Page 42 of Scream (Duchess & Devils #1)

Hazel eyes consider me curiously, but they soften.

"I feel like I had to convince other people around her that she isn't. She tried to push me away way back when.

.. well, when it was really dangerous for her, but I put a stop to that.

She stopped trying to fight us," he sighs and then, "it gets hazy for her sometimes.

Has issues with trying to figure out if the nightmares she wakes up from are just that, delusions, hallucinations, or real.

But we have it down to a T now. We know how to bring her back to us.

" Before I can ask how, he grins again and says, "It's usually Damon's dick. "

I let out a laugh, "what the fuck?"

"Have you ever heard of somnophilia?"

I have a feeling I'm about to learn.

Eden is a gaudy, loud, um, experience .

It feels like stepping into the past. The walls are sage, there’s gold trim where the walls connect to the ceiling.

An appropriately sized fountain with a statue of Aphrodite is off to the corner of the large gambling room that’s filled with slot machines, blackjack, poker and roulette tables.

Some couples are going upstairs to the second floor that I’ve learned is a type of strip club.

The third floor has VIP rooms for God only knows what, and the rooftop is also a VIP club.

“It’s like stepping into mini-Vegas,” Jonas murmurs, and I catch the way he takes it all in like Raven is - with eyes open wide and slightly wincing at all the noise. It’s jovial. It’s fun.

It ain’t for me.

Jonas tucks Raven protectively into his side while looking over all the…

fun happening. He asks about the rings, and Sabrina answers for us to follow her into an old-timey elevator.

She holds her breath before stepping in.

I stay beside her, wanting so badly to touch her, to put my arm around her shoulders and tuck her into my side.

By the time I get the balls to do it, the iron doors are already opening, and we're stepping out to a land of chaos .

There's a fight already going on, where spotlights are highlighting in the dark what could be considered a fucking dungeon. If I thought they were overdressed in gowns and a suit, I was fucking wrong. Fight Night is exactly that. From what I can see, it's nothing but the elite, and celebrities, and their friends and family members cheering for more blood. Waitresses in scantily clad red and black lingerie are passing out drinks, the garters around their thighs are full of bills tucked into them as tips. The energy is powerful, there’s tension everywhere, and even though it’s all crimson and blood, it smells like fucking money.

Whoever is winning has the crowd going fucking wild as a bell rings, just as the guy gets knocked out with a kick to the face.

He makes a wet thud when he hits the ground, and it all goes silent for just a split second before the roar of the crowd is almost overbearing.

I glance at Sabrina, her gaze finding mine.

I know she sees my worry for her, but she taps her ear once, and I know my baby put her ear buds in.

Whatever it takes, I'll make sure she's at least eighty percent comfortable in her surroundings, even if that includes putting them in her purse every time she goes out.

Raven lifts her hands to us and signs for our seats. Well, their seats. I'm just a sconce on the wall here. Sabrina leads them to the front as a medic comes out to take the guy that was knocked out, and staff come through to clean up the blood and disinfect before the next fight.

Maksim's fight.

Except once the staff gets out, more people go around the ring, pulling off the ropes and poles. Then, a black cage comes down, and they make their way around it again, making sure the fence is locked tight. There are excited murmurs and gasps going about. I internally shake my head.

The lights dim and Feel Something by I Prevail blasts from the speakers.

A spotlight shines on a fighter making his way down the aisle from one set of double doors.

The idiot willing to fight Maksim gets into the cage, throwing off his robe.

The name SALVATORE is on the back in red, white, and green letters.

Tattoos cover him from neck to knuckles, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he looked like Maksim's cousin–tall, built almost the same, with tan skin, dark eyes, and dark hair.

The fact he seems ready to kill as he walks around, wrapping his wrists, eyeing the crowd, makes him look a little more lethal.

I let my mind sift through the small file of fighters I know in the city and remember why Salvatore, first name Dario, is so well known.

He went professional for only three weeks until he accidentally killed his opponent while he was high on blow.

He lost all sponsorships immediately and was dropped. But boxing wasn't his thing. MMA was .

