Blurb
He says I owe him a debt. And he’s come to collect what he’s owed.
When you’re young, anything is possible.
Love is pure magic, and time seems to stand still.
I remember those days like I remember seeing my first rainbow.
When the sky was bleak, he painted it full of color.
We came from different worlds.
We had no business ever interacting.
He was the wolf with glowing eyes and a cocky grin.
I was the innocent sheep that he wanted to eat up.
I knew he was trouble, but then he went and saved my life.
I was in the wrong place at the right time.
Or so I thought.
I didn’t realize that he was the leader of the pack.
He saved me from himself.
Only, young love never lasts. Sometimes you grow up and move on.
That’s what I did.
But now he’s back. Meaner. Stronger. Full of darkness instead of light.
This time he’s not here to save me. This time he’s here to make me pay.
Prologue
Let me tell you a story. It’s about a man with jet black hair and dazzling emerald green eyes and a woman with long brown hair and eyes that looked like the moon. At least that’s what the boy said. On nights when the sky was dark, he would call her his moon-eyed girl. They were young when they met and young when they parted. During nights when the cold wind seeped into their bones, they held each other close; their hearts beating as one. And on days when the sun was bright, they floated through the sky on fluffy clouds with beautiful smiles that never left their faces. This boy and this girl, they were always together. She believed they were meant to be. That their meeting had been destined in the stars. But then one night the sky was dark and ominous, and there were no stars in the sky. And the moon-eyed girl realized that it wasn’t a prince charming that had found her, but a devious devil.
Sometimes the prince in your story isn’t the good guy.
I can still remember the villain that tried to claim me as his.
His name was Luca. It suited him. My dark, handsome savior.
It feels like just yesterday we were sitting in a bar, he was buying me a drink. I thought I was falling in love. It’s funny how attraction can make you ignore the signs.
He was tall, attractive, the sort of man that made you go weak in the knees. The way he looked at me, the way he kissed me, I thought it was meant to be. I thought we were forever.
But then I noticed the men watching us and the way Luca seemed to change before my eyes. My warm savior was cold, was dangerous, was calculating in ways that I would never have believed possible.
I started to do some research and it made me scared. Luca was darker than I thought. We argued and he said it was all in my head. I believed him. I gave in to him. I submitted to him.
And then I saw him with my own two eyes. He wasn’t a good guy. He was the bad guy. I fled as fast as I could, my heart breaking as I ran. And he let me go.
But now he’s back and he wants to make me pay for leaving him. He says he still loves me, but I think what he really wants is to exact his revenge and I don’t know what to do.
Sometimes, the end is just the beginning. Some love stories bring you light, but some love stories shroud you in darkness. Some love stories should never be told. Their love story has only just begun.
EIGHT YEARS AGO
Chapter 1
Luca
She was walking down Garfield Place in Park Slope when I saw her, holding a book in one hand and two plastic bags in the other. Her head was bent and her long light brown hair hung down her back, cascading like waves as the wind brushed past her. I knew that she was going to fall about a minute before she actually did. I watched as she tripped on a large piece of rock and came flying toward me. Her body hit me hard before she fell to the ground, her bags falling with her, but the book remained in her hand. I walked over to her slowly, as she sat there dazed and confused, her legs sprawled out on the dirty concrete.
“You should watch where you’re going,” I said, suddenly taken aback by the brightness of the green eyes that peered up at me. She was even more stunning close up than she’d seemed from afar. A light of pureness emanated from her and I knew that I should step away, but I couldn’t.
“I was,” she said, blinking up at me, her eyes narrowing as light blinded her. I shifted to the right so that I could block the sun from shining directly into her face. “Thank you.” She smiled, her pink lips widening in a sincere way that told me she had no idea that I was bad news. “It’s sure sunny today.”
“I didn’t think you noticed anything other than what you were reading.” I looked at the book in her hand. “That book must be very interesting, you haven’t looked up from it once.”
“It’s the last Harry Potter book.” She wrinkled her nose as she took my offered hand and stood up. “I’m late to the party and only started the series last week.”
“I see.”
“I suppose you read the books years ago.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I have no interest in fiction.” I reached down and grabbed her bags, picking up some of the fruit that had rolled into the street. “Wash these when you get home.”
“I will. Thank you.” She nodded as she took the bags from me. “I should get home. My mom will be waiting.”
“You sure you’re going to get home okay? Maybe I should walk you.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that.” She shook her head and looked down at her book. I had a feeling she’d rather be reading than talking to me. But that wasn’t going to happen.
“It would be my pleasure,” I said. “Let me take your bags.”
“Oh, okay.” Her expression betrayed the calmness in her voice. She was nervous of me, the knight in shining armor that had come to help her and guide her home. “If you’re sure.” She smiled and bit down on her lower lip. That was her first mistake.
“So, what’s your name?” I looked over at her as we walked. “And don’t tell me Hermione Granger.”
“Wait, how did you know if you haven’t read the book?”
“I don’t live in a cave.” I grinned. “I make it my business to know everything. So what’s your name?”
“Anabel.”
“Nice to meet you, Anabel,” I said her name slowly and deliberately, loving the way it sounded on my lips. “I’m Luca.”
“Nice to meet you, Luca.” She smiled and her green eyes surveyed me as we walked. “I’m just a couple of blocks away, so it’s not too far of a walk.”
“I don’t mind.” I shrugged. “I have all day.” That wasn’t technically true, but for this, I had all the time in the world.
“So do you live around here?” she asked. “Do you go to school?”
“School?” I threw my head back and laughed. “I haven’t been in school in years. Are you in college then?”
“No.” She shook her head and blushed. “I’m in high school.”