“I hope you are as happy for your friend and Cosimo as everyone else,” he said falsely.

Say something. Say something. But all I could think was if it was possible to smash the glass and cut Falcone’s throat with one of the shards before any of the men around us would come to his aid.

Growl would probably be the first to save his boss.

“I’m happy,” I forced myself to say, but the words sounded fake even to my own ears. Falcone sneered, then he turned back to Growl. “I’m surprised you managed to tear yourself out of bed. But even you, my bull, need a pause now and then, eh?” Falcone clapped Growl’s shoulder in a gesture meant for buddies. “I hope you’re still satisfied with your gift. Otherwise there’s another sister for you to try, if you ever grow tired of this one.”

“Talia? Where is she?” I blurted before I could control myself. The triumphant expression on Falcone’s face conveyed that he’d gotten what he wanted. He knew exactly where to push my buttons. He wouldn’t give me the answers I yearned for

Growl squeezed my side in warning again, but it was too late. I pressed my lips together and had to fight back tears. Falcone was a worse monster than Growl.

“I won’t grow tired of Cara,” Growl said.

Falcone’s smile turned lewd as his gaze traveled the length of me. “That good, is she? Maybe I should have kept her for myself then.” He laughed.

Growl didn’t say anything. His face was stone, and his grip on my waist painful. I glared at Falcone, hoping he could see the promise in my eyes. You will die.

His smile only widened, but my resolve was set. I wouldn’t stop until that man was lying dead at my feet. I hated blood and death, but I would watch every second while the life drained out of his body and relish it.

Growl seemed to sense the growing danger. “We need to go to the happy couple now.”

“Yes, you should,” Falcone said, but his eyes never left me.

I shuddered when we had walked a few steps away from him.

“You need to be more careful,” Growl murmured.

I glanced up at him. His gaze was set straight ahead, expression stony. People watched him with fear and revulsion, but he didn’t care. The only man who could control Growl was Falcone, and that scared me senseless. “Don’t give me to him.”

Growl frowned down at me. “What are you talking about?”

“To Falcone. Don’t give me to him,” I whispered.

Realization flashed across Growl’s face, then determination. “Never. You are mine. He won’t take you away from me.”

“Are you sure? He’s your boss. He could tell you to give me to him.” It was a surprising twist of fate that I preferred being Growl’s possession, but anything was better than belonging to Falcone.

“You are mine,” Growl repeated, and then he stopped and I noticed we’d arrived at the end of a line of people who were waiting to congratulate Cosimo and Anastasia.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Cara

I exhaled slowly. I needed to get a grip. I’d nearly lost it in front of Falcone. At least in front of my treacherous asshole of an ex-fiancé, I wanted to keep my cool. He didn’t need to know how broken I was. Anastasia was busy not looking my way, but even she must have realized that I’d arrived at the party. Everyone had fallen silent at our arrival, after all, and Anastasia had always had ears and eyes for gossip. But her ignoring me gave me the chance to sort through my thoughts and calm myself. I sipped at my red wine. The alcohol was starting to relax me. It wasn’t surprising that so many people in our circles were alcoholics. This life could often only be tolerated drunk.

Cosimo’s eyes briefly came to a stop on me, and I froze with the glass against my lips. Slowly I lowered it, but then Cosimo looked away. His face had been emotionless. There hadn’t even been pity, or anything really. He truly couldn’t care less about me. I wasn’t sure why that came as a surprise. After all, he’d acted no different when he and Falcone had come to my family’s house to ruin our lives.

There was only one couple in front of us now, and my palms became sweaty with nerves. This was perhaps my only chance to talk to Anastasia and find out the truth. Growl leaned down, his warm lips brushing my ear, and I couldn’t stop myself from remembering how his lips had felt on other parts of my body. I shivered.

“Remember to stay calm,” he rumbled into my ear, then straightened, and suddenly we stood right in front of Anastasia and Cosimo. It was our turn to congratulate the happy couple. Only the thought left me feeling nauseated, but I put on a brave face and smiled. Anastasia looked unsure and her smile was more than just a little forced. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. She made no move to hug me or step closer. When Cosimo and Growl shook hands and engaged in fake-friendly conversation, I used my chance and pulled Anastasia tightly against me, trying to ignore the way her body tensed at our closeness. Was she worried I’d attack her? Or was she actually disgusted by being so close to me now that I was less? I banished the thought before it could distract me from my plan. I brought my mouth close to her ear. “Please, Anastasia, help me. We can help each other run away.”

Anastasia gripped my upper arms, nails digging into my skin, and pushed me a few inches away before she leaned just close enough so nobody would hear her words. “I don’t want to run away,” she whispered, then added loudly, “I couldn’t be happier.” She gave her best Grace Kelly smile into the round of gathered guests, looking like this was the crowning moment of her life.

I stared, unable to comprehend what was going on. Was Anastasia putting up a show? Was she worried about someone overhearing?

But when I stepped back to allow the next people in line to congratulate Anastasia and Cosimo, I took a closer look at Anastasia. She wasn’t putting up an Academy Award-worthy performance. There weren’t the telltale signs of lines around her eyes when she was forcing a smile. This was real. Growl started to lead me away, but I kept glancing back at my former friend and my former fiancé. They looked happy. Nobody had forced Anastasia. She really wanted to marry him.

Nobody could help falling in love, right? If Anastasia had told me, I would have tried to convince my father not to arrange the match. I would have wanted Anastasia to be happy, and I’d never even cared about my fiancé.

How could Anastasia have let this happen? How long had this been going on? But even now, I didn’t want to believe that she had known before the party. Maybe she had found out afterward, when it was too late. I allowed myself one last glance at Anastasia before I turned away. She didn’t want anything to do with me tonight, and I suspected that wasn’t just because other people were around. She had a perfect future ahead of her, the one she’d always wanted. She wouldn’t risk it for me.

I emptied my glass and put it on a tray a server was carrying. Suddenly I felt tired, and not just from alcohol. This evening was like a nightmare I would never wake up from.

Growl stopped in a corner of the room and leaned against the wall. I glanced up at him. He seemed to be done with this party too.

“Can’t we just leave?” I asked.

Growl shook his head. “Do you really want to show them how much this is bothering you? Show them your strength. Don’t cower.”