Surely she’d heard wrong.
“Sir, he’ll see you now,” the receptionist called.
Leon’s hand wrapped around her nape, hauling Elena to her feet to march her before him. He slapped the clipboard down on the receptionist’s desk as he passed it, pushing Elena ahead of him into the expansive office with tasteful cherry furnishings and inundated with the mellow smell of pipe tobacco.
The man behind the large desk rose, an aging Beta with wispy grey hair surrounding a balding pate, rheumy blue gaze narrowed as he took in Leon and Elena as they entered. “I just need you both to sign some papers and we can have the ceremony?—”
“That won’t be necessary.” Leon shoved Elena towards a chair, closing the door hard behind him.
Locking Jamie out, she realized as she stumbled into the chair, catching herself on the sturdy piece before collapsing against the worn leather seat. Her breaths were coming fast and hard, a sure sign she was well on her way to hyperventilating. She gripped the chair’s arms for support while she swayed as the world slipped sideways on this unbelievable axis.
This was a dream. Some nightmare she’d wake up from before the horrors all came true. Everyone woke before they hit bottom, right?
Except Leon was squeezing her hand around a pen, demanding she sign her name on papers spread out before her. When she just continued to stare in sightless horror, he barked at her to sign. Looming over her, putting all the breadth of an Alpha’s considerable power into his voice, she had little choice.
Her hand executed the looping whorls and slashes of her name. Did it again as the Beta pointed out another place she had to place her signature.
What was she even doing? She had to stop this madness before it was finished.
Shaking her head, Elena rose, clutching the pen to her chest as she backed away from the desk, the papers, the evilness of Leon Marchetti. He couldn’t make her do this. She made it all of two steps before he was upon her.
“You will sign those papers now or after I’ve claimed you and you have no say in the matter. It’s your choice, Miss Costanzo,” he growled at her ear as he pulled her back before the desk. “But rest assured, it is happening.”
“You’re a monster,” Elena whispered as he pushed her hand down against the desk onto the single remaining document not bearing her signature.
“The monster that owns you now,” he snarled as he pushed his chest against her back, growling against her.
The dangerous rumble made her tremble, but her hand still made all the right letters. He snatched the pen from her, taking far less time to sign his name as she had. It seemed only seconds passed before the old justice brought down the stamp sealing her fate.
“Congratulations, sir. We shall send the bill,” the justice murmured without a single glance at Elena.
“Good evening,” Leon said, fingers encircling Elena’s arm to wrench her up on tip toes as he dragged her out of the office and back into the lobby.
Jamie was still there, shifting his weight from one foot to theother. That same helpless expression on his handsome face as he surged forward only to fall back several steps in the face of all of Leon’s ire.
“You will leave an address with my agency for your severance package,” Leon said in tight, clipped tones to Jamie, reeling Elena back in against his side when she thought to go to her friend and guard. “Whatever Costanzo promised you, it will be doubled for your troubles, though Gods know you don’t deserve it for the way you’ve looked after her since her father’s death.”
“Yes, sir,” Jamie said, forlorn as he looked to Elena. He stepped out of Leon’s path, giving the couple a wide berth.
“You can’t,” Elena whispered, once again trying to go to Jamie’s side where she belonged.
“You are mine, Miss Costanzo, you had best get that through your head right now,” Leon snapped as he dragged her back against him, forcing her to scurry at his side as he left the office.
“Jamie’s been my guard since I was twelve,” Elena said, wrenching her arm as she tried to force him to at least slow down. Her every ache and wound made itself known after all of this running around, her many hurts throbbing in time with her thundering heart. “Please, you must have room on your staff for him.”
“I do not have room for incompetence.” Leon pushed her into the backseat, going so far as to squeeze his bulk in above her to latch the belt at her waist.
“He’s not incompetent! He’s kept me safe for all this time.”
“Yes, he is,” Leon said as he climbed behind the wheel, slamming the door before working the ignition and peeling off into traffic. “He allowed you to take up residence in a hotel where any number of things could have happened to you, and several things did happen to you. His lack of forethought meant I was able to find you in short order, and any number of other peoplecould have done the same. Your precious guard also allowed you to dine with my brother. Alone.”
“Is that what this is all about, you’re jealous of your younger brother,” Elena scoffed, bracing herself against the door as Leon squealed through a turn. “Will you slow down before you kill us both?”
Leon merely growled, speeding up further as if her fears fueled his dangerous behavior. Elena shook her head in disbelief, wedging herself into the corner of the door as Leon executed a series of quick turns before they were once again on a straight away, locked into traffic that forced him to slow.
She clung to her fury, fueling it with everything she could think of to hold the fear and confusion at bay. Elena had no idea what Leon had planned for her now, no recourse for the actions he’d already taken. She was his, and there was nothing she could do about it now. Angering him would be foolish, but if she allowed herself to think about any of it for even a single moment, she would lose all control.
“You’re going the wrong way,” Elena snapped as she finally recognized the outskirts of the fields of suburban homes that preceded the expansive gated mansions of her childhood.