The Hermit (Mafia Empire Book 1)

As I leave the cottage and walk toward the mansion to join the Devlin family for dinner, I feel on edge and downright irritated. Being away from my home for prolonged amounts of time tends to bring out the worst in me.

Just try not to kill anyone.

When I step into the mansion via the open French doors, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull the device out and open the message.

Evinka: I’ll be in Ireland the day after tomorrow. Need me to bring anything?

Dominik: Clothes and extra ammunition.

Evinka: Will do.

I tuck the phone back into my pocket, thinking about Evinka and how she’s become a force to be reckoned with in our world. She’s celibate because of the shit that went down in the orphanage and is only interested in money and power.

The fucker who raped her was the first person I killed. I was sixteen, and Evinka was only thirteen.

I hanged the bastard with his own bedding, making it look like a suicide. After that day, I started training with Evinka, making her strong so she could protect herself whenever I wasn’t around.

By the time I was twenty-five, and she was twenty-two, we had become an unbeatable team, conquering the world one weapon at a time. She’s only loyal to me and has put her life on the line to protect me more than once.

As I walk into the foyer, the Devlin sisters come down the stairs. Unable to ignore them, my eyes only touch on Ciara for a second, not even taking in her appearance before they settle on Grace.

She’s put on makeup, covering some of the bruises.

Jesus, the gold low-cut dress that fits her like a second skin accentuates every curve of her body.

Grace is taller than Ciara and has curves that seem to have skipped her younger sister.

I’m not one that’s easily affected by a woman’s body, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Grace as I take in her generous cleavage, supple hips, and plump ass other women would pay good money to have.

For the second time today, I shove the flicker of attraction away, and feeling like a grumpy bear, I follow the women to the dining room while fighting to keep my eyes from lowering to Grace’s sexy ass in front of me.

Just get this meal over and done with so you can return to the cottage.

When we enter the room where the aroma of grilled steak hangs in the air, Ian smiles at me. “Thank you for joining us.”

Not giving a shit about where places have been set on the table, I grab a chair at the farthest end, away from everyone, and take a seat.

The housekeeper flits around the table, bringing the silverware and glass of water to where I’m sitting.

Ian takes a seat at the head of the table while Ciara sits down on his left. Grace, on the other hand, picks up a knife and fork and comes to place it across from me.

“Grace,” Ian hisses.

“It’s fine,” I say, my eyes glued to the woman as she takes a seat.

While the housekeeper places a plate with steak, creamy mashed potatoes, and beans in front of each of us, I don’t break eye contact with Grace.

“Do you find the cottage to your liking?” Ian asks.

Not looking away from Grace, I mutter, “It will do for the time being.”

With a spark of fire in her eyes, she takes a sip of her water, then asks, “How many people have you killed, Mr. Varga?”

“Jesus, Grace,” Ian barks. “Can you at least try to be civil?”

I wave a hand at him to not interfere, then answer, “I stopped keeping count in my twenties.”

When I pick up my silverware, Grace does the same. We both take a bite of our food before she asks, “How old are you?”

“Thirty-eight.”

The corner of her mouth lifts in a cynical smile, and she shakes her head. “You don’t think you’re a little too old to be marrying a twenty-six-year-old?”

The age difference would bother me if I were to take the marriage seriously.

“She’s over twenty-one,” I mutter, finding this interaction entertaining.

Giving me a condescending look, she mutters, “I think it’s safe to assume you have no moral values.”

The corner of my mouth lifts while I cut another piece of my steak. “Moral values have no place in our world.”

Grace stares at me for a moment before taking another sip of water. “What does your family think about the arranged marriage, or are they all the same as you?”

Again, I find myself being a little too forthcoming with this woman as I answer, “I grew up in an orphanage, and the only person I consider my family accepts everything I tell her without argument.” My teeth tug at my bottom lip as my eyes sharpen on her. “Unlike you.”

“Her?” Grace tilts her head. “Is she the reason you want the marriage to be in name only?”

I shake my head. “I have no desire to be in a romantic relationship with anyone.”

We both take a bite of our food, and as soon as Grace is done swallowing, she asks, “So you prefer sleeping around instead of committing to one person?”

