Page 100 of Betraying Family Vows

Then he leans in, slides his arms under me, and lifts me out like I weigh nothing.

Ares slams the door hard enough to make me flinch and walks away.

Dimitri holds me in his arms and starts walking.

All around us, men unload from the other SUVs. I see Theo talking into his phone, gesturing sharply at someone I don't recognize. Ares glances at me and looks away.

But none of it matters.

Because Dimitri doesn't stop walking.

He carries me up the front steps like there isn't anyone watching, like he doesn't care that half his family and crew are witnessing this, him cradling the daughter of the man who destroyed their father.

"You don't have to—" I start.

"Don't even say it," he says, but the harshness of the words is negated by the gentleness in his voice.

When we get to the main entrance, massive wooden doors swing open before us, revealing a grand foyer with soaring ceilings and marble floors.

Staff members freeze as we enter, their eyes widening at the sight of us. I can only imagine how we look. Me filthy and bloodstained, Dimitri's clothing torn and crusted with dried blood, both of us looking like we've crawled out of hell itself.

A middle-aged woman in crisp black clothing gasps, her hand flying to her mouth.

"Mr. Kastaris?—"

"Medical kit to the blue suite," Dimitri commands without breaking stride. "Hot water, clean towels."

"Yes, sir. Right away," she says, already turning to fulfill his orders.

We pass by a mirror and I catch a glimpse of myself.

Jesus, I’d gasp too if I saw us.

And muscle memory kicks in and I can't help but think what would my mother think, seeing me like this? The mighty Isadora Lianou's daughter, reduced to this. Stripped of all deception. No makeup, no seduction, no carefully constructed persona. Just me, raw, vulnerable, barely holding together.

"Beauty is your armor," she'd told me once, applying her signature red lipstick. "Never let them see you without it."

Well, she didn't have a Dimitri in her life.

Beauty isn't my armor anymore. Gaining the knowledge that someone can look at you like you're the only person on earth at your lowest is what protects me now, and that's exactly what this man carrying me has shown me.

"Dimitri, we need—" Ares says, walking up behind us with Theo.

"Later," Dimitri cuts him off without slowing. "She needs medical attention first."

"For fuck's sake," Ares says from behind us. "Put her down. We need answers now."

Dimitri doesn't even turn around. "You'll get them when she's ready."

"This isn't a hotel, Dimitri," Ares continues, his voice rising. "She's not a guest, she's?—"

"She's mine," Dimitri growls. The words hang in the air, heavy and definitive.

I look up and see the hard set of his jaw, the single-minded determination in his eyes. Dimitri doesn't glance down, doesn't elaborate, just continues walking as if he hasn't just staked a claim on me in front of his family.

Just as we turn a corner, I see Theo grab Ares, holding him back and speaking to him, though I can't hear what he's saying.

"Your brothers hate me," I say.