“Then all this… with Faith… is your fault. Don’t interfere. I’ll train her when I’m good and damn ready.”

As their words flowed over her, Faith wondered if he’d been lying to her before or if he was lying to his brother now. Did he intend to violate and beat her and treat her like a slave once everyone was gone and he had more uninterrupted time?

Her blood ran cold at the idea that she’d only have a few days of relative safety before he started in on her. Maybe she should have chosen the dungeon to get used to it. Why pretend something so pretty on the surface: family and holidays and love and a wedding, when it masked cruelty and pain that would surface the moment they were alone in the house again with just the servants?

“Fine,” Angelo growled. “But I didn’t give her to you to be queen of the manor.”

“Leave us,” Leo snapped. For the first time, violence edged his voice.

When Angelo stormed off, Leo’s arms came around her. She couldn’t stop shaking as he pulled her up to stand. His hand touched her face where his brother had hit her, and she winced. Then he forced her clenched fist to unfold to find the dripping blood. Her palm throbbed from the pressure she’d kept on it. She’d barely noticed the sensation while Angelo had been so near. Her first thought had been survival.

Leo pressed his hands gently against her throat where Angelo had tried to choke her. “Does that hurt?”

“Yes,” she croaked.

“Can you breathe all right?”

“Yes.”

“Swallow for me.”

She forced her throat to work. Eating would be difficult.

“Good. Let’s get you cleaned up and taken care of.”

* * *

Leo was about to explode. How dare Angelo touch what was his? He’d been so close to beating the shit out of his brother, but it would cause more problems for Faith in the long run. Better to diffuse the situation. There were too many hot tempers and too much violence in his family.

If Angelo thought Leo would take the side of a woman—especially a woman he’d just met—over his own flesh and blood, things could get ugly and stay that way for a long time. All he wanted was peace between his family members.

Faith clung to him as he led her through the house, avoiding the areas family members had congregated. He took her back to her room and sat her on the bed. She was quieter than usual, her gaze downcast as tears slid down her cheeks.

He didn’t know if it was the humiliation and fear or the physical pain that made her cry, but her broken sobs simultaneously awakened his protective urges and his urge to dominate her.

It took all his self control not to force her to her knees and empty himself inside her mouth. But he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he abused her like that when he was the only sense of safety she had. Still, the fantasy spiraled through his mind.