《Selena Arabella Calos》

I don't like thinking about the past. It contains too many terrible memories that I'd rather forget. But waking up in Daniel's arms, memories of all the blissful mornings with him come flooding back.

My head rests on his bare chest, and he has an arm wrapped around my waist, his hand tracing circles on my bare stomach. I remember waking up when he came out of the shower and asking him not to leave me. I had just woken up from a nightmare, and I knew that his presence would help me calm down. The warmth of his skin and the sound of his heartbeat beneath my ear was the only thing that could ease my anxiety. I fell back asleep after he promised to stay by my side. My heart cannot help but skip a beat at the fact that he followed through with it.

I don't know how long he has been up for, but he's texting someone now. I try to resist the urge to see what he is writing even though I can easily read the messages. Not only is it a violation of his privacy, but I am afraid of what I'll read. I know who he is and the kind of life he leads, and if the messages are anything related to the Cosa Nostra, it will ruin the moment. Instead, I try to concentrate on the new tattoos running down his arm- a beautiful assortment of quotes, symbols and pictures. Eventually, though, my curiosity gets the best of me, and I glance at the screen.

What do you want me to do, Ace? The message reads.

Daniel hesitates before replying. Take them to the Cayto. I'll be there soon.

I was right. I shouldn't have looked. It brought back the memories of seeing Daniel at Cayto for the first time- the first time I saw him kill. That was the beginning of the end for us.

"How did my father agree to our marriage despite knowing who you truly are?" I ask him bitterly, unable to control myself.

"Why would he not?" Daniel retorts nonchalantly, not surprised that I'm awake.

I stay quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say. "Because you are everything a father would want his daughter to stay away from."

"I'm no worse than him."

"He isn't a part of the Mafia," I snap at him even though I should not be so defensive- I have seen my father kill before. I have seen my father do everything that comes with being a Made Man. Just because he is not initiated doesn't make him any different from any of them. Still, compared to Daniel and all he has done, my father is better... at least, I hope so.

"That does not matter. He is an associate of ours; he has done the same things I have," Daniel says calmly, voicing my thoughts. "He enjoys many benefits that come with being our associate. Now imagine the benefits he would get when his daughter is married to me- not just a don but the most powerful one in the country."

I always knew I would get married to someone dangerous. But I always thought despite my relationship with my father, he would consider what is good for me before deciding who I would marry. But now, with the knowledge that my father chose Daniel for me based solely on the benefits he would receive, I feel betrayed and unsure of what to do next. I had hoped that my father would see beyond the superficial benefits of a powerful alliance and consider whether Daniel would be a good husband to me.

"What benefits?" I ask Daniel, searching for some justification for my father's actions.

"I will tell you in time."

"When?" I press, desperation creeping into my tone.

"When I have announced to the world that you are mine," he replies smoothly.

"Why?"

"Because having information can get you killed in our world," he says matter-of-factly as he messages his assistant for his schedule.

"It's not like not having information protected me four years ago," I retort bitterly, and his fingers still.

"I don't mean necessarily mean from the enemy."

I sit up on the bed and look at him. "So why can you tell me something now if it can get me killed?"

"There are some things you must know now because we are getting married. And I have the right to protect you from anyone by any means necessary now," he responds, his tone cold and stoic.

I narrow my eyes at him. "What do you mean by 'any means necessary?"

His gaze meets mine, impassive as ever. "You will find out soon enough."

"If I stick around long enough to find out," I mutter, getting up from the bed and trying to distance myself from him.

He doesn't let me get far, though. He grabs my hair and pulls it just enough so I fall back on the bed. He pins me down, and I look at his darkened eyes, trying to keep my face expressionless. His anger does not surprise me. I feel like he has only two personality settings now- angry or emotionless. I still don't know which one I prefer.

"Do you think there is a way out of this now?" He asks me, his tone sharp and threatening. "You are mine now, and no one can change that- not even you."

I scoff at him, trying to seem unbothered even though my heart is racing. "What will you do if I run away before the wedding?"

He narrows his eyes, and his grip on my hair tightens. "I will hunt you down."

"And if you can't?"

"You signed the new contract last night. Did you not read a word that was on it?"

