Chapter 6: The Blood-Stained Oath

The metal of the gun glinted under the dim warehouse lights, and I couldn't stop staring at it. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic caged bird. Dante’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. It never did.

"Marco," he called out, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. A man was dragged forward by two of Dante's soldiers. He was a mess—face swollen, knuckles bloody. He was shoved to his knees on the cold concrete.

I took a step back, my spine hitting the wall. My mouth went dry.

"This man," Dante began, circling him slowly, his expensive shoes clicking against the floor, "was my father's most trusted driver. For twenty years."

Marco, the man on his knees, trembled. A low sob escaped his lips. "Don't, please."

Dante ignored him. "And yet, last Thursday, he sold the location of one of our safe houses to a rival family. A deal that cost me two loyal men."

I turned my face away. I didn’t want to see this. I didn’t want to be here. This wasn’t the man who had held my hand in the garden two days ago, who had said my name like it was a prayer.

"Look at me, Aria," Dante’s voice was soft, a terrifying contradiction. "You wanted to know who I am. This is the test."

"No," I whispered. The word was barely a breath, but he heard it.

He walked over to me, the gun dangling casually from his fingertips. He tilted my chin up with his other hand, forcing me to meet his obsidian eyes. "In my world, loyalty is everything. It's the only currency that matters. And you, *mia sposa*, are my most valuable asset. I need to know you can stand beside me."

"I don't understand," I choked out.

"You will." He released me and nodded at his men. One of them produced a lead pipe.

Marco’s screams filled the warehouse. The sound was primal, wet, and I squeezed my eyes shut. The sickening thud of metal against flesh followed, rhythmic and brutal. I pressed my hands over my ears, trying to block out the sound of a man being beaten to death.

But I still heard it. I still heard the crack of bone. The gurgling plea for mercy.

I felt my knees buckle. The world spun, and I slid down the wall, my body overwhelmed by a wave of nausea and terror. Just as my vision went dark, I saw Dante raise a hand. He said one word, "Stop."

The silence was deafening.

I was on the floor, shaking, when I felt him kneel in front of me. His hand, so steady and warm, cupped my cheek. He wiped a tear I hadn't realized had fallen.

"You fainted," he said. It wasn't an accusation. It was a statement, laced with what almost sounded like... concern.

"I—I can't," I stammered, my voice broken. "I can't do this."

He sighed, and for a fleeting second, the mask slipped. The monster was gone. In his place was a man who looked tired. Tired of the blood, tired of the violence. Tired of being alone.

"Pick her up," he ordered one of his men. I was lifted into strong arms, but the world was still tilting. As he walked away, I saw him glance back at Marco's broken body. He gave a curt nod, a silent order for it to be disposed of.

I came to in his car, the leather seat cool against my feverish skin. Dante was driving. He didn't look at me.

"Why" I croaked, my throat raw. "Why did you make me watch that?"

"Because you need to know the cost of my world." His knuckles were white on the steering wheel. "And so I could know if you could handle it."

"And can I?" The question was pathetic, but I needed to hear it.

He was silent for a long moment. Then, he reached over and took my hand in his. His palm was warm, and for a horrifying moment, I felt safe.

"No," he said finally, his thumb tracing small circles on my wrist. "But I didn't want you to. I wanted you to see the truth, so you can choose to walk away or stay."

"Stay for what?" I whispered.

He finally looked at me, and the raw vulnerability in his eyes made my breath catch. "Stay for me. Aria, I have killed a hundred men, but you are the only thing that has ever made me feel alive. I don't know how to be gentle. I don't know how to love. But I know that if I let you go, I will never forgive myself."

The car pulled up to the mansion gates. He stopped and turned to me fully, his thumb now on my chin again, tilting my face upward. "Your father has been looking for you, you know. And when he finds you, he will try to take you back. That is a war, Aria. A war I am prepared to burn this city to the ground to win."

He leaned in, his lips a breath away from mine. "I just need to know... are you going to stand beside me? Or against me?"

I didn't get a chance to answer. The world went white as the front window of the car shattered into a million pieces, and Dante shoved me down, his body covering mine as bullets began to rain down on the car.