Chapter 2

I've never seen a set of emerald eyes so captivating I lose my urge to kill. The jolt of electricity hitting my system holds the strength of a lightning bolt.

They shine with fear and it calls to the beast inside me and the hunger for blood loosens its grip around my throat. A feeling of overwhelming need to go to her pulls me in her direction. I push aside men when they step in front of me. A few lash out but quickly back down when they see me.

"De La Rosa, sir. I'"m sorry."

"The Beast," others whisper in reverence.

I force the crowd to move as I make my way deeper into the basement of one of my buildings. Not many people know it is part of my portfolio and I keep it that way for events like these.

Only this one isn't on the schedule.

"Kincaid is already in the ring, Mr. De La Rosa."

My second in command, Raven, tells me what I already know. Darrion's men think they can hide themselves among the crowd but I can smell the stench of my sworn enemy. Their putrid stench smells of a dirty deal going wrong and in my territory. If my suspicions are right, one of my men is in on the deal. Throwing fights isn't new in my world, but doing so without my consent is. Loyalty is everything to me. My only rule is don't break my trust. If you do that, you might as well dig your own grave so you know how deep you want it in the end.

I received a heads up from a few informants paying off debts by being my eyes and ears. A jail bird sings when they want to be set free and those men have beautiful voices.

I acknowledge the information with a single nod, not taking my attention off the beauty wearing the purest white dress I've seen on a woman. A small creature like her doesn"t belong among the rabid animals here. Who is she and what the hell is she doing in a place like this? Someone will lose their head for letting some lost college kid stumble into my place. The last thing I need is for her to run off to some mommy and daddy with a story about a fight and a dead man.

"You want me to put an end to the fight?" Raven looks ready to have a little fun bashing heads.

I hold a hand up. "Let Kincaid get his ass handed to him a little first."

Unaware this is unsanctioned, the crowd cheers, throwing out their bets. Most are betting on Kincaid. Smart. He's my best fighter.

Was. After tonight I'll have to find someone to fill his slot.

I wonder if he took my advice when I signed him on twenty years ago and has a plot picked out?

I push through the crowd and make my way toward the fighters. The faint touch of fingers across the back of my hand has my feet faltering. Electricity dances over my skin. It's there one second before fading into a low hum. I inhale. Roses. She smells like red roses in the middle of summer.

Raven notices my pace slow. He jerks his chin as if to ask what I see. "Boss?"

I shake my head. "Keep moving." I don't have time for distractions. Some other time I would stop and pluck that innocent little flower from the crowd and show her that true beauty doesn't belong in the darkness.

Then she would get one look at my face and run in fear.

That truth keeps me moving. I've heard it on the lips of too many women not to believe it. I'm a beast inside and out.

A rumble of anger bursts from my chest. Kincaid takes a blow to the face before he drives a fist into Animal's ribs.

The other fighter is the best Darrion has on his payroll. The small-time kingpin is trying to make it to a position of strength where he can take me on. That will not happen. I'm more irritated about Animal fighting in my territory. I'm even more curious why my enforcer is with him. I deserve an answer and I'm going to have a little fun pulling the truth out of both men.

Raven acts like the spearhead as we barrel toward the center of the human cage. I lock eyes on Kincaid first. He falters, and it costs him greatly.

A right hook coming from a man like Animal is close to getting a sledgehammer to the face.

Kincaid takes the hit, but doesn't fall. He's a damn good fighter for a reason. The jaw on him can take a pounding. But he's never felt my fist in his face.

Instead of finishing Kincaid for his betrayal, I handle Animal first.

I bust through the referees paid to keep the crowd on their side of the line. Surprised, they do nothing but look on as I take a fist full of black hair and introduce Animal to the pain of my wrath.

His roar feeds my demons.

Contact sports aren't my thing anymore. I have enough scars without adding to them. I haven't been in a fight since I brought on enough enforcers to take care of the dirty work. My men operate under the assumption I got my nickname from the scars on half my body.

In reality, my time in illegal fights is why I'm called the Beast. Once I get started, not much can stop me. I haven't let that part of me off the chain in a while. It's time to remind people why they fear me.

Energy courses through my veins when the first of Animal's blood covers my knuckles. I stretch my shoulder and crack my neck, letting my demons take over.

Animal is lost in his adrenaline rush. He doesn't see the furious man in front of him. The urge to kill has taken over all his senses when he should throw up a white flag and beg for my mercy instead.

