*** I get a call from an unknown number and I have a vague idea of who it might be. "911 what's your emergency?" I answer, holding back a laugh. "Don't fuck with me Elena. Now tell where you are so I can pick you up and... Talk." Damn, he's sexy when he's angry. I bit my lip, looking for the metro sign. "Your kind of talk and my kind of talk are completely different at the moment" I laugh, spotting what I was looking for. "Oh yeah? You don't know until you try, isn't that right, principessa? " he says huskily, almost making me stop in my tracks. *** Helen is one witty funny girl and Dante is one driven Mafia head. What happens when they accidentally reenact one of their childhood fairytales? I guess you'll need to read to find out.

E F F E R U S adj. savage, cruel, barbarous I always knew that a beast lurked beneath Luca's aristocratic demeanor. He was so beautiful, he bewildered me. He was so brilliant, he intimidated me. He was so charming, he terrified me. He was too good to be true. I didn't want to stick around to find out if I was right. As time progressed I began to suffocate. His experience and power overwhelmed me. I needed liberation. I couldn't handle his demanding ways. I told him I wanted out. Silly girl. You think he'd ever allow that? Luca humors me, saying he's willing to play along. But this isn't a game to me. He gives me four years. Four years to live, to enjoy my youth, my freedom, my beauty. In four years time, he will return to collect his prize. But I'm not ready. I've gotten a taste of a life outside of Luca, and I will fight relentlessly for it. Four years of being in the light invigorated me. I am more frightened by Luca's darkness than ever. I tell myself that I'll never go back, and that Luca will let me be free. I have never been more wrong.