Bloody Amore (Blood Bound #1)
Prologue
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ANASTASIA
- 16 years old
The knife hovers over my palm, the sharp tip breaking enough skin, drawing blood already. “Stasia, are you sure you want to do this?”
Glancing up, I meet my mother’s gaze. Those gentle doe eyes that my sisters inherited bore into me. “I’m ready mom.” There never was another path for me. I knew that from the minute I was old enough to understand my family's origins.
“There is always another choice, but doing this means tying yourself to the Cosa Nostra. Blood is forever Anastasia, it’s irreversible if spilt. “I know, and I accept that.” I’m quick to slice the sharp blade across my thumb, down to the center of my palm.
It’s a strange visceral feeling, followed by a sudden rush that almost makes me feel dizzy and just like that, the moment I’ve been anticipating my whole life is over. I watch as the viscous red liquid races down my thumb, careening into the soft lines across my palm. My mom catches the few drops she needs in a vial, before screwing the lid tight. “Aaron!” She calls out, despite my dad standing right behind her. The rest of my family lay in wait below, whilst it’s only the three of us standing on the balcony.
Sure it’s a little over the top for just some blood, but in my family it’s tradition.
And if there’s one thing this family loves it’s an excuse to dress fancy and drink hard.
My dad is slow to press the towel to my hand, allowing a few stray droplets to stain my white dress. I smile to myself as my mom releases an aggravated sigh. She warned me about wearing white, but I like the idea of purity becoming desecrated.
“How are you feeling bunny?” I used to hate that nickname, always longing for something stronger, but weirdly it brings a strange sense of comfort today.
“Fine, weirdly enough.” I mumble, still trying to make sense of it all. “I don’t know what to feel.” He meets my far away gaze, squeezing my shoulder with his spare hand. “That’s okay. The day I had to do this felt like an out of body experience.” I nod, despite the fact I’ve had sixteen years to prepare for this and he had none.
My dad married into the Romano family, taking on the name and all the responsibility that comes with it. Even though he came from a criminal background, it’s strange how love drew him deeper into the underworld.
I always thought love was supposed to save souls, not damn them further.
Taking a deep breath, I try to settle into my new reality. Signing my loyalty and life away to the mafia is a big decision, but I’ve always known this was the choice to be made.
I suppose if there’s one thing I know I can feel, it’s this newfound power in securing my legacy.
Once I turn 21, I’ll inherit everything. In the public eyes, Romano Industries is one of the world’s leading shipping companies but beneath the glossy facade is something much darker.
It’s that part which has always appealed to me: the extortion, the drugs, the punishment, the power. Almost everybody becomes desperate at some point in their lives and it’s that desperation that keeps my family’s legacy thriving. Now I’m bound by blood and in my world, blood is everything.
Blood is vital. Blood is life .
It’s family and bonds and love all tied together. People are shaped by the blood they carry.
It determines their fate.
Like mine.
I’ve been blessed by the blood that rushes through my veins. It’s given me so much money and power that Donald Trump would weep at the sight of it all.
Back in old Italy, the blood of an initiate would be voluntarily spilled onto the card of a Saint. The head would set it alight, conveying the threat that your flesh would burn like the Saint if you ever betrayed the mafia.
Nowadays everything is more advanced — even the mafia must keep up with the times.
The blood is stored alongside all the other members who have pledged their loyalty in the same way. If you betray Cosa Nostra, then your blood would be used against you.
I remember this story my mother once told me.
Bobby Caravelle was one of my mom’s most entrusted enforcers. He sold information to an outside competitor, causing us to lose millions of dollars’ worth of product.
As punishment for his betrayal, his blood was planted at a crime scene which earnt him a life sentence.
But he didn’t make it long .
You see to truly succeed in this world, you have to own it…so that’s exactly what my parents did.
They ensured that all parts of the legal system were on their payroll: judges, officers, lawyers and even witnesses to an extent.
Bobby was struck over the head during a change in guard shifts and left for dead. The matter was swept away, just another dead criminal and the world went on.
Maybe that’s why my mom is so anxious about my decision?
Not even leaders are exempt from the rules. If I ever betray my organization, my head hangs too.
Not that I ever would of course. Between her polished nails, she grips the vial tighter than a baby to their mother’s hand. “I’ll make sure it goes into the safe.” Her lips press against my cheek and I can feel the sticky remnants of her lipstick left behind. “I love you.”
“Mom, I’m sixteen. A little old for kisses now.” She laughs softly, using the pad of her thumb to wipe it away. “Be a kid for as long as possible, Stasia. The world you’ve just entered will destroy that innocence quickly.”
I’ve seen my Uncle Kai beat a man to death, my father order his tiger Zeus to rip apart a praying man and my mother poison a whole room of people during a business meeting .
Of course, none of them know that. Sneaking around is my specialty, being discreet and observant is a skill I’m sure I’ll need for my future profession. I’m just not sure how much innocence is left for me to cherish.
The sting bites as my dad treats the cut. I don’t let it show though.
Weakness is human in nature. It’s a reminder that you’re vulnerable, capable of such emotions like fear for others to prey on. I don’t want to give others the chance to tear me down from my high throne.
To survive in this world, I need to become a God.