I live in a world where secrecy reigns. A Society rooted in power, wealth, and long-held dynasties. Where men are Kings, and women are pawns. For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of escaping the shackles of my expectations.

Jericho St. James hates my family. Powerful, wealthy beyond belief, he’s the most dangerous man I know. And I belong to him. He’s taken me from my home. He’ll make me his wife.

Stefan Sabbioni showed up uninvited in my bedroom on my 16th birthday. He stood in the shadows smelling of whiskey and death and wrapped a broken, blood-crusted necklace around my neck. I thought he'd strangle me with it. That night, he left a message for my father. He said he'd be back to take something precious. I never delivered that message, though. I wonder if things would be different if I had because now, two years later, he's back. And he's not hiding in any shadows.

Loyalty. Duty. Deceit. I never imagined my first trip to Italy would be to bury my father. But there I stood, alone in the ancient cathedral with my father’s casket, a handful of soldiers standing guard. It never occurred to me that anyone would disrupt the sanctity of the moment. But the Caballero brothers have little regard for the church and even less for my family. They marched in, weapons in hand, and turned my world upside down.

I've been to a million parties with my crush, but he's never acted on it til now. Ford Malone could have any woman in Chicago, so why fake a relationship with me? The world knows him as the heir to a real estate fortune, but to me he'll always be my best friend, the man who saved me from my bullies as a boy. I'm as surprised as anyone when he announces our engagement, but I'll play along. Nothing has to change except the way we behave—the way we touch—in public. But his private touches change everything. Soon the crush I've hidden for so long is threatening to swallow me whole.