My revenge was so close that I ached for it, a sharp pang in the pit of my stomach. I’d waited fifteen years for this, and with her help, I’d finally make Luca pay.

The fact that Nora Ricci would be the key to his undoing only sweetened my vengeance. I’d watched the delicate beauty for years, craving her when I knew that her father would never allow me to have her. Thanks to the black mark on my bloodline, he wouldn’t have accepted me into his family. Until his fear of Luca forced his hand, and he chose to trust in me.

Now, she was mine, completely in my power.

She looked so fragile when she was sleeping, innocent and serene.

A copper tang coated my tongue, and I swallowed down the sour moment. Luca had taken her innocence, not me. He would scream for that.

But he’d only had her in his bed for a week, and I was certain that noble Luca Vitale wouldn’t have corrupted his pretty bride so quickly. Not in the ways I would defile her, and she would learn to love suffering for me.

She stirred with a groan, and a sharp, anticipatory grin stretched my lips. I sat up straighter on the edge of the bed, watching as her long lashes fluttered. Her hazel eyes were glassy at first, her brow furrowed. She was still disoriented from the drugs.

I saw the moment that my face came into focus for her; her eyes flew wide on a gasp, and she scrambled away from me.

“Hello, little bird,” I crooned, relishing the tremor that raced over her willowy body. “Welcome home.”

She looked around wildly, taking in our bedroom: the rich shades of blue edged with bronze gilding. She was sprawled on our massive bed, her back pressed against the imposing mahogany headboard.

She took in three deep breaths, forcing the air into her lungs. Then she turned a fierce, defiant glare on me. “This isn’t my home. Let me go.”

The imperious tilt of her delicate chin was delicious. I grinned at her, and she barely wavered at my disconcerting expression. Men had pissed themselves when I turned this cruelly pleased smile on them.

I’d chosen well with Nora. I’d always wanted her, but I’d been prepared to marry her sister when her father approached me with the proposed alliance. But when Nora had defended Giana and defied Giuseppe, I’d known that I couldn’t accept another. Giana was shy and timid. Nora possessed a quiet strength and fierce will. I needed a spirited woman who could handle the darker things I wanted to do to her without breaking completely. I had no desire to be married to an empty, mindless shell of a woman.