Page 23 of Darkest Desire

“Except for Jake,” I taunt.

His lips form a thin, long line. “Mmm. Yes. Except for Jake. You know, for someone who hates that I kill, you gave Jake’sname up right away. I can easily find out who he is and kill him. You just signed his death warrant. Why is that?”

“I never gave you his last name.”

“Easy to find. Is it because there is no Jake? Are you lying to me right now, Sasha?”

I keep my face as neutral as I can but it feels like every move I make – every fidget, every eye twitch, every scratch of the head – shows my lie.

“No,” I say. “I am not.”

Nico stares me down a moment longer before leaning back in his seat and taking a sip of his drink. “This is going to be a long flight.”

For once, Nico and I agree on something.

I feel out of place once we land in Rome. All the people who greet us at the private hangar speak Italian and none of them bother switching to English for my benefit.

Nico doesn’t even translate for me.

The driver of our car talks in Italian with Nico on the drive to Nico’s home. I zone out what they’re saying since I can’t understand it and look out at the city as we drive through it. It’s beautiful in so many ways from the architecture to all the nature in the distance.

There are some uglier parts but we quickly drive past that and reach a beautiful neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. It’s more remote here.

The driver takes us up a long gravel driveway until a huge mansion appears before my eyes. It’s like something out of a fairytale. Large lush green trees surround it. A huge fountain is in the middle of the circular driveway.

The house itself is a pretty cream color with vines all along the sides of it.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier house.

I can feel Nico watching me and I force my mouth to close. I’m not about to gawk at his house and let him think he has anything over me.

After we get out of the car, Nico walks on ahead of me, striding into the house with confidence. Of course he would. He owns the place.

When I enter the house, I’m struck by its beauty. Herringbone wood floors. Rich colors on the walls from green to cream to hints of red that make everything more lush. Luxurious furniture and decorations everywhere.

But then I’m struck by a different idea: Nico brought me to Italy. I’m not even on the same continent as my family. If he wanted to keep me here for the rest of my life, he could and I would have no way of stopping him.

I would have no way of saving my family.

“What do you think of the place?” Nico asks when we’re in the living room. It’s a large open concept plan that feels cozy at the same time. My eyes dart to the couch. All I want is to sleep after the trip. I didn’t dare fall asleep on the plane with Nico watching my every move, though I’m not sure why here will be any different.

“It’s nice,” I say with a shrug.

“Just nice? Come on, Sasha. Be honest with me. Let’s start this marriage off right.”

You forced me to marry you, I want to shout but I keep it down. Nico is infuriating but he’s also powerful. Screaming at him won’t get me anywhere.

“Fine. It’s beautiful. You have a lovely home.”

“There she is. I knew you could be polite.” He tries to place his hands on my hips but I dance back. A little smirk remains on hislips. “Well, then. I’ll let you get settled. I’m sure you’re tired. You didn’t sleep on the plane.

“Neither did you.”

“And I’m tired. But I’m also starving. I was going to have dinner then go to bed. I have something big planned for tomorrow. A housewarming of sorts.”

“What?”

He gives me a secretive smile. “You’ll see tomorrow.”