4. Marco
CHAPTER 4
MARCO
Gianna looked absolutely miserable kneeling on that carpet, with the grime from three days in a warehouse clinging to her. It did little to dim the fire in her eyes or the beauty beneath the dirt.
“Did they hurt you?” I asked, leaning comfortably with my forearms on my knees so I could watch her.
She shook her head. “They said they weren’t allowed because the buyer wanted us untouched.”
“Small miracles.”
“Are you going to hurt me?” she asked point-blank.
“That depends on how hard you fight me. My preference is that you don’t despise me if we’re going to be stuck together for a lifetime.”
A whole lifetime with her…What the fuck would that even be like? I’d never truly imagined sharing my life with anyone, and certainly not at the behest of my boss. But that was the situation ahead of me.
“Fat chance of that, asshole.” She was like a hissing kitten, so eager to show me she wasn’t to be messed with even though it would be so easy to scoop her up. Part of me wanted to take the time to coax her into sheathing those claws permanently, show her she didn’t have to fight anymore. I would protect her now. Still…I couldn’t help but wonder why Bianca insisted on a bond. Marrying Gianna would serve an alliance just fine, but a bond would open us up to each other. Maybe it was simply another way for her to control me, get me attached to this omega and use her for leverage against me if it ever became needed. I had never done anything to make Bianca question my loyalty, but if she were paranoid, my actions would make no difference. In either case, I intended to protect Gianna from her. Neither of us had a choice, but as the alpha it was my job to keep her safe.
“If you want to make this experience miserable for yourself, then that’s up to you.” I rose up and pushed open the door to the en suite bathroom. “Wash up.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Stay disgusting if you want. That won’t stop me from taking you when your heat starts.”
Her gaze burned with fury. “Fine. But you’re staying out here.”
I let out a laugh. “It’s cute that you think you can give orders here. Why try to delay the inevitable? I’m going to see every inch of you soon enough.”
She didn’t answer, but her peach tea scent sharpened before she hopped up and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I didn’t move right away, waiting until I heard the sound of the water running, and then that sound muffled from her stepping underneath it. I gave her some time to settle and put in an order for food before I opened the door to make sure she wasn’t doing anything stupid.
Gianna’s shoulders tensed. The water around her feet was tinged gray, but her skin was mostly clean now, the soft pink more prominent. Her hair hung soaked and straight down her back, and her arms were crossed over her chest. “What do you want?”
“I’m allowed to check on my mate-to-be.”
“You’d better be showering too when I’m done. Who knows when the last time Bianca Gallo hosed you down was.”
Gianna’s little viper’s tongue was because she was scared, and that made the barbs easier to take. She was testing boundaries, seeing how I would react. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I did need her to come to heel so this situation wasn’t dragged out for too long.
I took the challenge, shucking my clothing; while it wasn’t nearly as dirty as hers, it was better on the floor than on my skin. “If you pull another stunt like you did at the warehouse, you’re going to regret it. I’ll overlook some of your behavior because of the circumstances, but it’s not going to continue.”
Gianna nodded sharply, her whole body vibrating with tension as I crowded her into the shower and stepped under the spray. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Your ignorance is showing.”
“Why me?”
“I already told you why.”
“So, that’s it? Bianca tells you to bond me and you do it?”
“Yes.”
Refusing risked too much. And maybe I was eager for the chance at a partnership I never thought Bianca would allow for her inner circle. Gianna needed a protector. I couldn’t think of a good reason why that person shouldn’t be me.
She stared at me for a long moment, disappointment and exhaustion plain in her eyes. “That’s a sad fucking life, Marco. How many omegas do you have already?”
“None. You’ll be my first.”
“Lucky me, getting to be the first of your harem.”
I couldn’t necessarily guarantee she’d be my only omega because I didn’t have a fucking clue what Bianca had planned for the future. Tying all the families together using her inner circle to bond omegas in various families wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.
I planted an arm on each side of Gianna and she shrank against the tile. “Be glad you’re a prize and not a toy. A lot of the men like to break their toys, but not many would cross me to fuck with my mate.”
“That sounds like you’re looking for a thank you.”
“Just explaining the reality to you. Once we leave here, you’re mine and you don’t have to worry about anyone else except those above me in the hierarchy.”
She swallowed hard.
“No one is ever safe from Bianca. Keep your head down and she’ll forget you exist.”
I nudged her out of the spray and took my time scrubbing down. Pretending to be calm wasn’t as easy as I would’ve liked. I had warned her, but I figured there was little chance of Gianna Mancini going down without a fight. Part of me relished it. Bringing her to heel would be a special pleasure.
I caught the shift in her body out of the corner of my eye and moved just in time to block her knee from bashing into my balls.
I dragged her down to the tile bottom with a growl, both of my fists in her hair. She whined, her eyes pressed tightly shut against the falling water. “What did I fucking say, hellcat? You really want to go into a heat with a bruised ass?”
