Taking her is my right. Breaking her, my duty. I was always going to choose Helena. I knew it the instant I saw her. She’s different than the others. There’s a darkness about her. Something wild inside her. And it calls to the beast inside me. But she isn’t what I expected. With every word and every touch, she pushes me, burrowing deep under my skin, challenging the rules, and upending history. And all the while, I see how my brother watches her. He wants her, and as the rules stand, she’ll become his in one year’s time. Except that I have no intention of giving her up.

What happened on that island didn’t break me. It twisted me. Corrupted me. Made me into a monster. Although, I guess, it’s true what she says. You can’t become something that wasn’t inside you all along. This was always going to happen. I was always going to take Amelia Willow. History and destiny sealed her fate. Sealed both of ours. For months, I’ve been waiting. Watching. Preparing.

I didn’t notice her before... but now I do. Once I focus on her, I can’t take my eyes from my newest obsession. I need to know everything about her. Her past. Her present. The way she takes her coffee. Exactly how she smells after a spritz of perfume in the mornings. I notice the organized way she arranges her clothes in her closet. How she visits the same market each Saturday. The sounds of her breathing as I lie beneath her bed in silence. Violet is mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.

There's a moment when I forget he's not mine. This small spell of time, when I let my thoughts carry me away. He holds me. He kisses me. He makes all of this better. That moment when I'm his and everything is all right, is gone in an instant. It's quick and fleeting, moving so fast that it slips through my grasp. If I could catch it, I'd hold on to it forever. I always thought this thing between us would only ever be just that. A passing moment, a pleasant dream that helped lull me to sleep at night. 

Eleven years ago, I met him. A year later, I was betrothed to him. Now he’s come to claim me, slaughtering anyone standing in his way. My husband-to-be is a monster from a family as ruthless and powerful as mine, a man who deals in violence and destruction...a man terrifyingly like my father. For more than a decade, he’s stalked me, shadowing my life. I fear him. I hate him. Worst of all, I want him. My name is Alina Molotova, and Alexei Leonov is a fate I can’t escape.

I am darkness. I am sin. I am yours. A truth imprinted onto my skin - its sharp vines digging into my flesh as our bond strengthens with each shallow intake of breath my love takes. Her life is intertwined with the devil, a man who hungers for depravity and death, and yet, I bend my knee for her. Only her. Always her. She is mine and I will kill to protect. Kill to own her. Gabriella Moore will never leave me. Not by choice or circumstance.

When Cristiano Grigori came for me, he didn’t come alone. He brought his army to kill the soldiers at my door and took me for himself. He put his ring on my finger and marked me as mafia property. His property. Cristiano is my enemy. He’s also the only man with whom I’ve ever felt safe. Protected. But I have to remember that he married me with one purpose in mind—revenge. I would be the bridge to his real enemies. I can’t let myself forget that he isn’t the hero of this story. His hands are covered in blood. I saw that with my own eyes. 

I'll give her my ring to claim my crown. Vittoria DeSanto leaves me no choice. What she knows could destroy me, destroy my family, and I won't allow that. She's homeless, penniless, and powerless. I’ll give her the life of a mafia princess. Anything she desires will be hers…except her freedom. Because our marriage will make me the boss of the Rossi crime family. My word is law. All must respect my authority, especially Vittoria. The stubborn woman will learn. Her place is by my side, in my bed. Over my knee.

The Beast had Belle. Killian Black has me. How I got here doesn’t matter, even though he says it does. Says it was my choice. He doesn’t get it, though. It wasn’t ever a choice for me. And now, he’s changing the rules. The agreement was one month. For 30 days, I’d be his. He’s no longer satisfied with my body alone, though. He wants my soul, too. Wants every part of me. And even though I can pretend I’m safe when I lie beneath him, this man does something to me. Something wicked. A thing that will break me.

I live in a world where secrecy reigns. A Society rooted in power, wealth, and long-held dynasties. Where men are Kings, and women are pawns. For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of escaping the shackles of my expectations.