I bury my fist in his face again and again until he stumbles into the crowd and drops to his knees.

I whirl on Kincaid. His face is a little too clear of bruises for my liking. My fists set to work on his jaw, ribs and he could use a realigning of his nose. That way when he looks in the mirror every morning he will remember part of the price of betraying me. If I let him live, that is.

"Stop!"

I hear the faint, feminine voice but my demons haven't fed in a long time. And I have a point to make.

"Boss!"

I drive my fist into Kincaid's face again, unable to stop. His blood mixes with Animal's.

"Beast, you gotta believe me. I didn't—" My left hand around Kincaid's windpipes cuts his words off. I haul him off the floor and raise him until the tips of his shoes drag over the rough cement.

I inhale deeply. Metallic scent of blood filters through my lungs. "Didn't what?" I dare him to finish.

Syllables squeak out under the pressure of my fingers tightening around this traitor"s throat.

"Was loyalty to me too high of a price to pay for all the wealth I provided? Did you suffer under my employ? Is that why you went behind my back and organized an unsanctioned fight?"

Kincaid shakes his head.

"Stop! You're going to kill him!"

Feminine hands wrap around the bulge of my bicep. I turn a heaving glare on the woman who dared to interrupt me and nearly drop the dirt bag I employed for twenty years of his life. Our intense gazes collide and the blow is strong enough to knock the air from my lungs.

Red roses wash away the smell of blood. My demons pause. We want the death of this man, but I can't bring myself to take the final blow. The dark undercurrents of possession gripping my soul fade and I can finally see through the shroud of darkness.

My astonishment must be plastered on my face because the green-eyed beauty exhales so profoundly I feel my anger disintegrate. I drop Kincaid to the floor and turn, raising my hand to her face.

"Who are you?" The crowd fades to nothing and my world narrows down to the innocent soul stepping into hell's realm. Her skin is soft. Like a rose petal. Warm.

My eyes roam over the fear clenching her expression. I smooth out the creases of worry at the edges of her eyes, leaving behind a smear of blood.

Anger floods my system and once again I see red. One touch and I've ruined her beauty. I push her aside. "Get out of here," I roar, pushing her into Raven's hands. "You don't belong here. Stay and I'll bury you along with this bastard." My voice drops deadly low. A shudder visibly works its way through her petite body.

She fights Raven's hold. "You have to stop."

Her expression morphs between being scared for herself and then…

"Do you know this man?" I turn back to Kincaid who is on his knees waiting for what comes next.

Tears fall from her jewel-colored eyes. "I do," she stutters and the pain in her voice breaks my cold, dead heart.

What is happening to me? I consider her silently.

This strange beauty falls to the cement next to the man and throws her arms around him.

"What have you done? Why didn't you listen to me?"

She cries into the traitor's shoulder with ragged sobs that fucking tear my insides apart. Who the hell is my enforcer to this woman? He doesn't deserve to have such a soft rose under his care if all he can do is give her pain. If she were mine, tears would never fall down her cheeks again. Rage built of jealousy grabs me by the balls and squeezes. I've had enough.

I haul her off Kincaid and throw her smaller frame into Raven's forceful grip.

"Get rid of her," I thunder with the force of hell behind my words. "And make damn certain she doesn't come back."

The woman flinches, making me want to apologize immediately for speaking so harshly. What the fuck is wrong with my head?

"Valerian. Please, boss. Don't do that. None of this is her fault."

I brush off my enforcer's begging and look to my second in command. "My order stands."

My second-in-command gives a stiff nod, but the way Raven has his lips pressed into a flat line is the only hint of him not in agreement with my decision. Shock reflects in his eyes.

"Raven." I say flatly.

"Yes, sir."

I never get caught up in a woman's scent or the sweet sound of a soft voice. But I admit I'm fascinated by this one. If I had less control over myself, I would lock this rare red-headed beauty in my castle where she would know no other man's touch but mine.

Fear grips her beautiful features, and it breaks my damn heart to see those pretty eyes fill with anything other than joy. "Get rid of me? What does that mean?" Instead of screaming and begging like I expect, she keeps her feet firmly on the ground and holds my gaze with blood-shot eyes. Strength of a hundred warriors surrounds her.

My respect for this tortured creature grows.

"Boss, please." Kincaid starts to stand up. "I only did it for the girl. You gotta believe me."

