Dante's Possession

HAZEL

“Oh, here’s Dante,” Annette says, and I move to the farthest corner of the couch. I don’t want him to think that I’m invading his personal space again.

My body always shivers when I think about him entering the same room as me. Trust him to be Chloe’s older brother and for me to have a crush on him.

If I must say, there is a significant age difference between us, but I simply cannot stop myself. I’m curious why an age gap is acceptable when you’re older but not when you’re in school.

I wouldn’t mind, but I’m close to twenty now, and he’s six years older than me.

As he walks through the doorway, I hear keys jingling around. I close my eyes and breathe out. Dropping my head down to look at the floor, I clasp my hands together. I can feel the tension in the room changing.

I don’t know whether it’s only me who can feel it, but it has become unbearable. He’s intense, and his build doesn’t help easing my mind when I remember his abs when I stupidly entered his room.

Why would you dare me to do that, Chloe? I nearly got more of a show than I expected, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Even so, that night was awkward.

He’d even said my boobs had fallen out of my top shortly after I felt his breath down the side of my neck. That had given me goosebumps, as did the text he had sent to me minutes later. It made my cheeks turn a crimson red.

“Hey, Mom,” he says, entering the living room and giving Annette a kiss on the cheek. Standing at a whopping six feet, he makes all of us girls look short considering we’re all around five feet in height.

“We’re all going out for food tonight. Remember?” she asks Dante with a heartwarming smile on her face. Dante takes a seat on the couch opposite me.

I don’t dare to look up. I need to save myself from humiliation. I don’t know what he would do to embarrass me, but he will find something to make it happen because that’s who Dante is.

I raise my head briefly.

“You coming?” he asks me, swiftly nodding his head once toward me.

I drop my head back down. I know he’s staring at me bluntly. I tell him yes, keeping my eyes firmly on the dark wooden floor, and he leans forward with his elbows on his knees.

Chloe and Annette miraculously disappear out of the room at the worst time possible, leaving me and him in the living room alone.

“Am I that ugly?” he asks me. I think he’s trying to keep the conversation flowing. I shake my head, telling him no.

“Look at me then,” he tells me, keeping his eyes firmly pinned on me.

I breathe in deeply and lift my gaze to stare at his luminous green eyes. He turns his head to the side, and I twist my body to face the window, playing with my fingers and sweeping my hair over my shoulder swiftly.

“Have you told your mom?” he asks me, and I shake my head. Dante doesn’t know about my relationship with my mom because I refuse to tell him about my private life.

“I’d advise you to tell one of your parents, Hazel. They need to know where you are.”

I nod my head. That’s all I can do. I can’t fall victim to a man who works for the Societa Oscura. They ruin lives! I’m not sure how Annette and Chloe are unaware of his lifestyle.

“Why would you suddenly ask me a question like that?” I ask him, and he shrugs his shoulders. “It’s a normal question, is it not?”

“Yeah. I guess so, but my mom will understand.” My lips form into a straight line, and I look at what he’s wearing.

A black shirt, a blue corset-style waistcoat that ties up at the back, a gold tie made out of literal gold, and black pants. His shirt is straining against his abs, and I can see his broad chest perfectly.

He’s toned, defined beyond words, and that makes me lick my lower lip. He doesn’t seem to notice, or he’s keeping it to himself, I’m not sure which, but I know he doesn’t want me here in his family home.

“Or will she?” I look away from him feeling devastated about my life.

Why have I got to be from a broken home? Why didn’t I run out the door when I had the chance to do so? Then again, it’s not as if I can get past Annette. She would be another problem to overcome on her own.

“Dante. Leave the poor girl alone.” Annette enters the room, and I thank the heavens. She saved me! That’s a first for me. Nobody seems to help me out when I’m stuck in awkward situations, but I am thankful.

“Yes, but her parents need to know that she’s going to be out until at least one in the morning, Mom.” Dante clasps his hands together, and Annette gives him a stern glare.

“That is none of your business, Dante. We have arranged for Hazel to sleep here tonight.” Annette grabs the TV remote and switches the cable box off.

“Seriously?” Dante throws his head back, sighing.

“Yes, seriously.” Annette snaps back at him, and I hear Chloe’s footsteps as she enters the living room.

“Actually, me and Hazel are going clubbing,” Chloe tells Dante, and I’m left feeling confused because we never spoke about going out tonight. I don’t even have any clothes to wear with me.

“Hell you are!” Dante stands up and walks over to the window, lighting up a cigarette. Opening the window, he shakes his head from left to right.

