Bound (The Devil’s Vow #2)

14. The Magic of the Beach

Chapter fourteen

The Magic of the Beach

Gianni gently grasped my waist and led me towards the descending staircase.

The remaining armed men, who had been waiting patiently for Gianni's cue, assumed their positions flanking us from every direction.

The only sound that could be heard was the periodic crashing of waves and our footsteps.

Oh my God. This is scary.

I hesitated at the first step as a gust of wind blew past me, causing me to stumble slightly.

“I’ve got you.” Gianni’s grip on my waist tightened, keeping me anchored to him. “I won't let you fall.”

“You better not. I’m sure that’s proper grounds for divorce.”

He laughed.

Shivering, I lifted the sides of my gown a little so I wouldn’t trip again.

We continued down the steps.

Cool stone smoothed against my bare feet.

My fear of heights was something I had never really acknowledged until this moment.

There was no hand railing.

My heart pounded in my chest as I peered over the edge, the crashing waves beneath us seeming more menacing than serene from this height.

Oh my fucking God. No. I can’t do this.

I stopped.

“Don't look down, princess.” He held me tighter to him. “Come on. Trust me.”

“I’m scared.”

“And I’m here to always catch you.”

I tightened my fingers around his arm. “Okay.”

Slowly, painfully slowly, we began our descent towards the beach. Each step felt like a tiny victory against my mounting fear.

The further down went, mist rose around us.

Moonlight shimmered against our skin.

Yet beneath the tranquil facade, I was acutely aware of the armed guards around us too. Their eyes remained vigilant in the dark, scanning for any potential threats.

Up ahead, the three staff members led the way.

When we finally reached the bottom, together we stepped onto the cool black sand.

The staff had already laid out a huge blanket for us to sit on. Lit lanterns surrounded the blanket and illuminated the space.

Just. . .wow.

A woman poured champagne into two glasses and set them before us. Once done, she retreated to the top of the steps where the rest waited at a distance alongside the guards. I was sure they would remain there until Gianni or I needed them again. And for me. . .that was a lot. Never had I experienced this level of wealth, not even when living with Maximo.

How will I get used to this?

Gianni wrapped an arm around me as we sat on the blanket, pointing out towards the rippling waves.

He checked his watch. “Look, Queen. The magic is about to begin.”

As if on cue, tiny specks of light began appearing in the water close to shore. Bioluminescent creatures, tiny and numerous, sparkled like the night sky.

I gasped at the breath-taking sight. “I. . .I've never seen anything like this before.”

He picked up the glasses of champagne and handed one to me. “May I always be able to show you the beauty of this world.”

I put my gaze back on the crashing waves. The iridescent lights danced on the water's surface like thousands of fairies at play. “I didn’t know this happened in Obsidian Bay.”

“This doesn’t happen around all of the bay. Just near this cliff and a bit further down.”

“Why?”

“The bay is home to a unique species of plankton that only thrive in the warmest waters which happens to be here.”

I listened, entranced not just by his voice but by the opalescence that seemed to weave its enchantment around us. The night, the water, and even the normally imposing cliffs were transformed. Even the waves seemed gentler, almost respectful towards these tiny creatures putting on such an exquisite show.

Gianni continued, “I always believed there's a touch of magic here too.”

He was right; there was something vaguely magical about this place, about this moment.

“This is beautiful, Gianni,” I smiled. “Thank you for bringing me here tonight.”

“For you, Queen,” he lifted his glass towards mine in a toast. “Anything.”

As our glasses clinked softly against each other and we took slow sips of the champagne, I allowed myself to be taken away by this surreal beauty, forgetting for a moment about everyone else present there–our armed guards at distance, our staff waiting at their stations.

As the stars and bioluminescent creatures continued their dreamy ballet, I mustered up the courage to breach a subject that had been playing on my mind along with his hiding secrets.

Looking up at Gianni, I asked, “Did you always want to be a don, Gianni?”

There was a pregnant pause before he answered, and his voice mingled with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. “No, actually. I wanted to be a drummer in a rock band.”

I was taken aback by his admission.

