The Mark of His Venom (eBook)

Dark Mafia Romance

Alessa Steel (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
250 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-098609-2 (ISBN)

Infos

Salvatore

Sienna Fiore was supposed to be my weakness, the chink in my armor. Instead, she's become my addiction. I tried to break her, to teach her that love has no place in my world. But I underestimated her. She's not just surviving in my empire-she's taking it piece by piece, bending my men, my rules, even me to her will. And I don't know whether to punish her or worship her.

But there's no time to decide. My enemies are closing in, and now they know the truth-Sienna is the only thing in this world I won't let them take. If they want to hurt me, they'll come for her. And I'll burn everything to the ground before I let that happen.

Sienna

I've played the pawn for too long. First to the men who sought to control me, then to Salvatore Marino, the ruthless don who swore he would own me. But power is a fickle thing, and I've learned how to wield it. His world is changing, and so am I.

I should run, should escape before I become just another monster in his empire of blood and smoke. But I don't want to run anymore. I want to rule. And if I have to go through Salvatore to do it, then so be it.

Because in his world, love is still a weakness. But I'm done being weak.

This is the second book of the Venom in Our Bloods Series.Reading order: The Taste of His Venom, The Mark of His Venom, The Burn of His Venom.

Textauszug

AWAKENING

━━━━━━✧❂✧━━━━━━

Sienna

I stay by his side, feeling the cold seep into my bones. They have him in a chair, blood streaming from his face due to the blows; I think they must have given him another round during the transfer because this isn’t how they brought him to the house. Leone arrives a little later, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt halfway.

—Well, well.

Domenico is playing with a knife, spinning it in the air until he catches it with his masculine fingers. Leone and Salvatore approach the table where they have some gallons of liquid and fill syringes with that substance. As I walk behind them, I notice the name on the gallons; that’s why they have to be careful when filling the plastic tubes.

It’s acid.

—Well, you already know us, Oslon —Salvatore mentions, his gaze dark as it gets lost in the shadows of the room. A gust of wind slams the door shut, leaving only the bulb above the victim illuminating a few meters of the floor—. It’s not necessary to introduce ourselves, although I must say there’s a new member, Sienna Fiore.

—Salvatore Marino’s whore —the thug cackles—. She’s beautiful.

Salvatore lets out a low, mocking laugh, his eyes narrowing as he approaches Oslon. Without warning, he drives his fist into Oslon’s face, the force making him gasp. He steps back, a twisted grin spreading across his face.

—You better watch your fucking mouth when you talk about her. She’s not my wife... yet,  but she’s my queen. — Salvatore purrs, a twisted grin forming on his lips as the needle gleams in his hand. He brings it closer to Oslon’s trembling arm, savoring the moment. The silence in the room thickens, pressing down like a weight—. But while she’s under this roof, no one touches a single hair on her head. No one lays a hand on her, or I will make sure you never see another sunrise.

He taps the needle against Oslon’s skin, his gaze never wavering.

—Start talking. I want everything—about Alessio, his father, and Alessio, the Crown’s boss’s cousin. If you don’t, I’ll make sure you regret this conversation.

Oslon swallows hard, the fear evident in his eyes, but he won’t break. As the needle pierces his vein, he shudders, his body tense, knowing that his fate is sealed either way.

—I’m not hearing what I want to hear, Oslon.

—I won’t say anything.

—Fine.

Salvatore begins injecting the substance, his eyes following the vein as it contracts under the pressure. Oslon squirms in the chair, panic setting in. Leone moves toward the other arm, a silent promise of more to come.

—Motherfucker! —Oslon screams, his fists clenching the chair’s arms as he tries to hold back—. Damn you all.

—We’re going to empty an entire gallon —Leone threatens, his voice low and menacing—. You decide. After that, certain parts of your body won’t be of any use to us, but they’ll still help us send a message.

Oslon snarls in defiance, but fear is creeping into his voice.

—Motherfucker, son of a bitch! —Salvatore brings the syringe dangerously close to Oslon’s eye, the fear evident in his trembling body—. What do you want to know?

Oslon falls silent for a beat before the words come spilling out.

—Everything... every tiny detail.

He pauses, his chest rising and falling as he collects his thoughts.

—Alessio lost power a year ago... His cousin convinced Massimo that he could do a better job than Alessio. That’s when it started—Massimo didn’t validate his own son’s word and stance, so he put him to the test. Alessio and his cousin started competing, and the attacks... most of them came from Alessio. That’s the damn problem between the Marinos and the Rinaldis, right?

Leone's voice is a sharp edge as he adds,

—We’ve had problems for years. Infidelities, lies... massacres between families. But now, it’s just a race to see who dies first.

