Never Secrets

Cassandra

"How much exactly am I worth to you?"

"Don't twist my words around, to me you're priceless."

"Oh, I'm so fucking sorry, I didn't mean to offend you!"

"Watch your language," Bran shouts at me jumping off the couch. "Your stepfather is the one who was auctioning you off, I just wanted you so I made sure I was the highest bidder. I'm telling you all of this because I only want openness and honesty between us, never lies and never secrets."

Never secrets, well I have a huge secret and it will be a cold day in hell before I reveal it to Brandon Montgomery.

"Which brings us back to my original question, how much am I worth to you?" I turn from the wall of windows to face him.

"I already answered that, to me, there is no price too much to pay for you." He tells me as he slowly starts walking toward me, I narrow my eyes at him and then he stops. "As far as the winning bid that your stepfather accepted, it was two billion dollars."

Two billion dollars, for me a lonely stupid girl who foolishly thought my stepfather loved me and wanted to take care of me, I thought he was in love with me, I thought I was in love with him. The price Bran just admitted to paying for me has my head spinning.

Stephen is my stepfather, and even though my mom walked out on him and left me behind, he never made me feel like a burden. He made me believe he was in love with me but wanted to wait until my eighteenth birthday to claim me. It turns out he was just waiting until I was old enough for him to auction me off to the men of the underworld. Feeding me foolish lies and hopes and dreams that would never come to fruition.

What does it say about me that I'm relieved it was Brandon Montgomery who bought me? He's young, attractive, and rich, isn't that what all the women in our world want? But I want a deeper connection with someone, I thought I had that with Stephen, but no he was just "training me" as I overheard him put it. I turn my back on Bran once again to look out the windows to the magnificent view of the woods beyond us. I wonder how many bodies are buried in those woods?

Shawn and Brandon Montgomery have a reputation for being the most ruthless men in our world. However, Bran is far more dangerous, as his brother's right hand he is the more bloodthirsty of the brothers. I've heard he relishes the thrill of the hunt and excitement of killing anyone who crosses his brother.

"What is going through your mind, Cassandra? Whatever it is we can work this out, I only know what was in the dossier about you and the fact that you're even more beautiful in person. I'm sure you want more and I can give you more, I'll give you anything you want you only have to ask."

"What if I want to leave, be free, disappear, will you give me that?"

"Your freedom is not open for discussion, you belong to me now, you belonged to me the moment I saw your picture. If your idiot of a stepfather would have tried to sell you to anyone else I would have slit his throat."

"And would you still?" This question gives him pause, I can see him searching my face in my reflection he will find nothing but the truth in my eyes at this moment.

"Slit Stephen Blake's throat? Is that what you want?" He's moved closer behind me, I can see his reflection more clearly in the window, I can see the want in his eyes, the want to touch me, claim me, make me his and his alone no matter what it takes. "I told you I'll do anything you want."

"I want Stephen Blake and Adam Fitzgerald dead. As Stephen's best friend and second in command Adam played a big part in all of this."

"If I kill both Blake and Fitzgerald it will start a war. I need to talk to my brother first, he's the head of the family I can't start a war without letting him know about it."

"What if he says no."

He moves closer and places his hands on my hips, making eye contact with me through our reflections in the window, his touch is electric and I wonder if he feels it too. "I'm not asking his permission, I'm going to talk to him to let him know what is going to happen. He hates your stepfather and has been dying for a reason to go to war to take over his territory, this is that reason."

"I don't understand why he would risk everything for a nobody like me, I know the power that Stephen and Adam both wield."

"Be careful of how you talk about yourself in front of me." He tells me squeezing my hips for emphasis. "You're not a nobody. You're so much more than anybody I've ever known and if I have to spend our life together convincing you of that I will. But make no mistake you are mine, you are my everything and nothing will change that."

"What does it mean to be yours?" I whisper so quietly I'm not sure he heard me until he moves.

He leans down, inhaling my scent. "It means anything you want it to mean. I live and die for you and you alone, you come before everything, my brother understands this. I belong to you, the same way you belong to me."

I lean into his touch, I know this is absolutely insane but this is the way our world works. "I'm so scared Bran. I just need time to absorb everything."

"I know baby and you will have all the time you need, things are going to move fast for the public eye, but behind closed doors, it will move as slow as you want." He turns me around and cups my face in his hands. "The only demand I make of you now is to move into my room with me, sleep in my bed, share my space."

When he first brought me here I threw a huge tantrum, I refused to put any of my belongings in his room. I screamed and cried and finally, he locked me in the room I claimed until I calmed down.

As I look into his eyes I know I'm safe, I know that even though how we ended up together is not ideal, in our world, it happens this way every day.

"Okay, Bran I'll move all of my stuff into your room."

"It's already been done, I'm going to work out of my home office tomorrow, it connects to the bedroom, you can unpack and turn my bedroom into our bedroom and if you need anything I'll be right there."

"That's presumptuous of you to think I would agree to move into your room." But even as I say it I can't help but smile.

