Knox Brotherhood
Page 99
Ion was so attractive; I can’t help but wonder what we would’ve been like if everything worked out the way it was supposed to. If my parents were still alive, if we had been married when I was eighteen, if I would be madly in love with him, or if he would drive me insane through constant banter. I was stupid for even letting my thoughts get the best of me – me wondering would do no good, life worked out the way it did, and we’d both have to deal with what I’d gone through in our own ways, even if I was a disappointment, a failure even at what he was promised.
The last place he showed me was the large master bedroom. “This is my room, and this is where you will be sleeping,” he told me, his voice turning stern as it had been with the Romanian man at the hospital. He was dominant, a true clan leader. I didn’t expect much less than that, but I didn’t know what to think about his statement considering what he had just rescued me from.
“You are going to be my wife. I have already begun arrangements for the wedding. You will be sleeping in my bed every night.” His voice rose, sounding almost irritated as he began to rattle off what sounded like rules to me. Instead of making me scared, it made me angry. “You will do as I say and only go where I tell you that you can. You are to follow all the doctor’s orders and keep yourself healthy. You will fuck me anytime I want, as you were promised.”
I glared up at him, my jaw set in frustration. After knowing what Jonas had done, I was appalled he would bring any of this up now. “So, I am nothing more than your personal slave? So much for respecting the last of my bloodline or my father’s wishes to care for me.”
Ion was silent for a moment, blocking me into the doorway and trying to tower over me with his height in a move of intimidation. “I guess it won’t be much different than your time with Jonas.”
CHAPTER 8
Mariana
It had been three days now since I had been taken to live with Ion and his house full of men in the same way that Jonas always had his seedy associates around. I did have to give these guys credit; they didn’t try to harm or insult me. They did not play games with me or ask if they could have me too since I was so damn easy. They were just big, silent men, watching me like a hawk when Ion could not be around to do so. It was a bit exhausting, though, after what I had been through, to be rescued from a situation where I was little more than a slave only to find myself still not free, and it pissed me off. If my daughter was not out there somewhere, waiting to see me again and be saved from Jonas, then I would have ended my life already. It wouldn’t be too hard since I was not fully recovered.
It was hard to think, as I sat up in the bed which I had not been sharing with Ion since he knew I needed space with my injury, that the sun still rose and set like always when my child was not with me. Bianca was my sun, and yet there was daylight, streaming in through the window of Ion’s bedroom. I still called it that, not seeing it as mine yet. I didn’t know if I ever would, especially with the threat that as soon as I healed, I would be ordered to sleep next to Ion and offer him a good fuck whenever he wanted. I was so sick of men using my body that way. When was it going to be my choice to share that part of me? It would never be my choice, that was the thing. One thing has changed, I’m not with Jonas Masterson. I’m with Ion Petran, and I will demand respect, my name gives me that, and I will have it.
I refuse to be his toy.
I was agitated as I slid out of bed and looked around me. I had nothing to keep me going, and it was going to drive me insane. I remembered the gym I had seen during the little tour of the house that had ended terribly. I knew I wasn’t supposed to do anything physical yet, but I didn’t feel too bad. I was apparently a fast healer, or maybe it was my determination to help assist in any way that I could to find my daughter. I knew I couldn’t do that without being healed. I had no issues with my side yet, so I thought I could run for a while and clear my head.
I went to the closet that had since been stocked with clothes for me. Most of the clothes were dresses, meant for special events. There were also nice clothes that were more casual, meant to be worn when I was seen in public with Ion. I dug through it in frustration, hoping to find something comfortable before I had to resort to wearing my pajamas. That’s when I saw two designer outfits for working out. They were sweat wicking material and the kind of thing I would imagine one of those housewives on television wearing on their morning run or at their exercise classes. It wasn’t me, but it would work.
I snatched one of them down and quickly got dressed. I didn’t know if Ion was around that morning to catch me or not. I hoped I would get to the gym unseen, at least by him, so that I could run in peace before I had to hear his next lecture or scathing insult.
Luckily, I did not run into him on my way upstairs to the gym. A couple of his men were hanging around, trying not to look like they were watching me, but that was all. The gym was happily empty, and the treadmill looked like a solace I had not had in too long. I got on it, starting slowly at first as I pictured I was walking towards my daughter. I was a mother on a mission, and suddenly the pain was gone.
All I knew or could hear was the sound of my feet pounding down on the treadmill, and it drowned out all the sorrow and anger, even if just for a few moments. I was no longer the useless woman that wasn’t worth any more than the power my blood gave to a man.
I tried to ignore him as Ion came into the room, but I doubted he would allow that for long. He immediately came up to me, pressing the button to stop the treadmill. I grasped the sides quickly so I wouldn’t be disoriented and fall off. He said nothing to me immediately, only glared like his eyes could burn right through me. Here’s the thing: I didn’t care. I had enough to think about, to ponder and run through my mind. I couldn’t give a damn if he was upset with me, but I had the feeling all hell was about to break loose, but I was in no mood. I would stand my ground, injury or not.
