I shuffle nervously from one foot to the other. "What do you want from me?"
"Everything."
His eyes bore into me relentlessly.
"Everything?" I swallow hard.
"Your body, your mind, your soul." His lips twitch as panic rears its head inside me. "But until I can possess those, I will accept marriage."
For a moment I'm sure I misheard. Marriage? I stand there like an idiot with my mouth hanging open. "What?"
"You. Will. Marry. Me." He enunciates each word slowly.
A laugh bursts out of me, sharp and disbelieving.
"That's not funny."
"I'm not joking."
"You seriously expect me to believe you kidnapped me, accused me of betrayal and now you want to marry me?"
"I didn't kidnap you." His voice lowers. "I protected you from your own foolishness and I will continue to do so."
There's not a glimmer of amusement on his face, but I still can't believe he means what he's saying.
"I don't understand this. Why would you want to marry me?"
"I need to think about the future. It's time for me to settle down and raise a family."
My throat tightens. "You want children?"
"Eventually."
This is nuts. "Why me?"
"You're a beautiful, intelligent woman, Violetta. A little too compassionate for your own good, but we can work on that." He presses his lips together and studies my face as if he's weighing whether to say more. "And there is also a piece of land my brother wants. Your grandfather owns it and will only sell once you're safely married."
I was shocked before, but now I'm totally confused. Assuming he's talking about my paternal grandfather because my other one doesn't have two euros to rub together, this makes no sense. I've never met the man. As far as I know, I've never been in the same room as him.
"My father never claimed me." It's a bitter truth to admit. "I don't know my grandfather."
"Perhaps not, but he's been watching you."
"What? That's crazy. Why would he…." I trail off mid-question. That's for my grandfather to answer, not Damiano.
"You can't expect me to marry you just so your brother can get a piece of land."
"I've already told you the other reasons."
My mind is swirling. "Do you even like me?"
"What has liking you got to do with it?" The casual way he throws out the question hurts more than I care to admit. "You're suitable and thanks to your interference you're in a tight spot. This gets you out of it."
Suddenly the light in the room feels too bright, like a precursor to a migraine. I clench my fists to keep my fingers from trembling. Damiano is serious about this, and I don't want to think about what he'll do if I refuse. I rub my temples.
"Well, how would it work? You said children, so I assume you expect a real marriage."
Damiano inclines his head. "I only intend to marry once and my wife will bear my children."