I rear back, striking him across the cheek. "Traitors stay on their knees!" My wrath is held in check only by her presence. And isn't that a bunch of horseshit? When did I grow a heart?

Who am I to protect her from my darker nature?

Raven moves them toward the rear exit. From there, he'll stuff her in a trunk and I'm sure he has a few favorite spots that would work well for a small body like hers.

Do I really want her death on my conscience? Could I live knowing her soul is lost to this world because of me?

No.

My gut doubles in on itself. Fuck. I grab him by the shoulder. "Wait. Just…" Fuck. I never go back on an order. "Send her home," I tell Raven and then my eyes lock on hers. Her chest heaves and those pretty lips of hers are split open, daring me to steal the kiss I crave.

I take in the way her dress touches the dips in her waist, her ample hips, and the way her round breasts teases the dipping neckline with hints of creamy skin. She is designed to carry a man's children.

I step into her space and put my face in hers. Freckles dust the bridge of her nose and tops of her cheeks. Our noses touch. Our eyes lock. I inhale long and hard to commit the scent of her fear to memory. She doesn't want me to see it, but it's under the thin layer of defiance this unknown beauty wraps around her like a shield. Everything about her does it for me. Fuck. When was the last time that happened?

Never.

I've never wanted to hold and kiss a woman so deeply before in my life. She is the complete antithesis of every woman I've touched. My demons growl with hunger, but I lock them down and tighten their chains. My darkness can never touch her. Death, destruction and the blood. None of it will ever come close to her.

"Never seek this place out again. I won't forgive your trespassing a second time." I turn my hand over and rub the blood of my enemies over her cheek. For a fraction of a second I see the terror of my action reflect back at me through the prettiest eyes. Good. She needs to understand I always follow through on my promises. "Consider that a little gift for you to remember me by, beauty. Now go. Speak of this place to anyone and Raven will find you. You won't get a second chance. You hear me?"

I watch her delicate throat work down a knot. Her chest rises and falls with her heavy breathing. I can't imagine anyone speaking to her as harshly as I've done. In another lifetime, maybe her softness could have been mine. But in this one, my black interior kills flowers made of such sweetness.

"I asked if you understand me." I speak low, hard and push my will into every syllable. I'm not into hurting women, but I can make her fear me enough that she follows my orders. She has to understand to never come back. Anger seeps into the scowl on my face. My lips flatline before peeling back into a sickening grin. "Answer me," I snarl.

Her long inhale audibly rattles against her insides, but her words are strong when she says, "The only thing I understand is that you have a communication problem, De Las Rosa. Have you considered asking people to do as you ask? Maybe add in a "please" and a "thank you" every once in a while?"

She knows my name. Amusement flashes through me, and I fight to keep it off my expression. And she's schooling me on how to be a proper kingpin. I don't believe what I'm hearing. Everyone I've had in front of me is either pissing their pants or begging. Not reprimanding me for lacking people skills.

My laugh is humorless.

Unlike other women, her attention doesn't fall to my scars as she lashes out. She doesn't shrink back and look at me in horror. She does, however, keep looking toward my guns. And then she does something that throws me off balance. I've never witnessed a woman grow bolder in the face of danger. Instead of crying or shaking to the core, she straightens the length of her spine and raises her chin defiantly. She shifts from sweet and innocent into someone who is ready to draw blood.

"And you. Raven is it? Get your hands off me." A tiny fist flies and the crack of her punch landing against Raven's jaw has us all pausing. Raven drops his hands from her arms. "I understand sometimes a hard touch is needed. You don't have permission to touch me. You earned that crack."

She has a lot of fight in her, but the fear driving her is what has my attention. She masks it well, but my demons can smell it all the same. It's sweet to the senses and drives my need to taste her on my tongue up a couple of notches. I wonder. Would she come to me easily or would I have to work to see what she hides under all that cotton?

A blur of motion along my peripheral has me reacting out of instinct.

"You stupid—" I catch Raven around the wrist before he can lay a hand across the innocent woman's face. He has a big ego and getting nailed in the face in front of a lot of people bruised it.he's a work in progress. Last year he would have pulled his guns.

I'm tired of cracking skulls and making men bleed tonight so I do nothing but look my second-in-command in the eye and let him know the depth of my seriousness without raising my voice. "Touch her before I give permission, and I'll put a bullet in your head." I see no need to waste time with a "please" and a "thank you".

I release my hold on him. Raven stumbles back, wiping at a dribble of blood running down his chin from the hit he took. He looks at me like I've lost my head. To be fair, I have.