I inhale deeply, then mutter, “No.”

Her eyebrows lift at me. “No? You don’t sleep around like every other man in our world?”

Why the fuck am I not losing my patience with her?

My eyes narrow on Grace. “I don’t like people. They annoy the fuck out of me.” Lifting a hand to my face, I swipe my thumb over my lips, then add, “Unless I get to kill someone. That’s always fun.”

“The meal is delicious,” Ian suddenly says while letting out a nervous chuckle. “Dominik, what do you prefer to eat? I’ll have our housekeeper prepare it for tomorrow.”

The corner of my mouth lifts in a dangerous smirk as I keep my eyes locked on Grace. “Fiery blonds who are too brave for their own good.” Tilting my head, my tone drops low until I sound predatory. “I bet you’d taste spicy.” My eyes flick to the mouse, who’s watching us with huge blue eyes, before I look back at Grace. “I don’t have a sweet tooth at all.”

GRACE

My heart is hammering in my chest, and a fine coat of sweat beads over my body.

The way Dominik looks at me has fear tightening my stomach into a tight ball of nerves. It feels like he’s a second away from leaping over the table to rip out my throat with his bare hands.

I thought I’d rattle him with my direct questions, but he’s deceptively calm and it’s unnerving.

With a predatory smirk on his face, he looks even more attractive, which only makes my fear of him grow.

There’s a sinking feeling in my chest as I realize I won’t win a war against this man.

But twice now, he’s made a comment about preferring me to Ciara. He might just be playing with me, like a cat would play with a mouse.

Or…

Maybe I should change tactics and see if I can draw his attention completely away from Ciara and get him to focus only on me.

When Braden was killed, I promised myself never to be in a situation where a man could abuse me, but as I stare at Dominik Varga, I know I’ll have to break that promise so I can save Ciara.

Lifting my head higher, I let a seductive smile lightly tug at my lips so it doesn’t pull at the scab too much. “Not only do I have a bite to me,” a soft chuckle drifts from me. “but I have claws as well.”

I’m surprised when Dominik’s smile widens, and something akin to pleasure ghosts over his face for a split second before the predatory expression returns.

The uneasy feeling in my gut increases tenfold, making my heartbeat speed up even more.

Then he shrugs and mutters, “I’m not a cat person.”

Before I can stop myself, I say, “Thank God for small mercies.”

Dominik tilts his head, his blue eyes sharpening on me. “But I can make an exception.”

I suck in a deep breath and lower my eyes to my plate. I have zero appetite, but I scoop some creamy mashed potatoes onto my fork so that I have an excuse not to look at the dangerous man seated across from me.

I hear a chair scrape over the floor, and a moment later, Dominik says, “Thank you for dinner.”

Before Dad can reply, Dominik walks out of the room, tension and fear hanging thick in the air.

“Christ, Grace,” Dad hisses. “Do you have a fucking death wish?”

My eyes flit to the head of the table. “You said we have to get to know him.”

“Not by interrogating the man!” Dad shakes his head at me, looking displeased as hell. “Besides, Ciara has to get to know him. Not you. Stop talking to him.”

“I don’t want to get to know him,” Ciara says. “He terrifies me.”

“You’ll just have to get over it,” Dad snaps as he tosses his napkin on the table while he stands up. “Now I have to do damage control and hope he’s not planning ways to kill Grace.”

As Dad rushes out of the room, I let out a sigh.

“Please stop, Grace,” Ciara says with a worried tone. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine,” I mutter as I climb to my feet. Glancing at my sister, I give her a smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll deal with Dominik.”

She shakes her head while giving me a pleading look. “He’s dangerous, Grace.”

“I’ve dealt with his kind before,” I reply. “I promise I’ll be fine.”

Lies, all lies! I’m aware if I keep going up against Dominik, I’m going to lose, but Ciara doesn’t need to know that.

I walk out of the dining room, and when I reach the stairs, Dad comes from the direction of the French doors that lead to the veranda.

“Done doing damage control?” I ask, still pissed at our father for even thinking of offering Ciara to Dominik.

