Frantic, I tried to tug my wrist out of his bruising grip, but he yanked at my arm, forcing me to tumble toward him. He flung me over his shoulder with enough force to drive the air from my diaphragm, leaving me gasping as he carried me into the bedroom and flung me down on the bed. The leather cuff closed around my ankle, his hands digging into my flesh as he locked it in place.
As soon as I was chained down, he spun away from me, stomping out of the room. One fist still clutched around the trinket, and his other hand grabbed the door handle. He jerked it closed behind him, the splintered wood around the broken hinges groaning as he forcibly sealed my cell.
Thirty seconds of horrifying silence passed, my heart beating so rapidly I feared it might burst.
An animal roar tore through the penthouse, punctuated by the shock of shattering glass.
I tucked my knees tight to my chest, hugging them to protect the most vulnerable parts of my body from the maddened beast that I’d provoked.
Chapter 16
Stefano
The shattered crystal glittered against the cream-colored carpet, but my mind flashed to the shards of a broken whiskey bottle on an aged hardwood floor. I blinked the image away, only to have it replaced by Carmen’s lovely gray eyes, wide with terror.
My gut lurched, and I jerked a hand through my hair, grounding myself in the present with a little flare of pain.
The ruined remnants of my mother’s ring bit into my palm, a sharp rebuke for my unforgivable actions.
A plaintive meow drew my attention to my feet. Bandit hovered by my ankle, dropping a rough length of twine in offering.
Toxic heat began to flood my chest once again, the evidence of Carmen’s discovery inciting a fierce, ugly emotion that I reluctantly recognized but wanted to deny: rage.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath, forcing the cooling air to fill my lungs and mitigate the burn of my reckless fury.
The burst of emotion had obliterated my usual control, the force of my ire devastating. I wasn’t accustomed to feeling much of anything beyond satisfaction, irritation, or physical pleasure. But the particular memory elicited by my mother’s ruined ring triggered the debilitating powerlessness I’d experienced on that night, the clawing frustration of being unable to thwart my father’s brutal control.
I kept it because it was all I had left of her. And I kept it to spite my father, a symbol that he would never hold power over me again.
Carmen’s terrified eyes flashed behind my closed lids again. I’d seen the same fear in my mother’s eyes countless times, and there had been nothing I could do to prevent it.
Something savage gnawed at my insides, and I recognized this emotion, too: guilt.
My focus immediately honed on Carmen. I had to erase the fear I’d incited. I needed to feel her soften in my arms and press her cheek against my chest, relaxing when she inhaled my scent. Somehow, I’d managed to lull her into associating me with safety, even if she hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself.
Now, I might have destroyed that trust with one violent outburst.
My jaw set with grim determination. I would fix this. I wouldn’t allow Carmen to fear me.
Without really considering my actions, I picked up Bandit on my way to the bedroom, preventing him from cutting his dainty feet on the broken crystal. Carmen would be upset if I allowed the fragile creature to suffer any pain.
I wouldn’t like it, either.
With some difficulty, I managed to open the broken bedroom door. I pushed it back in place behind me, ensuring Bandit wouldn’t be able to wander back out into the lounge until I got the sharp shards cleaned up. I set him down, and he trotted over to the bed, tucking himself in the protective shadows beneath it.
My chest ached. I’d frightened both of my delicate pets with my shameful loss of control. Carmen might present a thorny, icy lie to the world that she was fearless, but I knew how soft and warm she truly was. I’d coaxed her to reveal her vulnerability to me, and I’d betrayed her by tapping into the fear at her core, fear that I had promised to erase.
I finally forced my gaze to settle on her. She huddled on the bed, curled up in a protective position. Her pale eyes were wide and wary on my face, her lips parted as she drew in panting breaths.
“I’m sorry.” The apology caught in my constricted throat. I took a step toward her, craving to caress her soft skin and melt the chill from her trembling frame.
Her eyes narrowed in a warning glare, but she cringed and hugged herself more tightly.
I locked up my muscles, my teeth catching the inside of my cheek. I swallowed against the metallic tang of blood on my tongue and slowly raised my hands to prove that I held no weapons to use against her.