Dark Sovereign

Of two things I'm certain: When something sounds too good to be true, it is; and when Alexius Del Rossa makes you a deal, you run far away and never look back. Me? I didn't run. I stayed. I opened that envelope, and I accepted his offer. Why? Because my life was a mess and on a downward spiral to a big, fat nothing. And he just offered me everything in exchange for six months of my life. It was supposed to be a simple arrangement, but I learned the hard way that nothing is simple when it comes to Alexius.

Alexius Del Rossa made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. A temporary arrangement. One that would benefit us both. Be his wife for six months so he can solidify his legacy, and I walk away with the security of having the Del Rossa name. Now I realize that it’s no longer that simple—not while his every command bends my will and entices me to obey. We’ve become each other’s poison—a toxic mix of his wicked touch and my dark desires.

I warned her. I told her there’s no line I won’t cross to keep her. And that’s what I did, I crossed a line. Thing is, I don’t regret it. I’d do it again if I had the chance. This all started with me needing a wife—a wife I didn’t want. But things changed. She got under my skin and into my bed. Now, I’m not willing to let her go. Not even if she begs me to set her free. She knew the risk. She knew my love would come with a burden she’ll carry for the rest of her life.

I’ve never had a life. I’m not talking about the freedom money can buy because I have that in spades. I’m talking about the freedom a girl gets from growing up with four overprotective Del Rossa men…which is zero. Zero freedom to have a social life. Zero freedom to date. Men in this city know better than to look my way. I’m Dark Sovereign property, and everyone knows you don’t touch what belongs to the Del Rossas. To the brothers, I’m the little sister they never had. Except for Nicoli.

There's always a price to pay when you're loved by a man like Nicoli Del Rossa. He's my king, the captor of my heart. But with the Dark Sovereign empire comes savage enemies thirsting for bloodshed, and when a mafia war is raging, buried secrets are brought to the surface. While my husband does everything to protect me, I start to see the cracks in his truth. The lies, the deception—it begins to unfold, and I no longer know who I can trust. All it takes is one night apart. One night of living in the dark. One night… and I remember everything.

Everyone treats me differently now. Like I'm this broken doll with glue sealing the cracks. It's okay. I can handle their pitying stares. But not his. Not Nicoli's. I hate the way he looks at me like I'm this fragile thing he's too afraid to touch. I want him to love me the way he did before this nightmare started. He needs to realize that I'm stronger than he thinks. I'm not a victim, and I'm more than a survivor. I'm a fighter. And while Nicoli and his brothers hunt the man responsible, I'm plotting my own revenge. This isn't a Dark Sovereign war. It's mine.

I had to run. It was that, or marry a man my father auctioned me to when I was a little girl. I knew my father wouldn't make it easy, but color me surprised when he sent Caelian Del Rossa to find me. The man is a menace. Arrogant. Infuriating. Enigmatic. He thinks he's my knight in shining armor. I'm convinced he's nothing more than my father's retriever. Turns out my father asked the Dark Sovereign for help to get him out of the deal and me out of a marriage from hell. Their solution? Marry Caelian instead.

I never wanted this life, this marriage. But Caelian carried me down the aisle, and a corrupt priest declared us husband and wife, ignoring the thousand no's I screamed at our wedding. What began as a battle of wills has turned into an obsession. We were forced into a marriage of convenience, but somewhere between the hate and the heat, we found something more. Something dark and irresistible, something that binds us together even as it threatens to tear us apart.

She'll never be safe. Not from the world. Not from the people who want to take her from me. I see the way they look at her. Like she's something they can steal. But she's not theirs to take. She's mine.