Page 20 of Vow to Corrupt You (Gods of Corruption #1)

Serena

I moan in need, his fingers rubbing my sensitive bud slowly and gently, then fervently and intensely, driving me to the edge of sanity. I want, no, I need to feel him inside of me. My muscles contract with want, and the tingling sensation between my thighs has ramped up to unbearable.

A cry leaves my mouth, my hips buckling and greedy for the pleasure he gives me.

“What happened to when hell freezes over?” His warm breath sweeps across my neck, tickling my overly sensitive skin.

I grunt, but my body chooses to ignore my annoyance with his satisfied tone. It yearns for his touch, the pleasure, the release.

“I want to fuck you, wicked one. So much that it’s maddening.” He nibbles his way down my neck. “But you’re going to have to beg harder than that to earn that pleasure.”

His hold on my hair loosens, and he pulls away, leaving me wanting what he’s refusing to give me. It feels like torture.

I whirl to face him; a wicked grin on his face as he puts his fingers to his lips and licks them, which sends another heat wave through my body.

I want to beg him to take me, but my pride won’t let me. I want to tell him to fuck off, but I’m too embarrassed after begging him to fuck me.

I blame my lack of sexual experience for that.

I haven’t done things like this, and I’ve never felt anything quite like how he makes me feel, so now that I have gotten a taste of what it’s like, I crave more of him.

My mind is clouded by lust. It must be that.

It can’t be that I am actually attracted to him.

I am not. I’m supposed to detest him. Now, all of these emotions are only intensified with the tension between my thighs.

He leans closer, stealing my breath as his lips brush against mine.

“Because you will come undone for me, splinter into pieces, and shatter the last remnants of your innocence until not one ounce is left uncorrupt.” He grazes my bottom lip between his teeth, and a shiver strikes my spine.

“When your sanity lies in ruins, and your darkness matches mine.”

I stifle a gulp.

“Then, and only then, I will give you what you want.”

For the next week, I tried to avoid Nikos.

It wasn’t hard, considering he’s not around as often.

He has to take care of his businesses, both legal and not-so-legal .

I was surprised— well, shocked —he actually filled me in on that.

He owns several nightclubs, casinos, and an import/export business that apparently serves as fronts for his illegal activities.

On top of that, now he has the war with Castros on his mind.

After our last encounter in the shower, I can’t afford to feel like that again. I can’t let him get under my skin, in my mind. So avoiding him, it is.

I spend most of my days wandering around the enormous mansion, admiring its impressive, though dark beauty.

It has everything one might possibly need to keep entertained.

But I don’t go to the tennis court or the pool or use any of the other amenities.

Instead, I situate myself in his library that houses thousands of books.

From Greek mythology—the most extensive selection—through art and history to classics like The Great Gatsby or Pride and Prejudice.

Whenever he would finally show up at home, I’d catch him staring at me.

Sometimes, he’d watch for hours, making me feel like Beauty being watched by the Beast. He’d watch while I dive into the art books, delving into themes of fallen angels, dark aesthetics, and broken and unsettling statues and forms.

Is this why I am attracted to Nikos on a subconscious level? Because he is broken? Is this darkness and damage in him luring me in like the themes of the fallen?

I’ve always been interested in the broken rather than the perfect. To me, the finest art wasn’t any of the polished and perfected until the last detail, but the unfinished, the damaged.

Perhaps because I am broken inside myself.

After my mother abandoned us when I was just a little girl, I was broken into pieces.

She took parts of me with her and never returned them.

Over the years, the fracture in my soul only grew until it became a void so big I could no longer meld it back together.

The barking of the dogs snaps me out of my reverie.

Today I took a break from the library and now find myself in the garden, which must be the only bright place around here.

It’s so beautiful, so mythical. Nikos’s love for Greek mythology is seen everywhere, in every detail, even here.

In the towering marble columns entwined with ivy, statues of gods and goddesses partially hidden among fragrant olive and laurel trees, or in the shaded stone pathways that lead to a fountain depicting nymphs with vibrant wildflowers, lavender, or myrtle.