“You’re never usually bothered.” Chloe falls back onto the couch with her arms crossed over her chest, and I turn my head to look at her.

“Well, I am tonight.” Dante sighs. “There is no chance in hell the two of you are going out clubbing tonight. I don’t give a fuck what Mom says; weird shit happens in Arlington town on Saturdays.”

“Argh, go and get a life.” Chloe rolls her eyes, and I smile for literally one second before Dante snaps his head around to look directly at me.

“Already have one, little sis. That’s why I can tell you that shit goes down on Saturdays.” Dante grins, and I play with my hands.

Well, witnessing a family dispute wasn’t on my agenda for tonight, but I guess that I can work with it.

“Yeah, because you’re the big bad man, aren’t you?”

I listen to them both bickering, and Annette throws on her headphones to listen to music.

“I sure am.” He walks over to her and ruffles her black hair up. I laugh out once he exits the room, leaving us three girls sitting in silence.

That was awkward.

Eating the last forkful of lasagna, I take a sip of the red wine that Annette told us we desperately needed when we arrived at the restaurant.

The waiter walks over to our table ready to take payment for the food, and Annette opens her bag ready to pay until Dante blocks her hand with his and pulls out money to pay the bill.

“No, I’ve got this.” Annette tries to argue with Dante, and he shakes his head. “A gentleman will always pay for the meal no matter what the price is. Get yourself a dress or something.”

Annette nods her head, and Dante waits for her to place the money inside her bag, but she doesn’t do that. No, she tries to be the life saver she always has been.

Dante stares at me with a stoic expression when she throws it across the table to me.

“No, no. I can’t take this, Annette. Thank you, though.” Passing it back over to her, I take another sip of my wine, and she stands up.

Walking around the table, she stares down at me, and I feel uncomfortable under her scrutinizing stare. Dante definitely gets it from his mother all right.

I’m going to be on my back at the end of the night if I keep on drinking this wine, but I feel so uncomfortable. No words can explain it.

“Open your hand.” Annette grunts through gritted teeth, and I shake my head, refusing to do as I’m told.

“I said… Open your goddamn hand, woman. You are to take this, and I mean it. You need it; I don’t. Simple.”

Me being stubborn, I shake my head again, and my eyes widen when Dante grabs my wrist. Looking up at him, I pause what I’m doing and stare into his eyes.

Time stands still for a moment, and all the noise disappears from around us. He grabs my hand, turns it upside down, and forces it open.

Dropping money into the palm of my hand, he closes my fingers over it, pushing my hand away from him. I don’t move. I stare at him while my heart tries to escape from my body.

“Mom, you keep your money, and you take that money, Hazel. No more arguments,” Dante tells us, before he takes a long swig of his whiskey. Annette takes her vacant seat again.

“No, son, you need it,” Annette tells Dante, and he turns to face her with an amused grin.

“Do I, yeah?” Annette nods her head, and he chuckles for a short couple of seconds before he smirks at her.

“If I ended up in a coma from a car crashing with bullets all over the body structure, do you really think that I’m earning minimum wage?” Dante taps the table, and Annette shrugs her shoulders.

Why doesn’t she ask him what he does for a living? Everyone else knows the truth. Could she know what his job is deep down?

“Well, yeah.” She gives him a stoic look, and he leans back in his seat happily with a smug grin on his face.

“Really?” Dante licks his bottom lip, and I watch closely. He’s so goddamn sexy. I hate being nervous when he’s around me.

Again, she nods her head, and Dante pulls out a wrap of bills.

“Far from it.” He laughs, pushing the rolled-up bills across the table to Chloe. Her jaw drops, and he shrugs his shoulders, pulling out another one and passing it to Annette.

“Seven thousand should be enough for shopping, yeah?”

Chloe and Annette nod in synchronization. They look like robots. I think the two of them are more shocked than anything right now. Dante leans against the table, looking at me.

I look around, but not at him, knowing that what he’s about to say will put me on the spot.

“So tell me. Why is my mom handing you money, giving you a place to stay, and welcoming you in our house all the time? What’s going on at home?”

Dante raises both his eyebrows, and I tap my feet on the floor. I don’t want to tell him the reason why, but he’s in attack mode. I’m nervous and scared of what he will do if I have to tell him the truth.

“Dante, you can’t ask that!” Annette shrieks from across the table. She’s startled by his question herself, and he’s her son. Dante turns to face her slowly.

“I can and I will.” Turning back to me, he leans his elbows on the table. “What’s going on?”