She strained against my fingers, but my grip was too tight for her to go anywhere.
“I think I should get a little more credit for saving you from being trafficked. Maybe you should make it up to me.”
Her hands pressed against my thighs to keep her distance. “Fuck you,” she ground out.
“Now or later, hellcat. If you’re going to be a pain in the ass, you’re going to learn to pay the price.”
“Later,” she choked out.
I hesitated for a brief moment before letting her go and stepping out of the shower to dry off. Gianna stared up at me like she hadn’t a fucking clue what to make of me.
“I can come back in there if you’d like.”
She dropped her gaze hastily and turned away, scrubbing herself down. I didn’t bother with one of the robes as I stepped out into the bedroom. Everyone in the building would see what I had to offer soon enough.
By the time Gianna emerged, our food had arrived. She stiffened when the door opened, the sounds of fucking filling the space, a fresh cloud of all those heat hormones kicking us both in the chest. The beta staff wore respirators so they could still do their jobs, and this one was no different. I turned back around to see Gianna bundled in a robe, her hand pressed over her mouth and nose, the tremble of her body visible from where I stood.
“Did they feed you while you were locked up?” I asked.
“Barely,” she squeaked out.
I shut the door behind the beta, blocking out the main room for now. She would need to be stronger to get through the heat, and that meant food and rest. The heat would wear us both out, and she needed to be in as good a condition as possible when she entered the compound.
I took the tray over to the bedside table and set it down, sitting where I could look at her and patting the bed next to me. “Come here, omega.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
“I’m not letting you starve. You’ll be going into heat soon and you’ll have to meet Bianca after that. If I were you, I would want all the strength I could get.”
Gianna tucked the robe tighter around herself and sat down hard next to me, her arms crossed over her chest, and her gaze averted. When she reached for the food, I smacked her hand away, earning myself a glare and the growl.
“Hellcats need to be tamed. You’re not eating a bite unless it comes from my hand.”
“That’s a good way to lose a finger.”
“Put your claws away. What have I personally done to hurt you? Any pain I’ve inflicted is because you’re a fucking instigator and I’m not going to let you attack me without recourse. Save your vitriol for the ones who targeted you.”
“They’re not here,” she snapped.
I ignored her and picked up one of the peanut butter truffles. “You’re not allergic to peanuts, are you?”
“No.”
“Then open your mouth and eat this like a good girl.”
Her answering growl was music to my ears. Watching her succumb to the heat was going to be a treat. I was going to take care of her whether she fucking liked it or not.
“Open your fucking mouth, Gianna.”
The snap of her teeth when I pushed the truffle onto her tongue almost caught my skin, and she yelped when I gripped her jaw.
“Just because I haven’t punished you yet doesn’t mean I’m not going to. You’re going to wish you had behaved.”
She wrenched her face away and chewed silently on the sweet. Everything they had brought was decadent and calorie-dense so only a little needed to be consumed before everyone could get back to their fucking. All of the options were finger food, requiring no utensils, which was a smart move considering how many people were brought here against their will. Bad for business if the clientele was getting shanked by forks out of nowhere.
Gianna was much more cooperative as I fed her the deep-fried ravioli dipped in marinara. Her stomach growled while she ate, betraying how desperately she needed each bite.
Her hair dried while she ate, the sodden strands tightening slightly into soft, fuzzy waves. The peach tea scent that clung to her skin softened as her hunger diminished, letting her relax as I dismantled each of her discomforts. I couldn’t do anything about the one that was still coming, or the lifetime of discomfort she would likely face living at the compound with Bianca hanging over her head, but at the very least she would want for nothing, except her freedom. I couldn’t give her that even if I wanted to.
Between the two of us, we finished off the tray and Gianna sat in silence next to me. “Sleep while you can. You’ll need the energy.”
The fire in her eyes hadn’t dimmed one bit. She stood and rounded the bed, climbing under the blankets in her robe and curling into a ball. I’d expected her to have trouble sleeping with me so close, but my omega was out like a light in moments.
I should get some sleep as well, but I only stretched out on the bed, tucking my arm beneath my head and turning so I could watch her. She faced away from me, but I could still see the slow steady rise and fall of her breathing.
I was the first of Bianca’s inner circle to be given an omega, even if it was in a backhanded and roundabout way. We all had lovers as we chose, so long as we still warmed Bianca’s bed when she had the inclination to want one of us. Would that change now that I had a mate? Gianna probably wouldn’t give a fuck if I was in someone else’s bed, but the quiet distaste I had always felt when summoned to service Bianca was growing into an unbearable weight the closer I got to claiming Gianna. I could only hope that having a mate wouldn’t make me a novelty.
With a sigh, I closed my eyes, and let my fingers curl around Gianna’s damp hair.