Page 25 of The Butcher
I lay there, breathing hard, covered in him, body still humming from the orgasm he’d dragged out of me before I’d even fully woken up. And the darkest part of me, the part that should have been terrified, only wanted more.
Chapter Fourteen
Lucia
The East Coast sky was gray and heavy when we landed a week after our honeymoon started, the clouds hanging low like they were pressing everything down.
By the time the car pulled through the gates of Alexei’s estate, any illusion of normal life disappeared. This wasn’t a home in any sense I understood. It was a fortress built for war with tall stone walls wrapping the entire property, cameras following every movement as the gates opened, and armed guards standing posted at every entrance with rifles resting easily against their chests.
More men patrolled the grounds in pairs, moving with purpose, their eyes constantly scanning, theirexpressions blank in a way that made it clear nothing here was relaxed or left to chance.
This wasn't an unusual sight for me to witness, not with how I’d grown up, but this was extreme. I, of course, kept that to myself. If Alexei had this much security, then it was obviously needed.
The car rolled slowly up the long drive, and when it came to a stop, Alexei stepped out first before opening my door himself. He held on to my hand as we walked through the entryway, and when the front door closed, he pulled me in for a kiss without warning. It was hard and deep, his fingers digging into my waist.
He pulled away, and I breathed out shakily. “Wow, what was that for?”
He smoothed his finger along my bottom lip, his focus trained on the act. “I can’t help myself. I can’t think straight when you’re around.”
I couldn’t respond, my voice lodged in my throat as I got warm and tingly, and felt like I was falling into an endless pit when I was around him.
“I hate to leave, but I have business to attend to. I’ll be back tonight,” he said against my mouth, his voice gravel rough, his thumb brushing along my jaw as his gaze moved over my face with a focus that felt too intense to ignore. “You’re free to explore, butdon't leave the grounds. If you need something, let the staff know. You have your cell. I’ve programmed my number into it. You call if you need anything.” With more force, he said, “Anything, Lucia.”
“Okay,” was all I could say.
He watched me for another second before giving me one more long, lingering kiss. Then he stepped back and was gone, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than it should have.
I stood there for a moment, alone in the middle of the foyer, letting reality settle in now that he wasn’t there to pull my attention away from it. This was my home now, even if it didn’t feel like it yet, and the only way to keep from thinking too much about that was to move.
The house was enormous, larger than my own childhood home. It was beautiful in a formal, designed way with vaulted ceilings and marble floors that reflected everything in clean, sharp lines. Expensive artwork lined the walls, the kind that belonged in private collections.
Even the guards seemed like part of the structure, positioned throughout the house with quiet precision. One stood at the end of the hallway, another near the stairs, and more stationed at doorways and entrances. And while they nodded respectfullywhen I passed, they didn’t speak or smile. Their gazes followed me instead, tracking every step I took in a way that should have made me uncomfortable but instead made me feel safe.
I knew in this world there were enemies who’d hurt me to get to my father—or, now, my husband.
I wrapped my arms around myself as I moved deeper into the house, the silence pressed in around me, and the still quiet hit harder than I expected.
The feeling came fast and sharp, and before I could stop myself, I pulled out my phone and called Angelica.
She answered on the second ring, her voice already tight with worry and relief when she said my name, and hearing it almost undid me. I moved toward one of the tall windows as we spoke, staring out at the grounds where guards moved like shadows in the distance.
I told her about the honeymoon and how things were… good was all I said, but I tried to sound upbeat for her sake.
Alexei was kind, gentle even, and he spoiled me. But I was still confused about my new life and role, and if this was just a farce he was putting on. Was he waiting for my walls to be fully down before his true colors showed?
A little voice in my head said that Alexei has already shown himself to me. She asked if Alexei was kind. I found myself smiling when I answered that he was. I tried to explain what it felt like to be here. I told her the estate was huge, that there were guards everywhere, even more than what father had.
“That’s the life we were born into,” she said gently. “Just be careful. Alexei…I’ve heard rumors. He’s not like other men.”
“I know,” I answered because I did. I’d heard about The Butcher, the way he was bloody with his kills, a weapon his father used. But I also felt it every time he touched me and especially every time he looked at me like I was something he had already claimed.
Saying goodbye to my sister was harder than I expected, and when the call ended, the silence felt worse than before. I stood there for a moment, letting the ache settle in my chest before forcing myself to move again, because standing still only made everything feel heavier.
The rest of the house opened up as I explored, each room revealing little bits about Alexei I knew I would have never learned otherwise. The main living area was large and expensive but felt untouched, as if they existed more for appearancethan comfort. Heavy leather furniture sat arranged perfectly, and a fireplace large enough to stand in was the main focal point of the room.
I entered the dining room, which stretched out with a table long enough to seat twenty, polished to a shine that reflected the light above it. I could easily picture men sitting there, deals being made and threats spoken calmly over dinner like they were just part of the conversation.
That was his—our—world, one where power and violence lived side by side without needing to be hidden.
