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

The air is heavy with anxiety, every breath I breathe smelling like smoke and ash. My hands shake as I push them against the stone wall, my pulse beating in my chest. Enzo stands close to me, his eyes scouring the murky lane for any indications of activity. We've been fleeing for what feels like hours, but the danger hasn't eased up. They're chasing us, and it's only a matter of time until they find us again.

"Are you okay?" Enzo's voice is low, hoarse with tiredness. He doesn't take his eyes off the alley, but his hand finds mine, pressing firmly.

"I'm fine," I fib, pushing the words out. My body is screaming in protest—every cut, every bruise telling me how close we were to death. "You?"

"Alive," he adds, his gaze shifting to mine for just a minute. "That's enough for now."

FRACTURED LOYALTIES