I try not to react to that, but internally I am panicking. What did he add to it? I skimmed through the contract because I knew I had no choice and would have to sign it anyways. I did not think it had something about this in it too.

Daniel shakes his head in disappointment. "I expected more from you."

"It's not like I had a choice. I had to sign the contract no matter what, so I didn't think what was written in it mattered."

"It said that if you backed away from the agreement, your family would pay- in blood if necessary," he says, his voice cold and calculated.

My eyes widen in horror, and my heart stops. "You're messing with me."

He smirks, and I realise that he's enjoying this. Of course, he is; he is a bloody psychopath. "I'm not. You can ask your father for a copy of the contract."

I take a deep breath and try and compose myself. "Why would you include that in it?"

"I needed insurance in case you backed out to prevent you from spilling any secrets you came to know off," he explains calmly as if he isn't talking about committing murder.

I look away from him, needing a moment to process the information he has just given me. I hate being trapped, and that's precisely what I am right now- trapped in every way possible by the man I once loved. "What if you do find me if I run away?"

His jaw clenches at my question. "I will lock you in a room and fuck you until you realise you are mine for eternity."

I narrow my eyes at him. "I am not your property."

"You really should reread the contract," he replies, his voice cold.

"Fuck you," I retort, feeling anger bubbling up inside me.

His eyes darken, and he leans closer to me. "Watch your fucking mouth."

I refuse to back down. "No," I say firmly, trying to move away from him.

He wraps my hair around his hand, pulling it hard enough to make me wince. "You belong to me now. You signed the contract, and you will do as I say,"

"I do not belong to anyone," I say, my voice shaking with anger and fear.

"You are not leaving this bed until you admit you are mine," he growls in my ear before pressing his lips against my collarbone. "Who do you belong to, Selena?"

"No one," I reply adamantly.

His eyes narrow. "Who do you belong to?"

"No-" He presses his lips against my neck and sucks, making me gasp. He leaves a trail of kisses from my neck to the upper lining of my bra- which he must have put on me after I fell asleep.

"Who do you belong to?" He asks again. His eyes are dark with desire.

"You," I reply, finally but inevitably giving in. Why the hell am I so weak in front of him? I hate it so damn much. I feel like the eighteen-year-old girl he dated whenever I am around him when in fact, I am much stronger than her now.

"That's right, me. Which means that no man other than me will touch you, kiss you or fuck you. Not unless he has a death wish. Have I made myself clear, Bellissima?"

I narrow my eyes at him, resisting the urge to hurl an insult at him. "Yes."

Just then, his phone rings, and he steps onto the balcony to answer it. "Stay," he orders me before leaving the room.

I'm not always the obedient little girl he is used to. I remind myself, getting up from the bed. Especially not if I am stuck with him forever.

I go to my closet, put on an oversized shirt that is an old one of Daniel's, and quietly slip out of my room. My room is so full of his presence that it is overwhelming.

As soon as I leave the room, I frown, not knowing why my apartment smells like bacon. Jax told me he would come over tomorrow, not today, so unless someone broke into my house for bacon, there is no way that it should smell like that. And it can't be Jax because if it were, my apartment would smell like burnt food instead. He is worse at cooking than me.

I hurry to the kitchen and curse my luck when I find the culprit behind the bacon smell: Alex.

This morning will be a train wreck, won't it?

He turns around, looks at me and smiles. "I didn't expect you to be up so soon."

I look at the time and realise it's just 8 am. "I couldn't sleep," I reply, walking towards him to hug him. I hope Daniel doesn't come here right now. I don't think I can deal with what will happen if he does.

"I missed you," he mutters.

"I missed you too."

He pulls away and looks at me. "How- Is that a bruise?"

He touches my neck lightly, and I look at him, panicked. He can't know about Daniel, or else he'll hate me. "Um, yeah, it is. Uh... my phone fell on my neck."

He looks confused for a second, but an amused smile soon replaces his confused expression. "Only you can drop a phone on yourself and manage to hurt yourself."

I let out an awkward laugh. How did I ever date someone so gullible? "So, what are you doing here?"