I didn’t know what to say, though, as his laser eyes continued up and down my body like I might be something he could easily throw in the trash. It wasn’t the first time I had been made to feel that way; I should be used to it by now.
“What are you doing?” he snarled at me, sounding more animal than human. What the fuck did it look like I was doing? I waited, hoping it was a rhetorical question, but as he crossed his arms over his body, I knew he expected a response. So, I gave him the worst one possible, hoping he choked on my words.
“Staying fit and pretty for when you decide it’s time to spread my legs,” I said back, not caring about what might happen next. If he wanted his position heading the clans, he couldn’t exactly kill me. Besides, if Bianca never came back to me, I was as good as dead anyway.
Ion clenched his jaw tightly like many men did when they were angry. It was something I had seen my own father do. However, he did not respond to me at all. I thought maybe he was holding his tongue because he had nothing to refute what I was saying. Maybe I had finally won one. So, I turned the treadmill back on, beginning to run again as if he was not there. It was easier to do than I expected. That was until I found myself flying off the treadmill, my back landing against the wall.
Ion had lifted me off the treadmill in a split second like I weighed nothing and pinned me to the wall. I could still hear the sound of the treadmill belt spinning fast behind him. My eyes locked with his, and he began to speak to me in a quiet tone, one I was not about to mistake for his calmness. I could tell he was beyond furious at that point. “You will learn to listen to me,” he began.
“And what if I don’t?” I countered back, anger flooding through me. I’d never felt such rage burn inside me before.
He lowered his lips next to my ear, whispering “Ana. Do. Not. Test. Me.”
Great, we were both furious. Things were about to get interesting.
“I told you that you would follow all doctor’s orders. That means you will not touch that treadmill or any other piece of equipment in this room until you are fully healed. This room is absolutely off limits to you.”
&nb
sp; “So I guess you were telling the fucking truth then,” I snapped in anguish and frustration. “You said my time here wouldn’t be too different from what I had with Jonas. So, what is going to happen next? What is my punishment? Are you going to cut me with a knife, or is burning more your thing?” I stared him dead in the eyes, waiting for a response. I waited and waited until I realized that something about what I said shocked him into some kind of silence. Nothing about his stature softened, but he said nothing. At least, not until he grabbed my hip and placed his mouth right up to my ear. I was so stunned that I was unsure how to react to what was happening.
“I will NEVER hurt you,” he whispered clearly, “you are far too precious to me.” My knees went weak at his statement and his closeness. Despite all of the horrors I had seen, I could not deny the man was strong, young, and hot. And now, he was professing some kind of intent to care for me. I couldn’t let it be so simple as that. I couldn’t just give in, just in case he was going to be a copycat of Jonas. I didn’t think he would but I…..I have no idea who the man is standing in front of me.
“You cannot promise me that everything will be okay; that nothing will ever happen to me here that will hurt in some way,” I whispered, testing the waters.
“The hell I can’t,” he said, a little louder this time but still close to my ear. “I will promise you the fucking world.”
“Ion…,” I mumbled, looking up into his deep emerald green eyes.
“Ana.” He responded. I knew he would argue with me. I’ve known him since I was a child, but I have no clue of the man he’s become. One thing I’m sure of is that he’s as stubborn as an ox.
“Trust me” Those two words would mean nothing to most, but to me, they were terrifying.
***
Ion
I had spent 26 years so far on this planet and never in my life had I been this turned on by a woman. They came easy, sometimes too easy, in my line of business. Not that I had my sights set on anyone other than Mariana in the long run, but that didn’t mean I expected to be so attracted to her. My reaction to her body was intoxicating, and the way she challenged me was so different from other women I had known. Women had always just fallen at my feet, ready to serve.
There’s something so different about Ana; she doesn’t even come close to comparing to the rest. She’s an entirely different caliber.
I felt like I’ve been thrown on my ass by this woman. She shouldn’t be so intoxicating after the way she had been broken down by that snake, Jonas. And yet, here Mariana was, firing back at me and defending herself, regardless of the consequences. I should have been pissed, and I still was, but there was something else there too.
I remembered how her fiery spirit had wrapped me around her finger when we were children and realized she had not lost it, even in her captivity.
I could feel her nipples hardening against my chest through the soft fabric of her sweatshirt. She was aroused too, even if she wasn’t going to admit it. So, I did what any man would do. I leaned down, taking the back of her neck in my hand, and I put my lips to hers. I smiled at the way I caught her off guard, how she jumped at first and eventually gave in – like I knew she would. I let my tongue explore her mouth, pretending as if I might not be allowed to do it again. But maybe I wasn’t pretending. With the way, she stood up to me; it might have very well been the truth.
She kissed me back softly, exploring me just as I was her. I’ve told myself she’s just a means to an end, she’s my shot at being the leader of the mob, what I’ve been promised. I’ll be honest with myself and admit she’s more than that. She always has been more, even if I put on a front like she doesn’t mean it. I’m a dick; I treat her like shit – I know that. But dammit, what she’s been through makes me furious. She’s shaking at my mere hands on her, my hands, I would never hurt her, ever.
I move my lips away from hers, so I’m touching her cheek. “You’re trembling.”
