Chapter 15

FREYA

Luca’s eyes darkened the second the words left my mouth, and I immediately moved back, worried that he would turn into Bruzzatore again.

He watched me closely. When he saw me moving away from him, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When his eyes opened again, they were back to normal.

“Freya,” he breathed out. “You don’t know it now because I’m with you, but if I were to, for some odd reason, let you go, you would somehow find your way back to me.”

I shook my head, ready to disagree and argue, but he kept talking.

“Do you remember how it felt when I was away from you yesterday? How you almost fainted and were in immense pain?”

I winced at the memory, but my pain was quickly replaced with a surge of anger. “That was only because you put a tracker in my neck.”

“I had to, for your safety. For what it’s worth, I have one too. And it hurts me just as much as you to be away from you.”

I nodded glumly. I couldn’t really work up the energy to be angry with him.

“Imagine that pain intensified by ten,” he continued. “You were only downstairs, a floor away from me, when that happened. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if you were even farther away. Plus, your instincts would tell you to come back to me if I didn’t get to you first. Eventually you would. The desire for my scent and touch would force you to.”

My heart started beating faster.

“Will I always feel that pain when I’m away from you?”

I saw Luca clench and unclench his fists. I wasn’t sure if it was anger or something else.

“No. It will eventually stop, once the trackers finish calibrating. I’m not sure when that will be. They’re advanced technology, and need to adapt to our bodies. But at some point, we will be able to spend time apart. However, that doesn’t matter. Because you were trained from birth to want to be with me.”

My shoulders slumped. “So I will never go home?” Tears pooled in my eyes.

Luca swore under his breath as he watched me. His expression told me all that I needed to know. He would not let me go. He intended on keeping me close to him forever. I cried harder at this realization.

Luca glared down at the pillows between us. “Screw this,” he said.

He came toward me, knocking away the pillows in his path.

I held up my hand, stopping him in his tracks. “No! No, stop, please, I just—I just, I can’t,” I sobbed.

Luca groaned. “Freya, please let me touch you. It is killing me to see you like this. It is my job as your ~destino~ to take care of you.”

I looked at him. I had finally reached my breaking point.

“Don’t call me that! I am not your…your ~destino~! It is not your job to do anything for me!” I screamed. I was hysterical. I couldn’t control it anymore. It was all too much for me.

“Freya,” I heard Luca groan. He stood, running a hand through his hair with a look of agony on his face. “I just…fuck!” he yelled and threw a punch at the wall.

The entire room shook; his fist left behind a giant hole.

I jumped back and sobbed harder. How had I gotten myself into this mess? I hugged my knees to myself, letting all of my emotions free.

My stomach churned, and I felt like I was about to puke.

I tried to ignore it, but the throbbing right where Luca had branded me was getting to be almost unbearable. Luca crouched down by the bed next to me. He seemed to be calmer, but his eyes were still full of Bruzzatore’s intensity, which scared me even more.

“It’s your tracker isn’t it, ~il mio amore~? I know you must be in a lot of pain. Please, please let me make you feel better.”

I watched him closely as tears continued to rush down my face.

He lifted his hand slowly and brought it close to my face so it was almost touching my cheek.

I wanted so badly to just let it happen, to let him touch me and to feel the sparks running through my body. I leaned toward him a bit. I wanted to jump into his arms and hold on to him for dear life.

The truth was that I didn’t ~only~ want him to touch me because I wanted the pain to stop.

I wanted to touch him, too, because I wanted the look of agony to leave his face.

I wanted to comfort him...because I liked him.

I ~liked~ my kidnapper. ~How is this even possible?~

I snapped back.

No, I couldn’t let this happen. I wasn’t going to lie down and give up because he’d told me some crazy story.

This insane web of mafia families might have been his world, but it wasn’t mine. I couldn’t give in to this ~‘destino’~ thing.

I hurried to the other side of the bed.

“Please just leave, Luca,” I sobbed. “I just want to be alone.” Small hiccups left my mouth.

He didn’t move. “No,” he snapped. “I am not leaving you.”

I felt defeated. I covered my face with my hands and sobbed as I whispered, “Please, just leave. Please, just leave. Please, just leave.” I repeated it over and over again.

I heard more swear words leave his mouth, and, a few seconds later, I heard footsteps leave the room.

And that’s when the pain really started.