Chapter 6
Brielle gripped the curved, woven arm of the wicker loveseat, her knuckles turning white as she desperately tried to pull herself into a more dignified sitting position. Her fair, rosy skin was marred by the harsh, red imprint of his hand. She looked up at Damon, her chest rising and falling in rapid, terrified breaths.
Behind Damon, standing safely beside the two imposing bodyguards, Caleb reached out and firmly grasped Micah’s small hand. The two brothers clung to each other, their eyes wide, watching their father exert his absolute, terrifying authority over the woman who had tormented them.
Damon’s cold, intimidating gaze shifted momentarily. He looked down at the dark fabric blindfold lying discarded on the patio stones. He stared at it for a fraction of a second, the image of his older son blindly swinging a bat at his younger brother burning itself permanently into his mind.
Then, Damon fixed his eyes back on Brielle.
He took one slow, measured step toward the loveseat. The bright cinematic lighting caught the flash of his heavy family signet ring.
"The next person. Tied to that post," Damon said. His voice was incredibly quiet, yet it carried a lethal, freezing resonance that made the hairs on the back of Brielle’s neck stand up. "Will be you."
"Damon, please," Brielle whimpered, her American accent cracking as she wiped a streak of spilled juice from her dress. "It was a mistake. I wasn't thinking clearly. I just wanted them to be strong for you!"
"You wanted them. To bleed," Damon corrected softly, the controlled pauses emphasizing his absolute certainty. "You enjoyed it."
"I am your fiancée!" Brielle shrieked, holding up her left hand to show the massive diamond engagement ring. "My family is merging our assets with your syndicates next week! You cannot do this to me! You need my father's political connections!"
"I need nothing. From a woman who tortures children," Damon stated, his voice dropping another octave.
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"You can't call off the wedding!" Brielle cried, panic entirely consuming her. "If you throw me out, my father will pull his support from the Commission! You will face a tribunal, Damon! You are jeopardizing the entire Roswell empire over a childish prank!"
"The empire is mine," Damon whispered, taking another step closer. "And so are they."