I watch the servant with the dogs. It’s that time of day when they let them in the garden to feed and play, and I can’t help but wonder which one of them ate Claudio’s… lost organ. I rid my mind of that thought almost instantly.

I’ve tried to talk to the servants, but they don’t seem too chatty.

So instead, I pet the dogs that, at first, I was so afraid of, and now I’m starting to love.

They aren’t harmful or dangerous. On the contrary, they love to play or be scratched.

It’s hard to imagine they could harm someone, though I know they are killers.

I’ve seen how trained they are, and I’ve heard what they’re capable of.

But to me, they’re just sweet creatures living by the rules of their dark lord.

Just like me.

Today, finally, marks the first day back at university after the summer break. I couldn’t be happier. Leaving the mansion for several hours a day will be a much-needed respite.

My lectures start late in the afternoon, and Nikos is away overseeing some business transactions, so I have the morning entirely to myself and decide to go see Gianna and Salvatore first.

“Sorella!” Gianna beams at me.

I step inside our—my father’s house—and hug my sister. “It’s so good to be back here. It feels like it’s been several years instead of several days.”

“Serena?” Salvatore’s voice pulls me away from my sister’s embrace. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

After Gianna texted me this morning and mentioned Papà is “at work,” and Caterina and Valeria are at a mall, and I decided it’d be an excellent opportunity to talk to Salvatore.

I haven’t had the chance to speak to him since the wedding reception, but even then, it wasn’t the time to have a conversation.

“Are you alone?” He peeks behind me.

“Save for the bodyguards waiting outside and a driver who brought me here, yes.”

I extend my arms toward my brother, and he hesitantly steps closer before we share a hug. “I missed you so much. It’s so good to see you home, safe and sound.”

Salvatore exhales a heavied breath as he moves back a step, his gaze wandering all over the room. “It’s so weird without you here, knowing where you’re at…”

“Hey,” I nudge him, urging him to meet my gaze, but it still resists, focusing on anything but me. “We’re both alive and well, that’s what matters.”

“Are you?” His eyes finally lock with mine, full of resentment, rage, and regret. “You might be alive, but what kind of life is it? And it’s all because of me.”

“I chose to marry him.” I try to wash the guilt off my brother. What’s done is done, and we must learn to live with the new reality. Dwelling on past mistakes will lead us nowhere.

Salvatore scoffs, “You had no choice, Serena. You might keep fooling yourself, but you won’t fool me. I’m your twin brother. I know exactly how you’re feeling.”

He’s right. We do share a special bond. Supposedly, that’s normal for twin siblings.

We’ve been together in this life since we were just fetuses in our mother’s womb.

He came to this world just eight minutes after me, and we grew up inseparable.

We have this unique, strong connection, deep sense of closeness, and mutual understanding where no words are needed.

That’s how I knew he was suffering. Blaming himself for my fate. I felt him in my bones.

“You know that day when he came here,” Salvatore continues, “I was here too. In one of the convoy cars.”

“What?”

Both Gianna and I frown at our brother.

“Why would Nikos bring you here without mentioning anything or letting you out?” A hundred possible scenarios run through my head, and yet none seem logical.

“I think he wanted to carry out an execution on our family and make me watch as punishment, but for some reason, he changed his mind.”

My heart stumbles. Was my family a breath away from death? If Salvatore is right, and Nikos did want to execute us, why didn’t he?

“There’s only one reason he didn’t do it.” Gianna walks in and crosses her arms as if a cold breeze swept over her skin. “ You , Serena.”

The events from the day Nikos came to our house replay in my mind like a recording.

The moment his gaze landed on me, the way it held me captive.

The whispers between him and his uncle. And then the contract he already had prepared, the engagement ring he gave me the very same day.

He was obviously planning on marrying one of us and not killing one or all of us; it couldn’t have been just a stunt.

What game is he playing?

“I agree,” Salvatore says quietly before he comes to a realization. “He must’ve chosen you because he knew you’re my twin sister. Nikos Romano is fucked up, and God knows what twisted scheme he has in mind. And it’s all because of me!”

Before I can even think of a reply, he goes back to his room; the loud thud of his shutting door making me jump.

“He’s beating himself up over what’s happened.” Gianna briefly pats my arm. “He’s been keeping to himself recently too.”