Now the cage makes sense.

It’s gonna be a dirty fucking fight.

The song switches to Go To War by Nothing More, and the spotlight shines on Maksim.

The shadows around him seem to cling to him.

With every step he takes, they seem to highlight his statuesque physique, along with every ridge and tattoo on his torso.

Something fills the air as he gets closer, an ominous feeling, like Death is on the prowl.

I see when Salvatore tenses, even from where I stand.

Salvatore shakes his head as though shaking away the thoughts and the anticipation or slight panic running through him.

If what I've heard is true, that fighting Maksim is like fighting a god, having not lost a fight since he was twenty, Salvatore may just meet the grim reaper tonight.

Seemingly unbothered, Maksim reaches the entrance of the cage, and he throws off his silk robe with GIORDANO in large black letters with a crown to the side, signifying he's the king here amongst hungry peasants, dying for a drop of violence. I almost laugh when I see the baby pink shorts he’s wearing highlighting…

well, every thing . The women in the crowd scream, and I flick my gaze to see Sabrina blush, look down, then back up to watch her husband.

Instead of him going into the cage, he walks toward her and bends down, stealing a kiss, which causes the crowd to once again go wild.

It's the first time Sabrina is showing her face at one of his fights, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Granted, he rarely fights, but I'm guessing, this is one he really wanted. Because I know, Maksim Giordano doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do.

But love his wife?

He really wants to.

And that man?

He really wants her to love him back. Wants her to see he's a winner. A beast. He's showcasing himself as a protector.

Look at me, wife, see how pretty I dance around this ring? Look and see how I could do so much better than your bodyguard.

As though he can hear my mocking thoughts, he looks up at me as he pulls away from her and smirks, turning to enter the cage.

I smirk back.

Go Salvatore.

I'm not impressed or intimidated. He can have his show. My violence is silent. My demons only scream at me. Even my love for Sabrina is shown to her and only her and those around us.

How it should be - private and between us. I don't need to love her out loud for the world to see. She knows my heart, has felt it, seen it, knows it belongs to her. She knows she is the only woman on this planet I’ll allow to break it. That's all that matters.

The announcer does his job announcing things for the rowdy crowd, thirsty for blood.

Soon, they're dancing around each other, feet firmly planted on the ground.

They rotate around the other for a bit, like dangerous butterflies.

Dario swings first, but Maksim ducks just in time, countering with a swing that connects with Dario's lower ribs just as his knee comes up.

Maks takes the hit and twists his foot, causing Dario to fall on his back.

But Dario yanks Maks' foot, pulling his knee to his chest, and Maks falls on top of him. It's a tangle of sweaty limbs.

Right when you think Dario has bested Maksim, he's flipped, and they're tangled again.

There's blood on the ground and they're both sweaty as fuck, getting in a few punches, panting when the first bell rings.

Each one goes to a separate space in the cage, and they're given water through the links.

Maksim squats down as his trainer talks to him, and he nods, eyes on his wife, gaze never wavering.

I wonder how long he can keep this up for. He's almost thirty-four. Will it be one bad fight before he's taken away from Sabrina? A rival gang? One shot. One bullet. That’s all it’ll take for him to be gone. She's looked a bit squeamish at times but mostly intrigued.

Are you having fun? She signs to Raven. Raven nods and faces her, putting her hands up but from where I'm standing, I can't see her reply.

The bell dings, and our attention is back to the two men circling each other.

It's one kick to the fucking jaw, and Dario lands on his stomach, not getting back up for several seconds.

Three… two… one…

The bell dings three times, and medics and Dario's coach go into the ring, helping him stand. The way his jaw is slack and hangs to the side makes me wince. Dislocated.

He's out first, then the cage is lifted from where it came.

The audience erupts with applause and cheers.

Maksim calls Sabrina into the cage, and when she's inside, he grabs her, dips her, kisses her again, claiming her for the second time this evening while I'm nothing but paint drying on the wall.

But I see the little shift she does to make him stop, and when Maks pulls away, there's blood on his lip that wasn't there before.

That's my good fucking hellcat.