Ruthless Princess: Claimed by Blood and Sinful Desire

7: Bloodline Secrets

I shove the cipher note down the front of my bra just as the lock clicks. The heavy oak door swings open.

I brace myself for the guards. For Dimitris.

Instead, Andreas walks in.

He looks like he just stepped out of a fashion magazine, not a shootout. His shirt is crisp, his sleeves rolled up to show tanned forearms, and he’s balancing a silver tray on one hand. He’s smiling. That same sharp, dangerous smile he flashed at the nurse before he kidnapped me.

"Room service," he announces. He kicks the door shut behind him, but I notice he doesn't engage the deadbolt. "Figured you’d be hungry. It’s been a long day of getting abducted and shot at."

He sets the tray on the vanity, right next to the photo of the mother I never knew. The smell of roasted lamb and spices fills the air, making my stomach cramp with sudden hunger. I ignore it.

"I'm not hungry," I say, crossing my arms over my chest to hide the crinkle of the paper against my skin. "I want my phone."

Andreas sighs. He leans his hip against the vanity, crossing his ankles. "Can't do that, Princess."

"Stop calling me that," I snap. "And give me my phone. I have a life. I have a job. I have a shift tomorrow morning."

He laughs. It’s a low, rich sound that vibrates in the quiet room. "You really don't get it, do you? You don't have a shift. The diner? We bought the building an hour ago. Your landlord? He was very happy to terminate your lease for a bag of cash. Your stuff is being packed up and put in storage. Or burned. Depending on how cheap it was."

My breath catches in my throat. "You... you erased me?"

"We cleaned up," he corrects, picking up a grape from the tray and popping it into his mouth. "Alina the waitress is gone. She’s a ghost. Her phone is crushed. Her SIM card is dust. You're Alina Kostas now."

"I am a person!" I shout, stepping toward him. My hands ball into fists. "You can't just delete twenty years of my life because it's convenient for you!"

"I just did."

The smile drops from his face. The charm evaporates, revealing the steel underneath. He steps forward, invading my space. He smells like gunpowder masked by expensive cologne.

"We move things, Alina. That's what this family does. We move cargo. We move weapons. We control the ports, the shipping lanes, and half the politicians in Athens. We are the kings of this city." He reaches out, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. I flinch, but he doesn't pull back. "And you? You're the Princess of the Underworld. You always were."

"I don't want it," I whisper.

"Doesn't matter what you want," he says softly. "Your return has upset the balance. The Vasilakis family didn't try to kill you on the highway because they hate waitresses. They tried to kill you because you're a symbol. You're the lost piece of the crown. And now that you're back, everyone is watching."

He drops his hand. "You're not a person anymore, Alina. You're leverage. A weakness turned into a weapon. You'd better learn how to be sharp, or this world will swallow you whole."

He checks his watch, the gold catching the light. "Eat the food. You're too skinny."

He turns on his heel and walks to the door. He opens it, steps out, and pulls it shut.

But it doesn't click.

He didn't lock it.

I freeze. Is it a test? A trap?

I wait five seconds. Ten. Silence.

I creep across the hardwood floor, my sneakers making no sound. I reach the door and press my eye to the sliver of light.

The hallway is empty, but voices drift up from the landing of the grand staircase just out of sight.

"She is not ready," Nikos's voice. Deep and angry. "She's a civilian. She’s scared."

"It does not matter," my father's voice cuts in. Cold. Absolute. It chills me to the bone. "The attack on the highway proves we are vulnerable. The Vasilakis wolves are circling. They smell blood."

"So we fight," Nikos argues. "We hit them back."

"No," Dimitris says. "We stabilize. We need the Nikolaides guns. And Thanos won't commit without a blood bond."

"Father, you can't," Andreas says. He sounds amused, but tense. "She'll tear his throat out."

"Let her try," Dimitris says. "The only way to secure the territory is a marriage alliance."

My blood freezes in my veins.

"Call Thanos," Dimitris commands. "Tell him I have his son's bride."