Page 16 of Vow of Darkness
“He’s hosting a party. You are to attend.”
A party. “So… other people will be here?”
“Yes.”
Then maybe one of those people would try to help me. “How many people?”
“Twenty. It’s a small get together for some of Mr. Romano’s allies.”
“But I am not his ally. I am his prisoner.”
“I do not make the rules, Aurora. He wants you to wear this dress and attend with a smile on your face. His exact words. And don’t try to escape tonight. He’ll only hurt your father.” She shakes her head. “Child, you are never getting out of here. You do realize that, don’t you?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s obvious to me that Mr. Romano has laid claim to you and he’s not the kind of man to let things go easily. So just be careful. Please. I would hate to see you get hurt.”
“I’ve already been hurt. When Gabriel kidnapped my dad and locked me away in here.”
“Still. Just be safe.” She lays the dress down on the bed. “I’ll be back later to help you change.”
I look at the red dress long after Maria leaves. Red, the color of blood. Why do I get the feeling that my life is going to change forever tonight?
Maria helps me into the dress. It hugs my body and flows around my feet in soft waves. The sleeves are off the shouldered and go down to my wrists. My neck and upper chest are exposed. Even though those areas are not inappropriate for others to see, it still makes me feel like anyone could see into my heart, my most intimate area.
She also lifts my hair into an elegant updo and paints makeup onto my face. “There. You look even more beautiful.”
Gabriel wants me pretty, like a doll he can dress up and control. I despise him with everything inside of me and yet, I still can’t forget the way he touched me. The way he spanked me. It’s not haunting me like I thought. It’s more of an exciting memory and that’s the horrifying part.
Maria leads me downstairs to where Gabriel is waiting. As so are the other guests. They all look up at me as I descend the stairs. Both men and women. The sight of the women doesn’t bring me any comfort though. Everyone looks at me like I’m under a microscope.
Gabriel takes my hand when I reach the end of the stairs. “This is Aurora,” he announces. “Andrew Rossi’s daughter. And she is mine now. She lives here.”
“What are you doing?” a young man asks, probably around Gabriel’s age. “Is this a good idea, Gabriel?”
“Leo, you are my guest tonight. You will not question me. Now, my chef has prepared a wonderful feast for us. Let us all go into the dining room and enjoy and then we can go outside into the back garden. I know a few of you are itching to see my hedge maze.” That gets a couple of laughs out of some of the guests, though I’m not sure what’s funny about it.
Gabriel keeps his hand enclosed over mine as he leads me into the dining room. Everyone takes their seats but the problem is that doesn’t leave a seat for me. Without a word, Gabriel pulls me onto his lap.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“These are all my guests tonight. I had this party planned for months now. You were not originally on the guest list. There was no room for you so you’ll sit here instead.” His eyes flick down to my neck and cleavage before returning to my eyes. I can’t help but blush. “You are thing of beauty, Aurora.”
“I am not a thing. I am a human.”
“She’s feisty,” a man says, chuckling as he cuts into his steak.
“She is, George. My feisty little prisoner. I told everyone about your father, Aurora. And how you saved his life. They all think it’s commendable.”
“Not many people would take on Gabriel Romano,” another man says.
“You’re right, Rocco. Not many people would.”
The man named Leo scowls. “Gabriel, we are focused on going after Giovanni Greco. You can’t get distracted by this girl.” Leo has soft wavy brown hair that would make him handsome if not for the expression on his face.
“Leo, we are having a party tonight. Not everything is about business all the time.” Gabriel cuts into his steak and holds the piece towards my mouth. “Eat.”
I look at him for a long moment but he doesn’t budge. He wants to feed me to treat me like a child. To remind everyone in this room that I belong to him. Slowly, I open my mouth and he places the meat on my tongue. It’s the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. My dad and I were too poor to eat steak. It was mostly vegetables and cheap fish or chicken when we could get our hands on it. But never something delectable like steak.
