Betraying Family Vows (The Kastaris Greek Mafia #3)

Chapter 1

DIMITRI

Itip back the rest of my whiskey, ice clinking as it slides past my lips. Third glass. Not enough to dull the edges, but enough to take the shine off this picture-perfect wedding bullshit.

First Ares finds his queen. Now Theo's locked down his princess. Both my brothers with their perfect matches, their perfect little families forming while I stand guard like always.

The good soldier. The family blade.

"Another?" The bartender raises the bottle.

I nod, scanning the crowd.

So yeah, my brothers found something, which means Calli and I are the last unmarried Kastaris siblings.

I feel that thought take hold in my throat and I go to loosen my tie. Only problem is my tie's long gone, abandoned hours ago near the dessert tables where I nearly lost it with some drunk idiot who bumped into my sister a little too hard, or so I thought.

I reach for my fresh glass, and as I go to take a drink, I see her.

Sin wrapped in a red dress.

She's tall, with long black hair cascading over bare shoulders. Full lips painted the exact shade of her dress, scarlet, like something dangerous.

Her curves make my mouth go dry despite the whiskey coating my tongue. She's leaning against the bar, profile turned just enough to showcase the swell of perfect breasts barely contained by her dress. How did I not see her before?

She glances up. Our eyes lock. I don't look away. Neither does she.

Those beautiful red lips curve into a smile. Her head tilts downward in a gesture that should seem shy, but somehow doesn't. There's nothing shy about her.

I walk straight to her, forgetting about my drink. I don't break eye contact with her as I approach.

"Didn't think Theo or Stassi invited models," I say as I stop beside her.

She narrows her eyes. "Maybe I'm someone's plus-one."

"You're not," I say confidently.

"What makes you so sure?"

"If you were, I'd already be fighting him."

Her eyes flicker over my face, down to the tattoos creeping up my neck. "Are these your pickup lines?"

"Do I need them?"

That gets me a real smile.

She bites her lip.

"Athena," she offers, extending her hand.

"Dimitri." I reach for her hand, pressing my lips to her knuckles without breaking eye contact. "Fitting. Greek gods and all."

"Is that what you are?" she teases. "A god?"

"No. But I've been called worse."

Her laugh is soft and smooth. Her fingers linger in mine longer than they need to. I lean closer, drawn like a moth.

"You're stunning," I say. "I should probably ask if you're trouble."

She shrugs. "Would it matter?"

"No," I admit. "But I like to be prepared."

I lean in closer, catching the scent of her perfume.

"This is a little too loud to get to know someone," I say, my eyes wandering over her face.

She steps closer, eliminating the space between us. "Maybe we should find a place a bit more quiet then."

The air between us charges. I haven't felt this in a long time, the sharp edge of wanting something. Tonight's for celebrating. Why not celebrate?

Athena pulls back, her fingers trailing down my shirt. "They have good champagne. And I bet a man like you prefers top-shelf whiskey."

I smile.

She signals the bartender and orders while I look around.

"The vineyards are beautiful at night. Maybe we can go walk around there?" she asks me as the man behind the bar prepares our drinks.

"Sure," I say. "Sounds like a good time."

She blushes slightly. "Well, then. Let's go."

I glance back toward the party. Ares is talking to Theo again, and neither is paying me any attention. I'll let them enjoy all this. I'm taking the mystery in red.

Outside, the air is cool against my skin. We slip away from the lights, past the string-lit paths, and into the shadows between the vineyards.

Athena's heels sink slightly into the dirt as she walks ahead of me, hips swaying in that red dress.

She pauses and turns to hand me my whiskey while holding onto her champagne.

She turns and keeps walking forward, farther and farther away. "Beautiful night," she says.

"It is now," I say, stepping behind her.

There's a moment of silence and I look back to see how much we've walked into the vineyards.

"How far are we going?" I ask, more curious than concerned.

"As far as we want, I guess." She glances over her shoulder, eyes glinting in the low light. "Scared?"

"Not my first trip into the dark with a beautiful woman."

"And here I thought I was special." She stops between two rows of vines.

"Didn't say you weren't."

She turns, stepping into my space.

I don't hesitate out here. I grab her and kiss her.

Soft at first, but then I think of what's under that red dress and I don't do soft for long.

I grip her waist and press her against one of the wooden posts holding a vine, deepening the kiss. She tastes like champagne. Her fingers twist into my jacket lapels. She groans into my mouth as I grip her ass. I'd do a lot more if I wasn't holding a drink.

"I don't usually do this," she says, breath hot.

"Me neither," I lie, and she knows it.

She smiles and lifts her flute between us. "A toast?"

I lift up my glass. "To what?"

"To new experiences," she says and gently taps my glass.

"I'll drink to that," I say, because I'll do just about anything at this point to have her be my new experience.

I take a drink. The liquid is smooth with a subtle burn. Better than what I was drinking inside. But something's off, a subtle undertaste I can't place.

Before I can give it too much thought, Athena kisses me again, harder this time. She presses her body against mine, and I can feel my cock starting to get hard.

But I'm starting to feel something else too. It's subtle. A strange heaviness in my limbs.

I pull back, blinking. The vineyard seems to tilt slightly.

"Something wrong?" she asks, voice soft with concern.

"No." I shake my head, trying to clear it. I take another sip instinctively, thinking it will help.

It doesn't.

I try to blame the whiskey. My buzz from earlier. But as I lower the glass, my grip weakens.

My muscles feel loose, uncoordinated. I've been drunk before. This isn't drunk.

"What the fuck?" I say, my tongue feeling thick in my mouth.

Athena steps back, watching me with dark eyes. Her concern melts away, replaced by something cold.

I blink. The world lags for a second behind my eyes.

Shit.

"You should sit down," she suggests. "You don't look well."

I try to reach for her, but my arm doesn't move. "What did you do?"

"Just relax," she says. "Don't fight it."

I stagger back and she doesn't move. She just watches. "Just give in, Dimitri. It's easier that way."

My knees buckle. I hit the ground hard, one hand bracing against the damp earth. The world spins. I try to stand, but my legs won't cooperate.

"You fucking drugged me." My voice comes out slurred.

Athena crouches beside me, perfectly balanced on her heels. Her fingers brush my cheek almost tenderly.

"You'll be fine," she says. "But you're not going to like what comes next if you keep fighting."

I grab for her wrist, missing completely. My vision blurs at the edges. I collapse fully now, face resting on the dirt.

I try to drag myself forward. Useless.

She straightens, pulling a phone from somewhere in that dress, and presses it to her ear.

"He's out. Come get us."

Darkness starts to overtake my vision. I fight it, even as my body fails.

Athena looks down at me. "Don't worry," she says. "This is just the beginning."

I stare at her. The eyes watching me hold no mercy at all.

And then, the world goes black.