THE KILLER THAT CLAIMED (A dark, mafia romance)

The sun felt like a foreign object against my skin.

 After weeks of recycled air and the scent of expensive floor wax, the garden air was almost too much to take in.

 I walked slowly, my fingers brushing against the heavy, damp petals of red roses.

 I was told that the gardens were a sight to see but this was not what I had expected.

 It was a grand piece of art.

Whoever the gardener was, they were extremely talented.

 I could stay here forever if I had the chance.

 It was so silent.

 So peaceful that even the screaming voices in my head seemed to rest whenever I came to this spot.

 It was one of the few good things associated with that horrible monster.

 Regina had said I was free to roam within the walls, but every time a guard shifted their weight or adjusted the strap of their rifle, I flinched.

I turned a corner near a high stone hedge, my mind lost in the impossible task of planning an escape.

I couldn't get too comfortable.

Whatever I chance I got should be used to plan an exit but while my head was still in the clouds, I slammed into something solid.

It wasn't a hedge. It was a chest.

"Oof-" The air left my lungs in a sharp wheeze.

I stumbled back, my heels catching in the soft grass.

I waited for the impact with the ground, but a pair of strong hands shot out, gripping my upper arms with a strength that felt like iron bands.

"Careful," a deep voice rasped.

I looked up, my breath hitching in my throat.

The man standing over me was tall.

He was not quite as hulking as Bane, but leaner, more athletic.

He was handsome in a way that felt dangerous, his jawline sharp enough to cut.

But it was his eyes that stopped my heart.

 They were so familiar but I could not make out where I had seen them before.

Dark, deep, and filled with a cold intelligence that made me feel like I was standing in front of a firing squad.

 Or a very aggressive interrogator.

"I... I'm sorry," I stammered, my voice barely a squeak.

"I didn't... I wasn't looking..." I tried to pull away, but his grip didn't loosen immediately.

He looked down at me, his gaze tracing the line of my throat, then the pale lavender of my dress.

He didn't look at me with the possessive heat Bane had.

He looked at me with something closer to confusion.

Like he didn't understand what I was doing in his world.

 Like I didn't belong.

 I obviously didn't and that was why I was trying my best to escape it as soon as I possibly could.

"You must be the girl," he said.

His voice was younger than Bane's, but it carried the same weight of authority.

"I... I don't understand," I managed to say, my heart hammering against my ribs.

 "Sorry... I didn't mean to run into you... I'll be on my way"

"Was I done speaking to you?"

"Nathaniel! Stop terrifying the poor girl!"

The voice was like a bucket of cold water dumped over a fire.

Regina appeared from behind the hedge, her red hair catching the sun as she strode toward us.

She still wore a wide, preppy smile that seemed entirely out of place in this den of killers.

The man, Nathaniel finally let go of my arms.

I stumbled back a step, my hands going to the spots where his fingers had been.

"I didn't see you there, Aunt Regina," he said. His voice shifted when he spoke to her.

 The edge was still there, but it was tempered with a grudging respect.

Regina reached out and looped an arm through mine, pulling me close to her side.

 I could feel the heat of her skin, the scent of her spicy perfume.

Oddly enough, it was the only thing keeping me upright.

"Amaya, meet Nathaniel," Regina said, her voice bright and cheery. "He's my nephew. I know he looks older but that's because I'm the youngest Valak sibling."

 "Aunty....." Nathaniel sounded tired already by Regina.

" Nathaniel is my nephew which makes him Bane's nephew, too." Regina carried on, "Though sometimes I think he's just a smaller, grumpier version of my brother."

I looked up at Nathaniel.

Up close, I could see the family resemblance even more clearly.

He had the same brooding intensity as Bane, the same way of standing that suggested he was always ready for a fight.

"Hello," I whispered.

Nathaniel didn't say anything. He just looked at me.

It was a long, slow scan that made me feel like I was a problem he wanted gone immediately.

There was no warmth in his gaze, no curiosity either . Just a cold, flat indifference that was almost worse than Bane's obsession.

 "I'll be taking my leave, Aunt," Nathaniel said, turning his attention back to Regina.

He didn't even acknowledge that I had spoken.

"I have a meeting with Uncle. I'll see you at dinner."

 "Don't be a stranger, Nate!" Regina called out as he turned and walked away, his stride long and purposeful.

 I watched him go, my heart still racing.

 "He doesn't seem to like me."

 Regina laughed as she patted my arm gently.

 "Oh, don't worry about Nathaniel, honey," she said, her smile returning in full force.

 "All the Valak men enjoy being broody. It's like a hobby for them. They think it makes them look more imposing. In reality, they just need a good nap and someone to tell them 'NO' once in a while."

 I looked back at the empty path where Nathaniel had disappeared.

 He didn't look like he needed a nap.

 He looked like a man who was waiting for the world to burn.

"Come on," Regina said, pulling me toward the conservatory.

"Let's get you away from the scary men for a while. I have some new orchids I want to show you."

 I followed her, but I couldn't shake the feeling of Nathaniel's cold eyes on me.