"I figured since it's the only thing I want from you right now you would be accommodating." He smiles and if I thought he was gorgeous when he was angry nothing prepared me for his smile. "It's late, why don't I go run you a bath and order something to eat while you relax?"

"That sounds good."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Hamburgers and fries, I need junk, please say we can have junk food."

"Tonight you can have anything you want." He says with a smile. Then he scoops me up bridal style and carries me to what is now our bedroom, he sets me down on the bed and then walks into the bathroom to start a bath.

I get up and follow him into the bathroom, which is a dream come true. Bran kisses me on the shoulder. "I'm going to order the food and make a few phone calls, just relax."

"Okay." I hook my phone up to the Bluetooth speaker and listen to some of my favorite songs while I try to relax and wrap my mind around everything.

Brandon

After I get Cassandra into a hot bath and order our food I have to call my brother. I know he won't have a problem starting a war with Blake and Fitz, their territory is one he has always wanted.

Somehow we're going to have to convince Drakos that this will benefit his family as well. Blake and Fitz have a lot of allies and we're going to need more than what we have to cement the takeover. Being the most ruthless of the families in our world does have its drawbacks sometimes.

I call my brother and he immediately answers, "Shawn, we need to talk, in person, can you come to the house?"

"Why don't you come to the office?"

"I took Cassandra today, so I'm sure Stephen is pissed, but I had to have her here with me now, you know my obsession has been getting stronger. I won't leave her alone right now."

"Jesus Christ, Brandon, what the actual fuck! A little bit of a heads up would have been nice."

"She wants Blake and Fitz dead." His silence speaks volumes.

"I'm on my way."

I knew that would get him, he's been pissed ever since I told him I was going to buy her at the auction. We both thought we would have to play nice with those two idiots. Lucky for us my girl seems as bloodthirsty as me, even if she doesn't realize it yet.

Then everything happens at once, my brother and the food arrive and Cassandra is waiting for me at the top of the stairs in what looks like one of my shirts and the smallest pair of shorts I have ever seen.

"What's going on Bran?" she asks me but I'm unable to form words, her legs are something out of a wet dream and she willingly put on my shirt.

"Hey sweetheart," I hear Shawn talking, but my brain has short-circuited on me. "I'm going to put the food in the kitchen, Brandon and I need to talk, we'll be in the study which is down that hall." I see him point toward the study and I turn to walk that way.

"Bran?" I hear her footsteps on the stairs and turn to watch her walk toward me. "Are you okay?" She asks as she puts her slender arms around my neck. I can hear my brother laughing, he's going to give me shit about this for a long fucking time.

"I'm fine baby, Shawn and I need to discuss some things, and figure out the best way for me to give you what you want." She frowns, but then gives me a shy smile and kisses me on the cheek.

"Don't take too long, your food will get cold, and soggy fries are gross." Then she walks away toward the kitchen. "I'm taking all the food with me so when you're done meet me in our room." She says with emphasis on our and a little wink.

Now my brother is laughing. I punch him in the stomach and make the short walk to the study with Shawn hot on my heels.

"Real smooth Romeo."

"Shut the fuck up, Shawn. She surprised me. She's been hot and cold about this whole fucked up situation."

"Well, she seems pretty hot to me."

"I swear to God I will murder you, brother or not." He can't control the laughter rolling through his body. Once this asshole finally gets it under control we get down to business.

"I need to announce the engagement soon, I'm sure Stephen is already pulling some bullshit because I took her, but he got the money transfer there were no safeguards put in place by him before the auction as far as when the person with the winning bid could take her."

"I'm not mad brother I just want to know what's going on. I already reached out to Drakos and Mendoza they both have our backs should we need any help. So what's the plan?"

"She wants me to slit Blake and Fitzgerald's throats, so I'm going to do just that at our wedding."

"Brandon, you can't just kill people at her wedding, this is the only one she will get don't ruin it."

"You didn't see the look in her eyes when she was talking about it, I know that look because I get it every time I'm preparing to end someone's life."

"I don't know man, maybe wait to make the decision, feel her out more she seems pretty fragile, we don't know the damage Stephen has caused her." His concern for Cassandra is genuine and it makes me appreciate my brother even more.

"I agree she is fragile, but not like glass, she's fragile like a bomb and once I detonate her it's going to be a symphony of madness and destruction."

Shawn looks at me like I'm deranged which I probably am, but he doesn't understand the darkness inside of me and he won't ever see it in Cassandra only someone like me with the same darkness would recognize it.

Shaking his head Shawn stands to leave, "Just take it slow, and don't scare her too much, you've been obsessing over her for a long time." He pauses considering his next words, "I need you to put my number in her phone and tell her to call me in case of an emergency, we both know she'll know if it's an emergency."

Even though it makes me tense up I know he's right, "I will."

"I mean it Brandon, you need to explain your obsessive tendencies to her, she needs to understand in case you have an episode."

"I promise it'll be the first thing we talk about tomorrow."

"Okay, I'm going to head out, go eat your soggy fries." He tells me with a laugh.

Once he's gone I lock everything up and set all the alarms, then I head upstairs where my obsession waits for me.