“Hmpf.” He gives me an angry glare. “I didn’t get the chance. I think Dominik turned in for the night, so I’ll deal with the mess you made tomorrow.” When I start to climb the stairs to the second floor, Dad adds, “For the love of God, behave from now on and stop looking for trouble.”

Ciara catches up to me, and as we take the stairs up, she says, “Please stop being aggressive with Dominik. I’m terrified of what he may do to you. We can find another way to get me out of the arranged marriage.”

I pat her shoulder as we near her bedroom. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

By her door, we stop and she asks, “Want to watch a movie with me tonight?”

I shake my head. “I’m going to have a long relaxing bath and climb into bed early.”

She nods before giving me a grateful look. “Thank you for everything you do for me.”

“Always, Ciara.” I pull her into a quick hug before letting go and walking to my bedroom. “Sweet dreams.”

“You too,” she calls after me.

I enter my bedroom and shut the door behind me, letting out an exhausted sigh.

So much for taking time to recover from being kidnapped and beaten by the Russians.

I tug at the zipper at my side and tug it down. Just as I begin to pull the sparkly gold dress off, an eerie sensation creeps over my skin.

Suddenly, a strong arm locks around my waist, and I’m hauled into the air before being slammed onto my bed, scaring the everloving shit out of me.

I’m only able to gasp with fright before Dominik’s on top of me. He grabs hold of my forearms, pinning them to the mattress while keeping his body braced over mine.

Shit!

As I stare up at him, he’s so close I’m able to make out the word tattooed on his cheekbone.

Manifest.

I expected ‘Murder’ or ‘Mayhem.’

Then my eyes collide with his, and something much darker than fear floods my veins. The memories of being pinned down and raped escape from where I do my best to keep them buried.

Dominik leans down until our faces are only an inch apart, then he growls, “Where’s your bite and claws now?”

Even though I’m terrified of him, instinct takes over, and I begin to thrash wildly beneath him.

When I’m unable to free my arms and he lets out an amused chuckle, I don’t think twice. Lifting my head, I sink my teeth into his neck like a goddamn vampire.

I’ll fucking rip his neck wide open if I have to.

Feeling downright feral, I bite hard until Dominik yanks away from me, freeing my arms.

He rises to his full height while lifting his hand to the bitemark on his neck. When laughter explodes from him, I start to think the man is insane.

I quickly crawl across the bed and get off the other side while my eyes dart between him and the door.

“Get out,” I hiss, my entire body trembling like a leaf in a shit-storm.

He pulls his hand away from his neck and checks it for blood before focusing his attention on me again.

“Quite the bite you have there, miláčik,” he says, actually sounding impressed.

I have no idea what the foreign word means, and at the moment, I couldn’t care less.

My eyebrows furrow, and I shake my head. “Are you crazy?”

He shrugs as he slowly begins to move around the bed. “Don’t we all have to be a little crazy to survive this world?”

My hand flies up as I order, “Stay right there. Come any closer, and I’ll do more than just bite you.”

My threat doesn’t seem to affect Dominik in any way, and when he gets too close, I lunge for my dressing table so I can grab the chair.

Once again, his arm comes around me, but this time, he yanks me against his chest, which feels like a solid brick wall behind me. With my back to him, all I can do is grab hold of his arm while glancing over my shoulder.

I’m met with amused eyes before they drop to my exposed shoulder and it’s only then I become aware of the fact that my dress is hanging half off my torso, exposing part of my bra.

Shit.

“Let go!” I shriek as I pull and struggle against his hold on me.

His free hand clamps around my throat, and he forces my head backward until it’s pressed against his chest.

I start to hit and claw at both his arms and even try to kick the bastard, but none of my efforts to free myself are of any use. He’s way too strong for me.

Knowing I’m in deep shit and unable to fight Dominik off, panic pours like ice through my veins, and my vision starts to darken around the edges.

His voice rumbles like thunder by my ear. “You or your sister?”

Without hesitation, I gasp, “Me.”

“Hmmm,” he murmurs as if he’s tasting something delicious. “So brave.”

Breathing becomes near impossible, and my vision grows spotty as panic flays me raw.

No!

Unable to stop the anxiety attack, one memory after the other flashes through my mind, rendering me absolutely helpless.