“I…I know” She whispers out softly, I wrap my arms around her, my lips staying against her cheek. She has nothing to fear with me, the exact opposite actually. Everyone should fear her, the power she holds over me is no joking matter, and she somehow doesn’t know she has it.
“Draga,” I tell her, calling her my darling in our native tongue. I may not have been born and raised in Romania like Ana, but I still knew our language. “You have nothing to fear with me. I will always be here to protect you, to keep you safe, to provide for you, and all the same for Bianca as well. I need you to for once, trust me. Even if you can’t believe in anything else, trust me that I’ll never harm either of you. You’re both my responsibility; I protect what’s mine, draga.”
She nods her head against me as I rub my arm in slow circles against her back. She’s been through enough. I need to stop fucking around and be here for her. She doesn’t need me being a royal dick all the time. I know that, but I just can’t help it.
“What did he do to you?” I didn’t mean to ask it so bluntly; it must seem insensitive.
“You mean to ask me, what didn’t he do to me,” She says, her voice cracking, her body trembling even more. I take her hand, holding it in mine, gently stroking her skin with my thumb when I notice her wrist. I hadn’t noticed it before, I turned her wrist towards me, looking at the thick scar there. “I wasn’t trying to kill myself.”
I look down and meet her eyes, the scar is thick, looking like it was deep. “Jonas cut me. He cut me all the time and when it wasn’t cutting it was burning. When it wasn’t burning, it was….” She trailed off. I didn’t hear much of it – all I needed to hear was that he hurt her tremendously, for years.
“He slit my wrists. He thought it would be fun to see if I bled out. That’s what he told me at first, later he told me he only cut within an inch of my life.”
“Where are the rest?” I asked her, staying as silent as possible, waiting for her response.
“Everywhere.”
“Show me,” I ordered
“No, I’m not – no.”
“Ana, show me what he did to you.” I wasn’t coming from a demanding place; I needed to see for myself the pain that he inflicted on her. She didn’t move an inch; her eyes were locked on mine. She was silently begging me not to make her do this.
I couldn’t.
“Ana. Strip.”
“Io-“
“STRIP.” I snapped at her.
Ana did as I directed, she took off her shirt and slid off those constricting pants that showed off her ass perfectly. She was left in just a sports bra and pair of panties in front of me.
I took a step closer to her; she shook violently “Ssssh draga, all is okay. I’m only looking” I tell her, I look at her body, her small, frail, malnourished body. My first order of business will be making sure she’s eating enough now. She’s underweight by probably twenty pounds. I’d get forty pounds on her if it were up to me.
I glanced at her, assessing every mark on her body that was inflicted during her stay with Jonas. “What’s this?” I ask her, pointing to a scar the size of a golf ball on her stomach.
“He……he burned me with the bottom of his metal cane.” She told me, her voice not shaking as I thought it would.
“And this one, it looks new.” I point to her leg, where the scar looks fresh like it’s not completely healed.
“He cut me the day before you found me” She doesn’t look at me when she speaks, she doesn’t waver either.
“There will be no more pain. No more cuts, burns, nothing.” I tell her, she nods, still not looking at me. “Don’t mistake my calm demeanor, Ana, I am furious. I will hang him in front of all the clans as an example. Anyone even thinks about harming you is signing their death wish. I will slaughter him, love.”
“No.” She says, her eyes meet mine. “You won’t take that away from me.” Even with everything she’s been through she’s still the strong willed little girl I knew, only now she’s grown into a spirited woman. “Tell me you won’t?” She asks of me.
She grabs my shirt, bunching her hand in a fist. “Yes, you will. You won’t take that from me. He took everything from me, Ion, everything.” She takes in a deep breath before she looks back up to me. “He slaughtered my parents in front of my eyes, but not before raping my mother in front of my father and me. I watched as he took his belt and wrapped it around my father’s throat, tightening it until he was on the verge of death. Jonas would stop, and do it over and over again.”
At this point, tears are streaming down her face. “You weren’t the one who had to watch as he destroyed everything that was my life. You weren’t the one who he used and abused every day for the last eight fucking years. So no, you will not be the one to take him from this world. I deserve that. I need that. And I will.”
I notice the fire burning in her eyes backing up her words. She was right; I had no idea what she’d gone through. This is the first she’s really opened up to me about what happened with Jonas. I may grant her what she asks; I must make that decision.
Somehow, I believe I’ll do anything for her.
CHAPTER 9
Ion
Six days into Mariana’s stay with me, and I was beginning to regret the promise I had made to her in my anger. I didn’t know what to expect from her, we would both fight like cats, or we would have moments filled with truth and understanding, moments that made me believe we could be more than our contractual agreement. Her feistiness had turned into her hanging that over my head whenever it was convenient. We continued to clash over what she should and should not be doing with her injury, and I was hoping that Monday, when I took her in for an appointment with the doctor, that she would get the go ahead for physical activity. A few days before, I would have told anyone who asked that it was my own selfishness that made me want that. I wanted to start fucking her as soon as possible. But it had morphed into a need for her to chill out and have an outlet. Eight years of pent up anger and pain were coming down on me like a thunderstorm.