—Massimo loved the idea of wiping them out. He thought killing the ‘Ndrangheta would make him a legend. Not only would he take the honor, but he'd take all their territory to make the Crown stronger. Stronger, but more fragmented. That’s another fight. —I remain distant, my mind piecing the fragments of the story together—. The problem started eight months ago when Alessio kept the power... not that anyone realized it, because he’s still standing... or at least, they think he is.

Salvatore narrows his eyes.

—What do you mean, he’s still standing?

—Alessio’s been locked in the Rinaldi dungeon for months... tortured by his own father. While the world thinks he’s gaining power, he’s actually... Alessio’s Assassin—he’s not the right-hand man, but he’s Massimo’s select guy. —Oslon’s eyes flick to Salvatore—. That’s why he’s always close to the Marinos. He’s positioning himself to finish them off... even though he’s more interested in you, Salvatore.

Salvatore’s face hardens, his fists clenching. Leone’s gaze sharpens with a quiet fury.

—What does he want with my brother?

Leone’s growl is low, full of malice. There’s no hint of hesitation, only the cold fury of a brother protecting what’s his.

—Salvatore’s... tied to someone. Someone who needs Alessio’s side.

Salvatore’s glare intensifies as he demands,

—What the hell are you talking about?

—You know exactly what I’m talking about. —Oslon sneers, his finger pointing at Salvatore—. You’ve been dealing with someone who’s brought in a drug that’s becoming a hot commodity. You need it, Salvatore. What for? I think it’s pretty clear you’re trying to wipe out the Rinaldis. You wanted that drug to kill Alessio, but you didn’t even know he wasn’t the one who killed your parents. It was Massimo who ordered their deaths. Alessio never agreed to it. He’s wanted a Mafia Peace Treaty for years, in Calabria and Apulia. But you’ve all been too blinded by the idea that Alessio is the enemy.

Salvatore steps back, processing the information. The room falls into a tense silence.

Leone’s voice is low, barely above a growl,

—You were going to acquire the Lethal drug... And kill without telling us? Damn, I thought we were a team.

—You didn’t tell me everything in the study, either. Your words were different then. This isn’t my home. This is my office. This isn’t my family; it’s my job. —Salvatore counters, his eyes cold, betraying no emotion.

Oslon’s breath is ragged as he pushes forward.

—The last thing I can tell you is that Alessio wants everything you have... even that damn drug. It was denied to him when he tried to buy it. He had the same idea, only he was going to use it to kill Ginevra Marino. And now that you’ve got an attractive woman, he wants her, too. He’ll take her to hit you where it hurts, to weaken you, and then he’ll kill all your brothers. Leave you alone to make you pay for every damn thing you’ve done.

Salvatore looks at Leone, their eyes locking for a moment. Neither says a word, but the tension in the room is palpable. I stand silently in the shadows, absorbing it all, my mind piecing it together.

Without realizing it, I fill one of the syringes with acid, moving carefully, my hands steady. The last thing I need is a slip-up.

—If you’re going against them, you’d better train the girl. The people around here are already divided. There’s money and promises on the line—people from the lower neighborhoods are being tempted to join the other side. The war’s only starting, and it’s already getting messy. You know what I mean?

As he points at me, I step forward into the dim light, the needle in my hand. The brothers turn to face me, their eyes narrowing.

—What do you know about me? —I ask, raising an eyebrow, my voice cool and dangerous.

—Oh, everyone knows who you are in Apulia. Everyone knows the tragic story of the bitch who was in an abusive relationship with Fabián. The same man who now works for us. —Oslon laughs, his teeth flashing as he reveals a gold tooth—. Everyone knows about your dad and his other family. About the time he left you. And about your mom, who still won’t leave him because she loves him too much, despite him favoring his daughter, Maxim. The two girls with the same initial... That must sting, huh?

Before I can react, Salvatore shoves me aside, his fist smashing into Oslon’s nose. The bone cracks, the sound echoing through the shed.

—Don’t you dare say another word!

“—She asked,” he sneers, a twisted smile tugging at his lips, blood staining his yellowed teeth. “Tell her that her boyfriend and his sister are already on our side. They want to destroy her. The sister’s got a grudge because Sienna accidentally let slip that her husband’s had his eyes on her ever since they first met. He’s been admiring you from a distance for years, even when you were with Fabian. That hit a nerve with Ginevra—no one wants their man stolen. And maybe now she’ll take him from someone else.”

He licks the blood from his lips, savoring the taste. “I’ll give it to you—you're a naive little thing. So sensitive, so affectionate with kids, practically a virgin, considering that whore Fiore never even got you to finish. Fabian found that hilarious.”

Without hesitation, Salvatore swings a metal chair, folding it into his skull. The chair clangs to the floor as he grabs the man’s shoulders, prepared to unleash more punishment. Every vile...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.8.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-098609-7 / 0000986097
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-098609-2 / 9780000986092