by Black, Lena
“No, yer mine,” he insists, grasping onto my wrist.
“This is your last warning, or I’ll…” I growl, too upset to get the rest out.
“Ye’ll what, Gigi?” he asks with a cocky, crooked smirk.
I fist my hand and pull my arm back tight, letting it fly. And, with an attack as quick as a viper, I pop him in the nose. I feel it give way under my fist and snap.
He raises his hands to his face as blood drips freely from his nose and moans in agony. Suddenly, a large hand grabs his collar and punches him square in the jaw, which sends him tumbling to the ground.
“Don’t you ever fucking touch my wife again!” Hunt roars. “If you even come near her, I will rip your fucking head off! Is that under-fucking-stood?”
He snatches me up and brings me into his side, placing my head on his chest, while Liam and Chase, our own little security detail, grab Walk’s arms and haul him up to his feet.
“Get yer fuckin’ hands off me!” Walk shouts, yanking his arms out of their grip, and combs his fingers through his messy, auburn hair. He adjusts his shoulders and straightens his posture, turning away with a curled upper lip. Liam and Chase follow him to ensure he leaves safely.
Hunt releases me, holding me at arm’s length, and looks me over. Once he’s examined me, satisfied that I’m unharmed, he asks with a concerned, gentle tone, “Are you alright, angel? Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m fine. I promise.”
He sighs, his shoulders deflating, and nods his head. “Alright, I think I could use a drink. How about you, Mrs. Hunt?”
“Yes, please, Mr. Hunt,” I reply with a weak smile.
He tosses his arm over my shoulder and walks us toward the bar.
“Never a dull moment,” he murmurs and shoots me a side-glance, smirking light-heartedly, attempting to change the tense mood.
Once the last of the champagne has been served, the cake has been cut, and the guests have exhausted themselves from endless dancing, I decide it’s the perfect time to toss the bouquet. I handed it to Maya before the first dance and haven’t seen it since. I scan the large crowd, finding her next to Chase and Hunt, talking it up with a small group of unfamiliar faces, and head over to them.
“Maya,” I call out, and she turns to me, waving me over, “Where did you put my bouquet?”
“I put it on the table in front of your chair. Want me to go grab it for you?” she inquires, taking a step forward.
“No, it’s fine, I’ll get it. But, could you round up the girls? I’m ready to toss the bouquet.”
Her face lights up, as most single girls do at this timeless tradition, and then she’s off, hitting all the little groups about the tent.
I turn and head to our table, excited to finish off the evening so I can finally be alone with my husband. I spot the dark bouquet, but when I step closer, I realize that it isn’t my bouquet. They are lilies, but these are black, and there’s a note leaning against it.
I pluck up the bouquet and small piece of paper, opening the top flap cautiously. When I read what’s inside, all the air is pilfered from my quaking body.
My Gabrielle,
You are mine in life or death. The choice will be yours.
Dante
My arms fall to my sides, as fear and disgust wash over me, flooding me. I feel the black lilies slipping out of my weak grasp, tumbling to the floor where they bounce and settle at my feet. I feel the panic rising up my throat, suffocating me.
Suddenly, Damian is by my side, clasping onto both of my arms, desperately trying to wake me out of my horror-induced haze. I can only watch his terrified face.
“Gabrielle,” his distant, panicked voice cries, “What’s wrong, angel?”
I mindlessly look about me, noting all the guests gathering about us, alarm splashed across their faces, eyes wide with fright. That’s when I spot him, meeting those chilling, icy-blue eyes that have haunted my nightmares for months. He peers at me for a moment before disappearing into the mob, too concerned with my current state to notice him.
I want to scream out, move, anything, but I can’t. I’m frozen in place, paralyzed by that old familiar feeling of panic. The room begins to spin about me. I can’t hold on any longer. My vision blurs, and my body feels weak, too unsteady to hold myself up. Suddenly, my legs give out on me, and I fall to my knees, grasping blindly to Hunt.
“Gabrielle,” Hunt shouts and catches me in his secure arms, holding me close to him as everything fades to black.
I leave you with one last song, Daughter’s, ‘Tomorrow’.
Thank you for reading the second book in A Dominant Series. I hope you’ve enjoyed this part of Hunt and Elle’s journey. They will be back in the final installment, which I am working on now.
Playlist on Spotify
https://play.spotify.com/user/12157988707/playlist/2Z0jmPlLDLk8JQcBl5Da34
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lena Black is a former Medical Assistant living in Los Angeles. Lena was introduced to books for leisure at a young age by her mother and grandmother’s love of the written word. Lena started out writing short stories, with aspirations of penning a novel someday. Her dream came true when she wrote and published A Dominant Man. Lena is currently working on the last book in the series, with another on the way based on a real life Dom named Master D.