Bound (The Devil’s Vow #2)

2. A Sinister Token of Love

Chapter two

A Sinister Token of Love

Within a minute, the door to the dining room opened, and a staff member entered.

He was dressed impeccably in a black suit with white gloves covering his hands. Silent, he headed our way carrying a silver platter in his hands.

A small, black box, wrapped in a red bow, sat on top of the platter.

What is inside of there?

Once he got to the table, he stopped in front of me and bowed slightly as he sat the platter down.

I glanced at Gianni. “And why am I getting a present today?”

“Everyone gave you a present for our wedding, but I wanted to give you something special.” His voice was smooth, but there was a heavier meaning behind his words that made my stomach flip.

“O-kay.” I hesitated, eyeing the box. “Is this a tradition too? Another family custom.”

Gianni leaned forward and rested an elbow on the table. “Not the giving of gifts, Queen. But what’s inside. Yes. My father would give my mother similar gifts.”

What does that mean?

The man took the gift off the platter, placed it in front of me, bowed once again, and left.

The box sat in front of me.

It was a secret waiting to be revealed.

What could be inside it?

Slowly, I reached for the black box and picked it up.

First, I touched the cold silky texture of the red bow and took my time untying it.

My heart pounded in my chest.

It was a steady rhythm that only grew louder with every second.

And with the way Gianni watched me, with so much intensity it sent shivers through my spine, I knew without him saying it that. . .something was coming, something that would change everything.

But what?

Once the bow fell away, the black satin wrapping slipped easily away too.

Okay. Now we’ll see.

Gianni watched intently as I lifted the lid off the box.

Oh my.

Inside, nestled against the blood red satin lining of the box, was a beautiful white pendant, shaped like a heart—perfectly symmetrical and flawlessly crafted.

I was utterly speechless, but not because it was so beautiful or the gift seemed so romantic. There was just something. . . off about it.

Something that made my breath catch in my throat.

What’s wrong with this pendant? It’s not. . .right. But I can’t explain why I feel that way.

At first glance, it seemed innocent enough—a delicate, white heart-shaped pendant attached to a sparkling platinum necklace.

But as I leaned in closer, a strange unease washed over me.

There truly was something off about it.

Something unnerving and unsettling.

In fact, my skin prickled as I stared down at the necklace as if. . .dark energy radiated from the pendant.

This is sinister, but I can’t say why.

I didn’t want to touch it, but I made myself anyway.

My fingers trembled slightly as I lifted the delicate piece out of the box.

Why am I having a weird effect with this? It’s so odd. Never has this happened before.

The surface of the pendant wasn’t smooth like I had expected.

It had an organic texture.

And I couldn’t understand why a cold shiver ran through me, but it did. . .like a monster had entered the room to devour my soul.

No. I don’t like this.

Quickly, I put the pendant and necklace back into the box and gazed at Gianni. “What. . .is this made of?”

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s made out of the bone from your brother’s hand.”

WHAT?!

I swore the air in the room vanished.

I couldn’t breathe for a few seconds.

There was so much pressure in my chest.

Fear tremored through my body.

No. . .he didn’t say that. He didn’t. Because. . .that would be even crazier than cutting the hand off in the first place.

I struggled to gather my words. “My. . .brother’s. . .hand?”

Gianni nodded and then smiled as if he had presented me with a bouquet of roses instead of a morbid piece of jewelry. “My men went to the hospital to retrieve some of his bone as the doctors were stabilizing your brother.”

I stiffened. “And is he. . .okay?”

“He is. There was some pain management and they closed the wound.” Then a menacing glint flashed in Gianni’s eyes. “My hope is that, when he looks at that ugly stump, he will remember why he should never touch you again.”

My stomach twisted into knots.

“But also, this necklace is more than a message to Vito. It’s a reminder to everyone who might ever think of hurting you. A reminder that I will go to any lengths to keep you safe, to make sure you’re untouchable.” He paused, and curled his lips into a cold, cruel smile. “I won’t just break bones for you, Erica. I will shatter families and ruin lives.”

That declaration settled heavily over me.

I stared at him, realizing more than ever that I was married to a man who saw the world in black and white—those who were with him, and those who were against him.

And there was no mercy for anyone in the latter group.

“But that’s enough on that. I should tell you more about how it was made.” Gianni’s voice remained calm, almost as if he were discussing the weather. “My family’s jeweler, Marco Silenzi, specializes in turning the bones of our enemies into art.”

Say what?

I widened my eyes.

Gianni gestured to the heart-shaped pendant. “Marco took a section from your brother’s metacarpal and shaped it into a heart to represent my love for you.”

