Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Serenity

The stench of Freddie's sweat mixed with his alcohol-laced breath assaulted my nostrils as he lunged at me, his eyes wild with fury. His meaty hand reached for the blade, but I twisted away, feeling the cold steel slice through his wrist and arm. He let out an agonized scream and fell to his knees, blood splattering the dirty wooden floor.

"You bitch," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "I'll take you fast and hard for that. You'll be begging me to stop before I'm done with you."

His words made the bile churn in my stomach. The thought of his filthy hands on my body, his weight pressing me down, made my skin crawl. I refused to lose my virginity to such a horrible, disgusting man. He'd steal my innocence and shatter my soul .

I backed up slowly, my heart pounding in my ears, until I felt the rough grain of the door against my sweat-soaked shirt. My hand felt around behind me, fumbling for the handle as Freddie staggered to his feet. The coppery scent of blood, mingled with the musty odor of the room, made my head spin.

"You ain't goin' nowhere, girl," Freddie growled, his good hand making a fist. "You're mine now."

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. My fingers finally found the cool metal of the door handle, and I turned it, praying it was unlocked. The door creaked open behind me, and I stumbled backward into the unknown, desperate to escape the nightmare that threatened to consume me...

I jerked awake. The nightmare was already fading, but adrenaline still surged through my body, setting every nerve on fire. Someone was brushing the hair off my forehead, and a fresh jolt of pure terror shot through me. My eyes snapped open, but I couldn't seem to focus, my mind still trapped in the lingering tendrils of the dream. It had felt so real, like Freddie was actually here in the room with me.

I thrashed my head back and forth, my arms and legs flailing. "Get off me!" I screamed at my unknown attacker, my voice raw and desperate. "Get off!"

Strong hands clamped down on my wrists, holding me steady. "Serenity, shh. It's me. It's Angelo."

At the sound of his voice, the fog of fear began to dissipate. I blinked rapidly, my chest heaving as I sucked in deep, ragged breaths. Angelo's handsome face swam into focus above me, his dark eyes filled with concern.

For a fleeting moment, a wave of relief washed over me. Angelo's presence felt like a lifeline, anchoring me to reality and chasing away the lingering shadows of the nightmare. But as my adrenaline faded and my mind cleared, confusion and unease crept in.

Why was he here, in my room? The question swirled in my mind. The part of me that yearned for comfort and safety wanted to lean into his touch, to let him chase away the demons that haunted me. But another part, the part that remembered the cold reality of our situation, recoiled from his proximity.

I was his prisoner. No matter how gentle his hands or how concerned his gaze, I couldn't forget that. He had bought me, refused to set me free, ripped me away from the people I loved. The nightmare might have been a product of my own mind, but the waking world held its own horrors, and Angelo was the architect of them.

A dull ache pulsed at the base of my skull, and I winced, remembering all the wine I'd drunk the night before. Clearly, I'd overindulged, and now I was paying the price by having vivid nightmares about Freddie.

"Angelo?" I croaked, my throat dry and tight. "What are you doing here?" I shifted my weight on the luxurious bed. Angelo released my wrists and leaned back, allowing me to sit up. As I massaged the knot in my neck, I couldn't help but notice the intricate thorny tattoo that snaked down his neck and over his chest, exposed by the completely unbuttoned white shirt he wore. His long, curly hair was pulled up into a man bun, a style that somehow managed to look both effortless and very deliberate, and his dark green eyes glinted in the sunlight streaming through the window.

"I came to check on you," Angelo said softly. "I heard you screaming." His scowl deepened as he noticed my discomfort. "What's wrong?"

I dragged my fingers through my hair. "It's nothing. Too much wine last night."

He stiffened. "Enzo shouldn't have given you so much to drink."

I sighed heavily, then dropped my arm. "He didn't have a choice."

His eyebrows raised in confusion. "Excuse me?"

I met his gaze head-on. "I told him if he didn't, I would tell you that he touched me."

He threw his head back and an enormous guffaw burst out of him as his eyes sparkled with amusement. "Well, aren't you the little minx."

His laughter caught me off guard. It was rich and warm, filled with genuine amusement, and for a moment, I forgot myself. I forgot the fear, the anger, the confusion that had been my constant companions since he'd taken me, and a smile danced over the corners of my mouth.

But the moment was fleeting. As quickly as it had come, it was gone again as reality crashed back in, and the smile died on my lips. I couldn't let myself be swayed by a charming laugh or a playful nickname. This man was my captor, not my friend.

And so I schooled my features into a neutral expression, trying to ignore the way my heart had leaped at the sound of his amusement. "I'm glad you approve," I said in an even voice, "but don't let it go to your head. I'm not here to entertain you." The words were a reminder for myself as much as they were for him.

Angelo's eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in their depths. Disappointment? Frustration? I couldn't be sure. But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by the same amused sparkle as before.

