Page 115 of Beneath Scarred Vows

I wrench my face away from his grasp. "I bet you won't say that in front of Ares," I say, my voice low and steady despite the tremor I feel in my limbs. "If you touch me, hurt me, there won't be a place on this earth where you can hide from him."

Sebastian's eyes widen in mock fear. "Ooh, the big bad wolf is coming to blow my house down. I'm shaking." He laughs, the sound echoing off the stone walls. "Let him come. That's the whole point, sweetheart."

"You should be, coward. If he knows where to find me—you're dead."

"Enough," Sebastian yells and slaps me across the face, the sting radiating through my body. "Keep running your mouth and I'll stick my cock in it."

He turns to the thin man.

"Get the camera ready," Sebastian instructs him. "I want to send Mr. Kastaris a little video message to let him know his wife is in good hands."

My stomach drops at his words. A video. Proof of life, but also a way to torment Ares, to show him I'm at their mercy.

Sebastian's lackey pulls out a phone and fiddles with it for a moment before holding it up. "Ready."

Sebastian positions himself next to me, one hand gripping my shoulder hard enough to bruise. "Smile for your husband, bitch."

I stare directly into the camera, trying to convey with my eyes what I can't say out loud. I'm alive. Come find me.

"Hello, Ares," Sebastian says. "As you can see, I have something that belongs to you."

He squeezes my shoulder harder, his fingers digging into my flesh. I refuse to flinch, to show any sign of pain.

"Your wife is quite beautiful," he continues. "It would be a shame if something happened to her, but that's entirely up to you."

He gives the camera a hard smile. "You have twenty-four hours to give us the Nafplio port and the money you took. All of it. Or your lovely bride here will start losing pieces of herself. We'll start small—a finger, perhaps. Maybe an ear. And work our way up from there."

I feel sick at his words, but I keep my expression neutral, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear.

"Twenty-four hours, Kastaris," Sebastian repeats. "The clock starts now."

The man lowers the phone, and Sebastian releases his grip on my shoulder, standing up with a grunt.

"Send it and make sure it gets to him directly." He looks down at me, his pale eyes glittering. "Thank you for your participation sweetheart."

As I stare up at him, I can't help but think,I might be tied down, but I'm not broken. I've survived worse than this. And they clearly don't know who my husband is.

40

ARES

Istare at my knuckles, raw and split, blood caked in the creases. Mine? Theirs? Does it fucking matter? I flex my fingers slowly, watching the skin crack further, fresh blood beading along the lines. The pain is distant, barely registering against the hollowness inside my chest.

Six hours.

She's been gone for six goddamn hours.

I close my fist again, tight enough that my entire hand trembles. The only thing keeping me from putting it through another wall is knowing it won't bring her back any faster.

When they took her, something inside me broke loose. Something I've spent years containing, controlling. I've killed before, but never like this. Never with this blinding, animal rage that turns everything red.

The first man I caught, one of Sebastian Makris's foot soldiers hiding in a tavern south of Kalamata, I beat until my knuckles shattered against his teeth. I couldn't even hear what he was saying anymore, couldn't process the information he was tryingto give me. All I could think about was Katerina calling my name as they dragged her away.

Just like the guy at the vineyard, Theo had to pull me off him.

"You're going to kill him before he tells us anything useful," my brother had said. "Ares. Stop. For her."

For her. Those two words are the only thing keeping me together now.