I stared down at the pendant and, my breaths came out in shallow waves.

Human bone.

I gulped down more fear.

My brother’s bone.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it, and yet every second I spent looking at it made my chest tighten.

He gave me human bone jewelry. This is the man I married.

The same man who had kissed me so tenderly last night, his lips tracing the curve of my neck. The man who had taken my virginity and then later passionately cleaned me in the shower.

Gianni had been so gentle, so careful, cradling my body as though I were his most precious possession. Even during the heat of our lovemaking—when he took my virginity—there had been a softness to him.

But now. . .now, as I stared at this grotesque, sinister token of his love, I saw him differently. The same man who whispered sweet nothings in my ear while we lay entwined in bed was capable of this—of creating something beautiful out of something so twisted.

So vile.

There was no denying the darkness that lived in him, the kind that lurked just beneath the surface, hidden behind every soft word, every tender glance.

Dear God. Just when I think I understand his level of insanity. . .he raises it up to the next level.

And yet, wasn’t that part of what had drawn me to him in the first place?

That razor-sharp edge between tenderness and brutality.

Gianni could be gentle, yes.

He could hold me as though I were made of glass.

But he could also destroy anyone who dared stand in his way—and this pendant, this monstrous thing of beauty, was proof of that.

Oh my God.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the thought settle in the pit of my stomach.

Now I understood even more that Gianni would always be two things in my life—both passionate protector and horrific monster.

Can I make peace with that?

And maybe I was truly losing myself more than I even understood because as much as I wanted to recoil from the darkness I could feel radiating from this pendant, there was another part of me that understood why he had given it to me.

That recognized the twisted logic behind the gift.

He did this for me.

I had to say that in my head to push the guilt away.

Vito shouldn’t have hit me, and he damn sure shouldn’t have choked me. And. . .if my father had not come in. . .Vito might have raped me.

Even more, if Vito did that to his own sister, then he probably did worse to women who were unprotected.

Now with one hand, Vito will not choke me or any other women again.

Opening my eyes, I considered the fact that if Gianni knew everything that Vito had done in my dressing room then. . .Vito and my stepfather would be dead. And I might have had way more sinister presents on the table today.

Holy shit.

I forced myself to lift the pendant again.

It was lighter than I expected, but the weight of what it represented. . .that was heavier than anything I’d ever carried.

My brother had crossed a line, and Gianni had responded the only way he knew how, by sending a message so clear it couldn’t be ignored by Vito or anyone else.

Well. . .I’ll never have a problem with either one of them again.

Swallowing, I traced the cold, uneven surface of the pendant with my fingertip, feeling its organic texture beneath my skin. It was grotesque, yes, but there was something deeply poetic about it too.

Or I’m definitely losing my mind.

I should have been horrified, but I wasn’t anymore.

Not really.

And in some fucked up way, I found myself appreciating the delicate balance Gianni struck for me.

He was both beast and savior.

Darkness and light.

And maybe that was what I needed. A man who could be soft when I wanted him to be, but who would never hesitate to defend me, even if it meant crossing a line that others would fear.

Wow. Just. . .fucking wow.

My nerves stilled as I set the pendant back in the box and closed the lid with a soft click.

This was my life now.

I was married to a man who could turn even the bones of our enemies into symbols of his devotion.

Well. . .that will take time to get used to.

I looked up at Gianni, who was still watching me with that calm, pleased expression. “So. . .I want to say thank you for this. . .gift.”

Gianni curved his lips into a smile, and this dark satisfaction gleamed in his eyes.

And as unsettling as that was, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

“I appreciate your defending me last night.” I sighed. “Before they brought me to you, Vito had gone too far and—”

“Too far?”

I froze in horror.

Gianni leaned his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that. . .I don’t know. . .the bigger part is that. . .I felt helpless when I walked into the ballroom. I felt. . .alone and unprotected. But when you did that to Vito, when you cut off his hand. . .I felt this odd sense of justice. I know it’s fucked up to say—”

“It isn’t. I did it so you could feel avenged.” Leaning my way, he raised his hand and gently cupped my cheek. “I wanted you to understand that as my wife , no one would ever put their hands around your neck or dig their fucking nails in your arms again—not even me.”

“I. . .know. . .”

“Do you truly know?”

“I think I do.”

For a moment, Gianni’s mask slipped. The hard, calculating man who sat across from me softened just enough for me to see the real reason behind his actions. “The thought of anyone hurting you drives me fucking insane. You’re everything to me. I need you to understand that.”

“I do.”