"Can't I just break into my best friend's house to make her breakfast?"

I roll my eyes. "You can, but you wouldn't unless you wanted something. So, what is it?"

He smiles. "I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About us," he replies, and I blink in surprise.

Oh my God. Not this again.

"What about us?" I ask him, feigning confusion.

He opens his mouth to reply, but my worst fear comes true before he can- Daniel walks into the kitchen. I move away from Alex as fast as possible, but it isn't fast enough. Daniel's gaze turns venomous as soon as he sees us, and his jaw clenches. Alex looks from me to Daniel, then back at me again.

"What is he doing here?" Alex asks me. Then he registers both Daniel's and my appearances. I'm dressed in nothing, but Daniel's old shirt, and Daniel is wearing dress pants, and his shirt is unbuttoned. Alex stares at my neck, realising that the mark on my neck is not because I dropped my phone on it. "Selena, what the fuck is he doing here? Did he stay over?"

Daniel doesn't give me a chance to answer Alex's question. He takes quick strides towards me and grabs my arm. "Selena. Room," he grits through his teeth. I open my mouth to argue with him, but the dark look in his eyes stops me short. "Now!"

I give Alex one last glance and mouth 'later', hoping he'll understand that there is no way I can talk to him right now. But by the look on his face, I don't think he does.

As soon as I leave the kitchen, I hear Alex speak again. "What the fuck are you doing here, Castello?"

"That's between my fiancée and me," Daniel says, his tone arrogant and rude.

"You're lying," Alex retorts.

"I have no reason to lie. She is my fiancée now, so you will stay away from her."

"She might be your fiancée, but she's not your property. I won't if she doesn't want me to stay away."

"She is mine, whether you like it or not. Go near her again, and I will make sure you beg me for death," Daniel replies, his voice dark and threatening.

"She'll hate you forever if you hurt me," Alex says, and I know he is trying to sound brave, but a quiver in his voice gives him away. And if I notice it, Daniel definitely does and will use it against him.

"She will be my wife in a few weeks. Then it won't matter what she feels about me; she will have to spend the rest of her life with me."

"Her heart will always be mine," Alex bites back, and it takes all that is in me not to go to the kitchen and tell him to be quiet. Provoking Daniel is never a good idea- especially when it comes to me. "Even if you marry her, she'll never be yours."

Daniel laughs a harsh sound that makes my blood run cold. "Her heart was never yours. It was always mine. Or have you forgotten her picking me over you every time? Do you think this time will be any different?"

I wince at his words, feeling the weight of the truth behind them. I have always picked Daniel over Alex, and maybe I always will. No matter what I do, I can't change my feelings for Daniel. I can hate him as much as I want, but I will always pick Daniel if there is a choice between Daniel and Alex. I am drawn to him in a way that escapes all rational thought.

When Alex doesn't answer, I quickly run to my room, not wanting Daniel to see me disobey him and incur his wrath again. The sound of the front door slamming shut echoes through the house, followed by footsteps walking towards my room. I move away from the door just as it opens, keeping my eyes on the ground as Daniel walks towards me.

He stops in front of me and uses a finger to lift my chin and force me to meet his gaze. "I thought I made myself clear earlier," he growls, his voice low and dangerous.

"I swear, he didn't touch me," I say defensively. But the look on Daniel's face tells me he doesn't believe me. "Fine, we hugged, but it wasn't sexual or anything."

Daniel's jaw ticks as his gaze travels down my body, lingering on the scant fabric barely covering my skin. "You are barely wearing anything. Do you expect me to believe he did not think about fucking you ten different ways as soon as you walked into the room?"

"Of course, he didn't! He's not you," I say, my voice rising slightly in defence.

"That's right. He is not me, which means he needs to keep his hands to himself. You, of all people, know that I do not like sharing. Next time I see his hands on you, platonic or not, I will cut them off and feed them to him. Have I made myself clear?" Daniel says, his voice full of warning and his grip on my chin tightening.

"Yes," I reply meekly, not wanting to anger him more or else he'll act on his threat before I know it.

-

A/N

It took me a little more than a few minutes, but I updated!

I'll update again next weekend.

Until then, take care and bye bye x