edwardsauthorsally

Sold to the highest bidder to pay off a blood feud, I never imagined I would be the pawn in my father's fatal game. Still, here I am before Enzo De Luca, the most vicious mafia leader in the city. Though appealing, he is cold, deliberate, and as lethal. Though my heart races just from his proximity, it is his touch that ignites me. My body betrays me and reacts to him in ways I am powerless over. And I melt as he softly, commandingly says my name.

Enzo loves neither me nor another. In his deadly kingdom, I am only another bargain, another transaction. But every time we are alone, the conflict between us snaps—desire becomes a terrible addiction. Although I detest him for everything he stands for, I yearn for the way he consumes me, body and soul.

He has made it quite evident—our marriage is more about power than love. Still, every angry gaze and every snatched moment in the shadow reveals something different. Benevolent underneath his icy façade lies something broken that appeals to the darkest sides of me. But depending on a man like Enzo may mean losing everything.

Bound to him now, for better or worse, I am caught in a world where loyalty is brittle and treachery carries a bullet. Our friendship gets more perilous the more truths about his empire I find. And as the past calls for us, I have to question myself: will our passion be the thing that ruins us both or can I survive loving a guy like Enzo De Luca?

Burning in his arms is me. But in his universe, I could roast alive.

OWNED BY MR MAFIA

Like fire, the adrenaline pumping through my veins keeps me straight even while every muscle in my body rebels. Enzo and I stagger along the alley, each step a frantic attempt to keep as much space between us and the blood-soaked anarchy we left behind. His arm spans my shoulders, his weight comforting yet weighty. His breath is labored, he is bleeding heavily, yet his eyes are still keen, still ferociously alive.

His voice strained as he growled out, "Just... a little farther."

We have to halt, I say, looking over my shoulder for any indication of pursuit. The street is deserted yet the shadows appear to extend and twist. You cannot keep on like this.

"No choice," he says, his hold tightening. They will discover us if we stop.

SHADOWS AND PROMISES