The Devil’s Bride (Villains & Brides #2)

Prologue SANTINO

The priest smiled nervously beneath the cathedral lights. Gold flickered across the altar, reflecting off candles and polished marble. The entire church smelled like incense, roses, and money.

I leaned back in the pew, one ankle crossed over my knee, watching Aurora Ventura stand beside her fiancé in a white gown worth more than most men made in a year.

Beautiful. Too beautiful for the lame prick touching her.

The cathedral was packed with members of the Five Families, all glittering jewels and tailored suits hiding loaded weapons beneath silk and wool. Soldiers lined the walls pretending not to stare at me. Nobody ever truly ignored me. Especially not tonight.

Because everybody in this church knew something the groom didn’t. This wedding wasn’t going to end with vows. It was going to end with blood.

Aurora looked radiant beneath the veil. Soft gold embroidery wrapped around her tiny waist, her dark hair pinned elegantly beneath lace. But her expression gave her away. Tense. Forced.

She wasn’t in love with the man standing beside her. I knew what Aurora Ventura looked like when she hated something. She just didn’t know she’d spent time watching me, too. That was the fun part.

The groom reached for her hand possessively. I watched her fingers twitch before he touched her, disappointment flashing across her face for half a second before she buried it beneath practiced obedience.

Poor little bride. Still trying to survive her family. Still trying to be a good girl. My jaw tightened.

Leonardo Moretti sat a few pews ahead with his wife Chiara beside him, both perfectly still. This whole city belonged to the Morettis now. No wedding happened without that pair’s permission. But Aurora Ventura did not belong to the fumbling idiot standing at the altar with her.

She belonged to me. She just hadn’t realized it yet.

The priest cleared his throat nervously, probably sensing the tension thickening the air. “We are gathered here today to witness the union of…”

My gaze stayed fixed on Aurora. She looked up. Straight at me. Even across the cathedral, I felt the exact moment recognition almost sparked. Her brows pulled together slightly behind the veil. Confusion. Curiosity.

The priest continued droning on while Aurora kept glancing toward me like she couldn’t help herself. Drawn to me already. Cute.

The groom noticed her attention waning. His fingers tightened around hers. Aurora looked away. Possessive little bastard.

The priest finally reached the important part. “If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Silence fell. Heavy. Anticipating. Aurora’s fiancé relaxed beside her, probably thinking nobody in this city was stupid enough to object publicly to a Five Families marriage. That was his mistake.

I stood. The sound alone sent tension cracking through the room. Several men reached for weapons. Aurora’s breath caught beneath the veil. The groom turned toward me slowly, confusion already giving way to fear.

I smiled pleasantly. “I object.”

Gasps rippled through the cathedral. The priest went pale. Aurora stared at me, frozen.

“What the fuck is this?” Sergio, her fiancé, demanded. I ignored him completely, keeping my eyes on Aurora as I stepped into the aisle.

Black suit. Black gloves. Red tie. Funeral colors, with a splash of blood, just for fucking fun.

Sergio stepped in front of Aurora protectively, puffing himself up despite the fear pouring off him. “You need to leave.”

I laughed softly. “No. You do.”

Then I pulled the gun from inside my jacket and shot him in the face.

The sound exploded through the cathedral. Blood sprayed across white roses and marble. Aurora screamed as the body collapsed at her feet. Chaos erupted. Women crying. Men shouting. Guards reaching for weapons. The priest stumbling backward so fast he nearly fell.

But all I saw was Aurora staring down at the corpse in horror, blood splattered across the front of her wedding dress. Beautiful. Absolutely fucking beautiful.

I walked calmly toward the altar while everyone else panicked. Nobody stopped me. Nobody dared. I glanced at the front pew in time to see the mighty Serpent and his wife, locked into place by my men, horrified and helpless.

Aurora looked up as I approached, trembling violently now. I crouched slightly in front of her, ignoring the blood pooling around her dead fiancé’s body.

“Hello again, little troublemaker,” I muttered. Her lips parted in shock.

“You…” Her voice broke. “What did you do?”

I reached up slowly and brushed blood from the lace near her waist with my gloved fingers. “What I should’ve done the moment they tried to give you to somebody else. But this was more fun.”

Fear flooded her expression. Fear meant she finally understood exactly what kind of man had kissed her the night of her bachelorette party.

“You’re insane,” Aurora whispered. “You killed him, you sick fuck!”

Her voice trembled, but there was anger underneath it. Fury. God, she was gorgeous like that. Standing over her dead fiancé in a bloodstained wedding dress, staring at me like she wanted to claw my heart out with her bare hands. I fucking loved our little games so much.

“Probably,” I admitted lightly. “But you noticed me anyway.”

“You slaughtered him,” she hissed, looking down at Sergio’s body again like she still couldn’t process it. Blood kept spreading across the marble beneath him in a dark, glossy pool.

“You’re welcome,” I hissed.

Her horrified gaze snapped back to mine. “Welcome?”

I smiled slowly. “You looked miserable standing next to him.”

“You don’t get to decide that!” She glanced at her older sister, letting out a wail when she realized Chiara was fighting a guard hard to break free.

“Don’t I?” I smirked.

The cathedral echoed with chaos around us. Men shouting orders. Women crying. Guns cocking. My soldiers moved through the pews efficiently, making sure nobody got any brave ideas tonight.

Aurora’s chest rose sharply beneath the lace bodice of her gown. I watched her realize exactly how trapped she was. “You’re a monster!”

“Mm.” I tilted my head slightly. “And you still kissed me.”

Color flooded her cheeks. Beautiful fucking girl.

“That was before I knew who you were,” she snapped.

“And now you do.” I laughed at her anger. “Pleasantly surprised?”

Her breathing turned uneven. Fear mixed with outrage behind those dark eyes. But there was something else there too. Something she was trying very hard to bury. Recognition. Attraction. The memory of my mouth on hers in the dark.

I leaned closer, lowering my voice.

“Tell me something, Aurora. While your poor fiancé was reciting his vows…” My gaze dragged slowly over her face. “Were you thinking about him? Or were you thinking about the man in the devil mask?”