Chapter Seven

Emily

I wake up in Dante’s arms, my body still tangled with his, the sheets warm and soft against my skin. His breathing is steady, and slow, and for a moment, I let myself bask in the feeling of his warmth. Last night was…a lot. Even now, my body feels the lingering effects of it—every touch, every kiss, every moment was raw and powerful. I’ve never experienced anything like it before, and the fact that it was with Dante makes it all the more overwhelming.

I close my eyes for a second, remembering the way he moved, the way he handled me with both a careful gentleness and a fierce passion. It was like he was holding back and letting go all at once. My heart skips a beat just thinking about it, and I feel a blush creep up my cheeks. I never thought I’d be in this situation, but here I am, wrapped up in the sheets with the most dangerous man I’ve ever met, and I’m falling for him. Hard.

Dante shifts slightly, pulling me closer in his sleep, his arms tightening around my waist like he’s afraid to let me go. I smile, feeling safe, something I haven’t felt in a long time. Around Dante, everything feels different. I know his world is dangerous, but there’s this unshakable sense of security when I’m with him. Nothing can touch me as long as I’m by his side.

I don’t know how it happened, or when exactly I started to fall for him, but it’s undeniable now. I can feel it in every fiber of my being. This pull towards him, this need to be close to him. It’s more than just lust—it’s something deeper, something I can’t quite put into words.

Eventually, Dante stirs awake, his eyes meeting mine with a soft, sleepy smile. “Morning, Princess,” he murmurs, his voice deep and husky. His hand brushes the hair out of my face, and he leans down to press a gentle kiss to my forehead.

“Morning,” I whisper back, my heart fluttering at the simple, intimate gesture.

We lay there for a few more moments, wrapped up in the warmth of each other, before Dante eventually pulled away and stretches. “Come on,” he says, “let’s shower.”

I bite my lip, feeling a tinge of excitement as we make our way to the bathroom. The shower is steamy, and being this close to Dante, feeling the water cascade down our bodies as we wash away the remnants of last night, feels both calming and sensual. His hands glide over my skin, and it takes everything in me not to let things escalate again. But for now, we keep it simple, and by the time we step out, I feel refreshed and oddly at peace.

“I’ll be in my office for a bit,” Dante says, pulling on a shirt as he stands by the door. “You should get dressed. I’ll find something for us to eat later.”

I nod, watching as he leaves the room. There’s this lingering tension in the air, this unspoken connection between us that I can’t shake. As I towel off and slip into one of his shirts, I realize just how much I don’t want this feeling to go away.

I take my time getting ready, trying to shake off the overwhelming emotions from last night. Once I’m dressed, I start looking for Dante again, but I can’t seem to find him anywhere. The house is massive, and I’m still not entirely familiar with all the rooms and hallways, so I wander for a bit, aimlessly opening doors.

When I push open one door I haven’t noticed before, I step inside what looks like an office. It’s dark and lined with expensive, polished furniture, much like the rest of the house. But something feels off. My gaze drifts over to a wall where multiple screens are lit up, and I freeze.

Cameras.

There are cameras everywhere.

I step closer, my eyes scanning the feeds. They’re all trained on different parts of the house—specifically, the areas where I’ve been spending most of my time. My heart drops into my stomach as I watch the screens, each one showing a different angle of where I’ve been walking, sleeping, and even showering.

What the hell?

Rage and embarrassment flood through me as I realize what this means. Dante has been watching me. Monitoring my every move. It feels like a violation like my privacy has been ripped away without my knowledge or consent. I can’t believe he would do something like this.

Suddenly, I hear a noise behind me, and I whip around to see Dante standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable.

“What the hell is this?” I demand, my voice shaking with anger as I gesture towards the screens.

Dante’s eyes flick to the cameras, and his jaw tightens. “They’re for your protection,” he says flatly, stepping into the room like this isn’t a big deal.

“Protection?” I scoff, my hands balling into fists at my sides. “This is creepy, Dante! You’ve been watching me this whole time without telling me? You had cameras in every part of the house I’ve been in!”

“I had to make sure you were safe,” he says, his voice low and controlled, but there’s a dangerous edge to it. “I can’t afford to let anything happen to you, Emily. Not in my world.”

I shake my head, unable to process what he’s saying. “So your solution is to spy on me? To treat me like some kind of... prisoner?”

He steps closer, his eyes dark and cold. “You don’t understand how dangerous things are, Emily. I did what I had to do.”

His words hang in the air between us, thick with tension. My breath becomes unsteady, my chest tightening with fury and something else—something that terrifies me. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have trusted him?

“I need air,” I mutter, turning on my heel and storming out of the office.

“Emily—” Dante calls after me, but I don’t stop. I can’t.

I feel suffocated, like the walls of this mansion are closing in on me. All I can think about is how desperately I need to get out, how wrong this all feels. I thought I could trust him, but now I’m not so sure. The cameras, the control, the way he’s been watching my every move—it’s too much.

I manage to slip out of the house, past the cameras and the eyes that have been following me, and I run. I don’t know where I’m going, but I just need to escape. To breathe.

But I don’t get far.

Before I can make it down the driveway, I’m grabbed from behind. A sharp pain explodes at the back of my head, and everything goes dark.

When I wake up, I’m in a dark room, tied to a chair. My head is pounding, and my vision is blurry, but I can make out the outline of someone standing in front of me. Panic surges through me as I realize what’s happening—I’m being kidnapped.

I try to struggle, but the ropes around my wrists are tight, cutting into my skin. My heart races as I try to remember how I got here, but everything is a blur. The last thing I remember is trying to run, trying to get away from Dante’s suffocating grip.

Now, I’m in the hands of someone else, and I have no idea what they want with me.