“Good because. . .my father taught me that strength is the only thing that keeps people loyal.” He moved his gaze to the black box and discarded red ribbon. “But with you. . .I find myself wanting more. Not just loyalty. Not just fear. But. . .like you said earlier in our bedroom before stomping off. . .I want your love. I just. . .”

“What?”

“I don’t know how to be anything other than. . .how I am, so. . .”

“Yes?”

“I may need you to show me sometimes. . .how to love you the way you need.”

His confession hit me like a wave, crashing over the twisted narrative I had built around him.

He wasn’t just a monster.

He was a man, a dangerous one, yes, but still a man trying to find his way through the maze of dark power and hidden vulnerability. And for some reason, he had chosen me to guide him.

As I sat there, Gianni’s hand still resting gently against my cheek, a strange warmth bloomed in my chest. It spread through me, filling every corner of my body until it was almost too much to bear.

That warmth—the sweet, intoxicating sensation of being loved so completely, so brutally—it was suffocating and freeing at the same time.

I couldn't quite make sense of it.

Being loved by Gianni wasn’t like anything I’d ever known.

It wasn’t soft, like the stories I’d read as a girl, where love was tender and pure, where you were cherished like something delicate.

No.

Gianni’s love was different—sharp and consuming. It was the kind of love that felt like drowning, the kind that pressed in on you from every side, leaving you gasping for air, and yet. . .not wanting to escape.

I thought about that sensation for a moment, about what it meant to be his.

To be possessed by him.

And then I accepted it all.

I sunk deeper and deeper into the abyss of his cold darkness, where the water was freezing, black, and full of monsters, and I decided right there in that moment that I never wanted to swim to the surface again.

His love was all around me, holding me in place, making me forget about the world above. Because beneath the cold darkness and the monsters, beneath the sharp edges of his possessiveness, there was something more.

Something that made me feel more alive than even ballet ever could.

He traced his thumb along the curve of my jaw.

Heat radiated from his touch, sending a pulse of warmth through my body.

With his gaze, so intense and so fucking unyielding, locked onto mine, I felt the magnetic pull between us.

His hand slid to my neck, and his fingers brushed against the sensitive skin just below my ear.

My breath hitched as he leaned in closer, and his lips hovered over mine but not quite touching. “You’re mine. Forever. Until the day I die.”

I trembled.

“As I’ve said before, I will say again. I’ll never let anyone else lay a finger on you.”

The heat of his breath on my lips sent a shiver racing down my spine, and I found myself leaning into him, despite the twisted gift that sat between us.

My voice came out shaky. “I. . .love you.”

His eyes widened for a split second.

Then, he didn't say anything, didn't move his hand from my cheek, just continued to study me in silence.

I watched as his dark eyes searched mine, looking for something.

Honesty?

Deception?

I wasn't certain.

Finally, he let out a soft sigh and his lips curled back into that wicked smile of his. “I love you too, Queen.”

Those words hung in the air between us, and they were fragile and beautiful.

“And I will spend the rest of my life loving you.” He slipped his thumb along my cheekbone, sending delicious shivers down my spine.

Everything about him screamed dangerous and deadly power, but right now he was just Gianni—my husband—the man who would fiercely love and protect me at all costs.

He looked back down at the pendant. “Shall I put it on you?”

“Oh. . .” I cleared my throat. “Well. . .”

“Yes?”

“I can’t. . .” My voice came out shaky. “I can’t wear my brother’s bone around my neck, Gianni.”

His gaze hardened slightly, his possessiveness showing through his calm exterior. “Are you sure, Queen?”

“Yes.” I looked back down at my brother’s bone, shaped into a heart. “I can’t. . .wear it. That would be. . .too much for me.”

“Alright, Queen.” Then, he simply smiled. “I understand.”

I quirked my brows. “You do?”

“I do.” He shrugged. “My mother would never wear the jewelry that my father gave to her, when it was made from their enemies’ bones.”

“Oh.”

“But she did have a special room where she kept it all.”

“There was so much jewelry that it filled a room?”

“Of course.”

I widened my eyes.

Of course? I mean like. . .that’s a bit much. . .

Then, that smile left his face. “With how beautiful you are, and talented as a dancer. . .I’m sure I will need to set a room aside in this castle for all the jewelry that I will gift you.”

I blinked at Gianni, at a loss for words. The thought of a room filled with macabre tokens of his violent love was simultaneously horrifying and. . .intriguing.

“I don’t. . .” I shook my head. “I don’t think I will need a room, Gianni.”

“You will.”

“How about we don’t cut anyone’s hands off because of me.”

“We’ll see.”

I was about to say something else, but my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps.

People are coming.

Gianni looked up. “Aww. There they are.”

Who?