It was such an unexpected answer from a man who seemed to be born with a gun in one bloody hand and power in the other.

For a few minutes, I tried picturing Gianni as a young boy with dreams of music instead of crime, but the image wouldn't stick.

I smiled. “Why didn’t you pursue that dream?”

“I did for a little bit. My father even bought me a set of drums when I was a teenager.”

“Oh yeah?”

His face softened under the shadowy moonlight. “I loved it—the rhythm, the beats. . .but then. . .”

“What?”

He looked back out at the luminescent water as if searching for words in its gentle waves. “But then the call of the gun, it rose higher than the beating of my drums. It was a siren. Melodious. Breathtaking.”

I watched him as he spoke.

His gaze grew distant. “The darkness was always there, summoning me. Louder than any drums, sharper than any note. So. . .I put down the drum sticks and picked up guns. Maybe, it was due to my twin sister Genny and what I witnessed when she. . .drowned, but. . .I don’t know. . .that darkness. . .that feeling of needing to belong. . .it always was there in my soul.”

My heart ached for him. “How young were you when you decided to pick the gun over drumming?”

“Sixteen. My mother cried, but my father. . .”

I quirked my brows.

He beamed. “My father was proud. Perhaps, that was why he bought me the drum set in the first place. Maybe he wanted to make sure that I didn’t enter this life because of him and his power.”

“And do you ever regret picking up the gun?”

For a while, my question hung in the air, mingling with the chorus of the waves and the symphony of the stars.

He sighed deeply. “Regret is a tricky thing. It's always easy to look back and wish things were different when you see where you ended up. But for me. . .every choice. . .every step I took led me here. To this empire. To you.”

“Earlier you said that you decided to be the Don because of me?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“I told you that you will know later.”

I frowned. “Why later?”

“Because I want you to get to know me first.”

“I think that’s bullshit.”

He raised one eyebrow.

“I think you’re scared.”

“I’m the Devil of Shadows, Queen. I do not get scared.”

“Still. . .I think you are.”

He pursed his lips together.

“And I think that you believe that if you tell me now, I may want to leave you.”

His expression twisted from calm to one that simmered with violence. “And I think you’re smart enough to know that you can never leave me.”

“Then, tell me.”

He finished his champagne, set it on the sand, and then took my glass from me. “Later.”

I groaned in annoyance.

“I want to show you something else.”

I widened my eyes as he rose from the blanket.

He reached up and began to undo his tie. The silk loosened slowly and soon the tie fell away. Next, he undid the top few buttons of his white shirt and, I couldn't help but notice the subtle lines of his neck.

Gianni then unbuttoned his tuxedo jacket, and slid the fabric off his broad shoulders.

Soon it pooled by his feet.

His muscles pressed against the shirt, and soon he was back to that, undoing the remaining buttons and slipping his shirt off too.

The way the moonlight hit his tattooed scarred chest. . .well. . .my body heated, and a flush rose to my cheeks. “What are you doing?”

“Distracting you.” He flung that shirt to the sand too, and all I could take in was tattooed muscles.

“Well. . .” I swallowed as warmth spread across my body. “You’re not doing a bad job.”

A wicked smirk appeared on his face.

He held out his hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” I stood up.

“Out in the water.” He took my hand, pulling me forward.

I chuckled. “In our clothes?”

“I would let you get fully naked, but the guards would see and that would mean that I would have to stab out their eyes.”

“I don’t know if you are joking or not.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Why would I joke about that?”

“Because. . .that’s a bit. . . insane to do to them.”

“Then, make sure you are never naked around them.” He guided me off the blanket and we began walking. “Anyway. . .we’ll go further away and out of their view.”

The bottom of my gown slipped along the sand.

Keeping his casual pace, I looked at him. “You’re just avoiding telling me what I want to know.”

“I am, princess bird.” He squeezed my hand. “Perhaps, I’m not ready to jump off the cliff just yet.”

“But you know that I would catch you.”

He frowned. “Or maybe you would let me fall.”

That brought horror to my chest, and I hoped to God he wasn’t right.