"Oh, of course not," he said, his voice still tinged with laughter even as he tried to be stern. "But there's no harm in enjoying yourself a little, is there? After all, we're going to be spending a lot of time together."

As much as I didn't want to give into the feeling, his words made me want him to hold me. Maybe he was using some kind of compulsion on me? Or was it something deep inside me that yearned for someone to take care of me?

He inclined his head and his eyes traced over my body, sending a shiver down my spine. He gently brushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes and whispered, "You look absolutely breathtaking in the morning, Serenity. I could wake up to this every day."

My chest tightened as sudden fear coursed through me. I edged away from him. "Are you going to feed on me?" My voice trembled.

He immediately snatched away his hand and a sorrowful look flashed in his eyes. "No, little one, I'm not. I would never hurt you. You're mine to protect."

"Why do you keep saying that? Unless you mean you're just protecting your investment."

He smiled again. "You're much more than an investment. "

"If there are bad guys out there ready to snatch me up, then I need to protect myself. I know how to fight with a knife. Can I get either a switchblade or a blade?"

He slowly lifted his eyebrows. "Do you really think either of those will kill a vampire?"

I searched his eyes, trying to gauge his sincerity. Was he mocking me, or was he genuinely trying to help? I couldn't be sure, but if I was going to survive in this world, I needed to understand the rules of engagement.

"So…I need a stake?" I asked, hating the uncertainty in my voice.

Angelo shook his head, a hint of a smile playing around the edges of his mouth. "Stakes are a myth. Truthfully, you need a sword. You saw how poor Jacques was killed. You need to cut a vampire's head off to kill them. If you shoot us or stab us, it's like a bee sting. All you'll do is piss us off."

I swallowed hard, the image of Jacques' decapitated body flashing through my mind. The utter brutality of it, the finality, made my stomach churn. But beneath the revulsion, there was something else: a tiny spark of hope. If Angelo was telling me this, if he was telling me how to defend myself, maybe he wasn't entirely the monster I'd thought him to be.

"Why are you helping me like this?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Angelo's gaze locked on mine, and for a moment, I felt like I could drown in the depths of his eyes. "Because I want you to survive," he said, his voice low and intense. "I see something in you, Serenity, something special. And I'll be damned if I let anyone, human or vampire, snuff that out."

His words sent a shiver down my spine, and I couldn't look away. There was a sincerity in his voice, a raw honesty I couldn't ignore. But there was also a fierce possessiveness. I didn't know how to feel about that, just as I didn't know how to reconcile the warring emotions that swirled within me. But one thing was clear: if I was going to make it out of this alive, I needed to learn how to navigate this world, and Angelo, for better or worse, was my guide.

He blinked. "Wait. You said you knew how to handle a switchblade or a knife? How did you learn how to fight?"

"Joy's older brother, Steven. He taught me after Freddie came after me one night. I managed to get away…" I hung my head and took a shaky, shuddering breath. "But it was too close."

He scowled. "Steven as in Detective DuPont's boy? He taught you how to fight?"

"Yes and no. Steven found out DuPont wasn't his real father and it sent him down a rebellious path, joining a street gang. Last I heard, he was in with the mob. But yes, he's the one who taught me."

Angelo narrowed his eyes. "Which family?"

"The Barones." My heart lurched. "Wait, are they?—"

"Human. If that's what you're asking."

Something in his eyes said this worried him.

"You need to learn how to kill a supernatural, Serenity. I will teach you."

"You're going to teach me how to kill a vampire?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. "Why would you do that?"

Angelo leaned back, his gaze still locked on mine. "Because knowledge is power, Serenity. And in the vampire world, power is everything. If you're going to survive, you need to know what you're up against. You'll need to know how to fight back, for your own sake."

His words sent a mixture of fear and exhilaration through me. The thought of learning how to kill a vampire, of having that kind of knowledge, was both terrifying and thrilling. But it was also a stark reminder of the danger I was in, that I was trapped in a world where such knowledge was necessary in the first place.

"Won't that put you at risk?" I pressed, unable to keep the concern from my voice. "If I know how to kill vampires, doesn't that make me a direct threat to you?"

Angelo smiled, a slow, sultry curve of his lips that made my heart skip a beat. "Oh, Serenity," he murmured, "you're already a threat to me. But not in the way you think."

He reached out, his fingers brushing against my cheek in a featherlight caress. I shivered, my skin tingling at his touch. "You see," he continued, his voice low and tender, "the greatest danger you pose to me isn't physical. It's emotional. You make me feel things, Serenity. Things I haven't felt in a long, long time. And that scares me more than any weapon ever could."

I didn't know what to say to that, but I could feel the truth of his words, could sense the depth of sincere emotion behind them.

In that moment, I realized my fate was now inextricably linked with his. For better or worse, we were in this together. And if I was going to survive, I needed to learn to trust him, even as I learned to fight against everything he represented.