"Understood?"

"Yes, sir." He steps out of reach but stays close enough in case I need him. He's a good right hand, but lacks finesse.

"Bella, baby girl. Listen to me. Go…go home. Dammit. Just go. These men don't wanna hear you teach them how to be kind."

A roughed up Kincaid turns his bloody face to me.

"Bella, baby girl. Listen to me. Go…go home. Dammit. Just go. These men don't wanna hear you teach them how to be kind."

A roughed up Kincaid turns his bloody face to me.

"Boss, please forgive her. I never taught her to fear a man. I shoulda, dammit. Please don't hurt her."

Bella. I file her name away. I reach out and tip her chin up. "What is this man to you?"

Her hands ball into fists at her sides, but she doesn't act on the surge of anger I see come to life behind her lashes. "My father. You need to let him go. Please. Just let us walk out of here. He did nothing that you can't overlook. Right?"

Hope replaces all the anger simmering just under the surface. It shines in her eyes in a way that takes me by the balls and squeezes.

Too bad I have to crush it with the truth.

"Sorry, beauty. That isn't how our world works. He betrayed my trust. The rose on the back of his hand is for life no matter what part of the world he lives in. He knows this. He gave a blood oath. Blood in. Blood out. It's the price he agreed on twenty years ago."

The weight of my words settle over her and not for the first time tonight I wish I was anyone else but the bastard that I am.

Red flushes into her cheeks. The tip of her tongue slips across her bottom lip. I drop my hand and turn to leave. I'm done here. Before I do something in front of this sweet soul's eyes she will never recover from, I need to leave. I look to my second-in-command. "Raven. Gather Kincaid and take him to Genesis."

"Wait." Soft hands wrap around my bare forearm. I left my jacket in the car and lost my tie around sundown. I rolled my sleeves up on the way here preparing for the fight I knew would come. I didn't foresee this though. Her hands on me quells the darkness dwelling inside me in ways I never thought possible. What would her lips do to me? Would she give me a taste if I asked nicely?

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't drain him where he kneels," I ask, but nothing prepares me for the answer I get in return.

"What if I take his place?"

I cast a doubtful look over my shoulder but there she goes again shining with all the damn hope in the world.

Kincaid lunges to his feet. "Bella, no! You don't know what you are saying. He'll kill you. He doesn't have a heart. No!"

Raven steps in and shoves the traitor to his knees.

"You would pay your father's debt even though it means you would belong to me?"

She slowly nods her head. "I'll stay with you until the day I die if you only let him go. My father is all the family I have left in my life. Let him live and I'll pay his debt. Let me be worth something."

I don't know if it's the tears in her eyes, the pleading in her voice or the love she has for this man that has me actually considering her offer.

What the fuck did that mean? Worth something? Those words drive a damn blade into my heart. Who the hell hurt this beauty so deeply she considers herself worthless. She has no idea the cost of possessing her body and soul is worth more to me than the soul of her father.

Her mouth falls open, and that tongue comes back out to skim across her bottom lip again. I know she doesn't mean for it to look sexy as fuck, but my dick isn't tuned into reality.

"Is it a deal?"

Mesmerized, I turn fully around and haul her against me until there's no space between us. I drive my fingers into her red hair. It tumbles around her shoulders and down her slender back. The lushness of her soft body against my harder one has my cock stirring. She gasps and I take full advantage of her shock like the bastard that I am. I don't ask or say please. It's not who I am and never will be.

I crash my lips over hers, stealing a taste of her innocence. Just one, though I want to feast like a man starved to experience such beauty. I lighten my lips and lick the plumpness of her bottom lip with a delicate stroke of my tongue. With a shuttered gasp she opens for me when I nip her lip. She complies and I sweep in for a taste.

My head buzzes from the instant hit of her sweetness. My new drug.

Breathing heavily, I break the kiss to find her eyes closed.

"Bella Kincaid." I wait for her to look at me. When those pretty greens connect with my gaze, I take another hit to my senses. She holds power. A light. Magic. Fuck. I don't know.

But I know she's mine now and I will never let her go.

"I accept your offer." I cup her cheek and softly caress the pad of my thumb along her cheek. "You're mine until I say otherwise."

"No, De La Rosa! You can't have her!"

I place my rose on her feet and step back. "It's too late, Kincaid. Your daughter is mine. She'll call me Daddy from now on." And never shed another tear. I swear it.