His Juliet: An Age Gap Hurt Comfort Mafia Romance (Empire of Royals Book 2)

The dungeon door slammed open, and I forced my head up to see the man who haunted my nightmares.

The Butcher rubbed his hands together. “Today is the day, Juliet. Are you ready for your wedding?”

I stared at him, expression blank.

“Tut tut, I would change that attitude.” He crouched down so his face was level with mine. His putrid breath smelled of alcohol. “Your new husband knows you’re used goods. I promised him if he accepted a non-virgin as his bride, he could exact blood from her another way.” His lips caressed my ear, and I swallowed down the bile threatening to come up my parched throat.

He stood to his full height and pinched my cheek. “I’ll see you soon, niece.”

As he left, two women entered—the younger woman from before and one I didn’t recognize. The one who had appeared to me in what felt like a fever dream, Elira, wasn’t with them.

They dragged in a large trunk and closed the cell door behind them. The young woman untied me and pulled a roll from her pocket along with another can of cat food. Tears of gratitude pricked my eyes when Queenie started eating.

The other woman opened the trunk, pulling out a blood-red dress with goldwork on the bodice and sleeves.

I wanted to beg them to save me, to take me out of this place, but from the worsening bruise on the young woman’s face, it was clear they had just as much power in this situation as I did.

They stripped off my plain black dress and pulled tight shapewear over my thick curves that made it hard for me to take a deep breath. They still struggled to zip up the back of the dress, muttering apologetically when they finally got it closed. Next, they guided me back into the chair to do my hair and makeup. Sitting made it even harder to breathe, and black spots danced in my vision.

Queenie let out a satisfied meow from her spot on the floor. The can of food was empty. She made a running leap and crawled up the skirt of my dress. The young woman let out a soft laugh, and I almost had the urge to smile.

The women worked quickly to apply makeup and pin my hair up in a bun. I didn’t know how much time had passed before an armed guard opened the cell door. He barked something at the women. My heart pounded and my chest went tight. I snagged Queenie and slipped her into the dress’s large pocket, praying that she stayed hidden. The women nudged me out of the room where three more guards were waiting.

They led me through a series of hallways. The brick flooring was old and uneven, and my tight heels pinched my toes while I tried to keep up. Finally, after multiple locked doors, we emerged outside. I’d hated being in my cell, had been convinced I would die there, but being outside now made my heart feel like it was close to exploding.noveldrama

I couldn’t do this. The sensory input was almost painful. The sun glared in my eyes and the noise, people, everything, was too fucking much.

I slipped my hand into my pocket. Queenie’s soft fur brushed against my fingers, and she alternated between licking my skin and gently nipping at it. It grounded me enough that I was able to take in my surroundings.

We were outside a massive house that looked more like a medieval castle. Ten black cars with dark tinted windows lined the circular driveway, each decorated with an arrangement of flowers and a flag featuring some sort of crest. A series of loud shots filled the air. I screamed and crouched down, but all I heard was raucous laughter and cheers. The men standing by the cars were shooting their rifles into the air.

The guards pulled me back up and marched me over to one of the cars, gesturing for me to get in the back. I caught one last glance of the two women before I climbed inside. The fierceness in their expressions took my breath away.

Before I could process the look, the car door closed and I pressed my palms to my eyes, squeezing them shut to keep myself from falling apart. Would I survive this day?

Queenie poked her head out of my dress pocket, and it was so sweet I let out a watery laugh. “It’s just me and you, cutie,” I whispered. “But you have to promise me, if things go south, you have to get away.” She batted my finger with her little white paw.

The driver’s door opened, and I quickly hid Queenie back inside my pocket.

We pulled away from the house, following the long procession of cars. The green landscape rushed by outside the window. Where in the world was I?

I’d never felt so lost and alone.