“I wish he wouldn’t take this so personally.” I sit on the vintage couch by the window while Gianna takes the matching chair positioned perpendicular to the couch. “I don’t regret my decision. I’d do anything to save our family, and I know he would’ve done the same for me.”

“That’s true.” Gianna nods. Her gaze skims over an off-white vase with apricot roses, and I sense there’s something on her mind. She’s not the type to avoid eye contact unless…

“What is it, Gianna?”

She lets out a sigh, and her lips twitch. “Salvatore… he’s been planning something. He wants to…” Her concerned gaze meets mine, and her tone lowers a few notches. “He told me he wants to kill Nikos to set you free.”

Ice-cold chills run down my spine. “Gianna, you have to stop him. He can’t do something so reckless. Not again. If he tries and fails, then he’s putting the entire family in danger and my marriage to Nikos would be for nothing.” My heart is beating so fast.

If Salvatore pulls another stunt, even I won’t be able to save us again.

“Promise me you will not let him do anything.”

“Of course, I promise,” Gianna leans toward me and squeezes my hand in hers. “I’ll talk some sense into him, but you need to be careful. If Nikos…”

“I know.”

The rich brown eyes flick between mine for a moment. “So how are you?”

My mind replays events on warp speed: Nikos banishing Lorenzo out of the country, cutting Claudio’s…

manhood, forcing me to ink his name on my collarbone, the way he stood up for me at the Olympus club, and the intimate moments we’ve spent together.

But the… encounter I had with him under the shower is not something I’d share with Gianna.

Perhaps Chiara, but not Gianna. As much as I love my stepsister, she wouldn’t understand. She wouldn’t even try to.

“I’m fine.” I go for the most clichéd response.

“No, don’t brush me off like that.” Her head shakes. “Is it that bad?”

My lips press together before I reply, “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”

She reclines, her hands leaving mine. “Don’t lie, Serena. You can be honest with me. Did he hurt you?”

“No,” I waggle my head. “I am honest. Nikos… he’s not that bad.” However, I don’t blame her for believing otherwise. Everyone fears him, and rightfully so. He’s a ruthless monster, which I did fear. I still do somewhat. He’s merciless toward others, but…

“He seems different with me.”

Gianna’s brows rocket up. “Serena, you can’t be serious.”

“What do you mean?” I scowl.

“Nikos is dangerous . He’s like a ticking bomb; one wrong move can cost your life. Do not let him fool you.”

“Fool me?”

“What do you think he’s doing?” She sounds rattled. “He wants to trap you in his web, wrap a cocoon around you, and drain your blood like a venomous spider.”

“Why are you saying that? How can you know what he’s like?” I bristle with frustration and defensiveness. I don’t want her words to be true. I want to see the light at the end of the terrifying pitch-black tunnel.

“Because that’s what he does!” Gianna rises to her feet, her hand running through her hair. “God, I didn’t want to tell you this to scare you more, but I’ve asked here and there. He had a girlfriend…” A labored exhale leaves her lungs.

I allow her room to talk. Besides, I’m too scared to hear what she’s about to say.

“Supposedly, she was a lot like you. Appearance and attitude-wise. Innocent.” Her eyes dart between mine with trouble. “She committed suicide. He pushed her to do so.”

My heart lurches. My hands clasp on my mouth, shaking.

“He’s a psycho, Serena. A psycho. ”

“What do you mean, he pushed her ? Like physically or mentally pushed?” I barely manage to muster.

Gianna paces around the living room, nervously sucking in her cheek. “For some reason, he’s obsessed with innocence, destroying it. Supposedly, he likes to break innocent women.”

Suddenly, all the dark vows Nikos has made to me echo in my mind.

I vow to corrupt you until you fit my own darkness, to bend you until you’re molded into what I desire, to break you down until you can no longer tell where you end, and I begin.

Because you will come undone for me, splinter into pieces, and shatter the last remnants of your innocence until not one ounce is left uncorrupt. When your sanity lies in ruins, and your darkness matches mine.

Gianna stops, her frowned gaze lands on me. “Why would it be any different with you?”

Harsh truth... Why would it be any different with me?