Page 46 of Bound in Vengeance
Rosalia cuts her eyes toward me, sending a mild glare across the row. I flash her a quick, apologetic smile as I hurriedly slip my hand into my purse and fish out the device.
The screen glows with an incoming call from an unknown number.
Clutching the phone tightly against my thigh, I slide out of the pew as quietly as possible. I slide past my sisters, ignoring Camilla’s curious look, and quickly make my way down thelong side aisle and out the heavy timber doors into the quiet courtyard of the church.
The fresh air hits my face, and I press the phone to my ear, sliding the green icon across the glass. "Hello?"
Silence greets me.
"Hello?" I repeat, my voice echoing slightly against the stone pillars of the courtyard. "Is anyone there?"
Nothing. Not even the sound of breathing. Just a dead, hollow line stretching out into the void.
Frowning, I pull the phone away from my ear to confirm the call is still connected. The timer is ticking away the seconds, but the party on the other end remains entirely mute. Frustrated and mildly irritated, I end the call.
I head back inside the cathedral. Instead of walking all the way back down the center aisle to our front row—and risking another, much harsher glare from Rosalia—I decide to slide quietly into the very last row of pews. It's completely empty back here, tucked away in the shadows near the entrance, ensuring I won't disturb anyone else's prayers.
Suddenly, a large, warm hand strikes from the dark behind me, fisting into my hair.
My heart violently leaps into my throat, a gasp dying on my lips as the familiar, intoxicating scent of expensive cedarwood and raw power floods my senses. I turn my head as much as the tight grip allows, my wide eyes locking onto a pair of dark, dangerous eyes.
It's Alessandro.
He shifts his weight smoothly, wrapping my long ponytail around his large wrist in that signature, dominating way of his. With a firm, slow tug, he pulls my head back until my spine arches slightly against the pew. He leans over the back of the bench, his lips hovering barely a fraction of an inch from mine, his breath hot against my mouth.
"Is this seat taken,fidanzata?" he asks, his voice a low, gravelly whisper that vibrates straight down to my core.
Before I can even process the shock of him being here, he effortlessly vaults over the back of the bench and slides into the pew right beside me. He sits entirely too close, his broad shoulder pinning me against the wooden armrest, his heavy thigh pressing flush against mine.
I try to find my voice, desperately blinking away the dizzying heat radiating off him. "Go sit somewhere else, Alessandro. You shouldn't be here."
His eyes trail down to my lips, heavy and full of an unholy heat that has absolutely no place in this building. My heart slams likea trapped bird against my ribs. "What are you doing here?" I demand, keeping my whisper sharp and furious.
His gaze locks back onto mine. "I'm here to see you."
I violently turn my face away from him, staring straight ahead at the distant altar. No. I can't look at him. I can’t let him look at me like that, or he’s going to see exactly how much power he has over me. I can’t let him make me fall. Not here. Not three days before he officially traps me in his world.
Sensing my sudden wall, a wicked, amused tilt touches his lips. "What's the matter, sweetheart? Too holy for me today?"
"Shut up," I hiss, a fierce crimson stain rushing up my neck. I glance around frantically, terrified someone will hear. "We are in a church, you heathen. Have some decency."
"Decency?" he echoes, leaning closer until his stubble brushes the sensitive skin of my cheek. "You're the one who was just daydreaming about my mouth between your legs. Don't lie to me. I can smell your arousal from here."
How did he know that?
"You are completely insane," I whisper back, my hands trembling in my lap. "And incredibly arrogant."
"Only because you prove me right every single time."
Suddenly, an elderly woman seated a few pews ahead of us stiffens. She turns her head around, her brow furrowed in a deep, judgmental frown as she glares at the two of us whispering in the shadows.
Alessandro notices. His eyes darken, his hand sliding down the back of the pew, his fingers lightly brushing the nape of my neck. The elderly woman turns away, probably scarred for life.
I instantly freeze, my hand flying up to press against Alessandro’s broad chest to hold him back. "Be quiet," I command in a fierce, breathless whisper, holding his dark gaze. "If you want to stay seated next to me, you need to stay completely silent. Right now."
Alessandro tracks the movement of my hand on his chest, a low, silent chuckle vibrating against my palm. He looks at the elderly woman, then back to me.
Slowly, he raises two fingers to his lips, running them smoothly across the seam from left to right to signify he’s zipping his mouth completely shut. He drops his hand, a dangerous, mocking glint in his eyes, but he honors the deal.
