me. I gasp but it doesn't bring me any relief – Ryder's hands are now clasped around my throat, and he's choking me, really trying to hurt me.
"Ryder, no!" I manage to get out in a choked cry. "It's me, Nicoletta!"
His eyes cloud over and he squeezes harder. I want to scream but I'm too weak and the pressure he's applying to my throat is too fucking much for me to fight him. I croak out another sentence, but these words are the last thing I have in me.
"Please, Ryder... it's me, your principessa..."
That seems to help, and the cloud clears from his eyes. He looks startled when he realizes what he's doing, and he finally lets go of me, groaning and cradling me as I cough and sputter back to life.
For a moment, I was certain he was going to fucking kill me. He thought I was someone else... some other woman. A woman he must want dead.
"Nicoletta," he murmurs, pressing his lips against my forehead. "I'm so fucking sorry, principessa. What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
"The screams," I croak, clearing my throat while Ryder gently cradles my cheek. "I heard you screaming... I wanted to stay away but I fucking couldn't, I knew you needed my help, I wanted to be there for you."
"I'm so sorry," he repeats. "It must've been another nightmare. I've been getting them a lot since..."
"Since what?" I whisper, not expecting an answer. And he doesn't give me one, merely runs a hand through his hair darkened with sweat. "Ryder, you scared me. You looked out of control. Who made you this angry? Who is Livia?"
"One day, I'll explain," he mutters. "I'll tell you everything, Nicoletta, my principessa. Just... don't leave me now. Stay with me tonight."
"Right here?" I whisper, and he nods, eyes boring into mine. "You want me to spend the night with you? But what will everyone think, Ryder? This is a bad idea..."
"I don't fucking care," he snarls. "I want you right fucking here, right next to me tonight. We'll worry about tomorrow later. Okay, principessa?"