Chapter 6 The Devil You Know

Seraphina positioned herself in front of her parents like a soldier guarding a battlefield. Every muscle in her body tensed as the doorknob twisted with excruciating slowness.

She braced herself for a stranger.

Instead, it was Nate.

Her breath caught.

He stepped into the dim room like it was his kingdom - like her mother's blood on the floor and her father's fractured ribs were minor inconveniences in his schedule.

"Nate?" Her voice cracked. "You... you're the one knocking?"

He tilted his head, eyes gliding over her parents' injured forms, her trembling hands, the pure disbelief etched in her face. He barely looked human.

"Of course I was," he said flatly. "You sound like you were expecting someone else. I wonder who that could be."

Seraphina blinked. Her mind reeled.

"You?" she repeated. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be busy with your 'important person' in the hotel?

Nate smirked as he walked to her im large strides, "Jealousy, my dear, looks good on you."

"What are you doing here?" Her mother, Megan, asked with a scowl on her face while Jude hugged her protectively.

"Hello to you too," Nate paused, "mother in-law."

Megan muttered under her breath"Bastard..."

Seraphina had had enough of seeing Nate, "I don't know why you are here and I don't care. What you should know is I am done with you."

Nate blinked once, then twice and then a loud laughter tore through the room making Seraphina shiver. "You? You're done with me?" He grabbed her waist while his left hand toyed with her blonde locs. "You're not done until I say so."

"You don't own me!" Seraphina hissed as she stomped on his feet making him involuntarily release her.

"You see, your feisty nature was what made me fall in love with you." He grinned, "And watching you get angry just turns me on."

Megan grabbed a slippers that was next to her a threw it angrily towards Mate who ducked smoothly, "You psycho! You've always hurt my daughter and now that she has had enough you still won't leave her be!"

"Nate, I am tired of being your side piece." Seraphina ran her fingers through her hair. She was clearly tired of him and now, she had other import things to think of. "Let's just break up."

Nate kissed his teeth, "If only it was possible. Well, it's not like you have a choice though."

Seraphina frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you have the three thousand dollars to pay me back in three days?" Nate asked with a sinister grin im his eyes.

Seraphina scoffed, "what three thousand dollars? I'm not owing you!"

"Oh you think so?" Nate asked as he tilted his head towards Jude and Megan whose face had turned white in shock.

Then it struck Seraphina. The loan shark boss had taunted her over an incident that had happened between her, Nate and Ivy and aside that, how did Nate know about the loan?

A gasp escaped her lips, "Y- you sent them? You did t- this?"

"Be specific mama, I did what?"

"You h- hurt my parents?!" Seraphina yelled.

"I didn't lay a finger on anyone," he said smoothly. "But yes. I gave the order. In other words, I'm their boss."

"Y- you..." Her hands dropped to her sides. "You beat up my parents-my mother is bleeding on the floor-and you stand there like you just delivered flowers?"

"They stole from me, Seraphina."

Her voice rose, panicked and sharp. "They didn't steal! They borrowed money from a monster who turned out to be you!"

Her father groaned softly behind her. Her mother whimpered.

But Nate? Nate smiled - the kind of smile that stripped her of breath.

"I am the monster," he said, voice low. "And I'm the one who kept you out of trouble all these years. I'm the reason no one else hurt you. I protected you, Sera."

"No," she snapped. "You loved owning me. Controlling me. I was your charity project - the poor girl you could string along like a trophy. For fuck sake Nate! You cheated on me like it was a routine!"

"You think I strung you along?" he chuckled, dark and cold. "I let you into my world. I gave you peace. Access. Purpose. And in return, I expected obedience."

"I'm not your fucking pet!" she screamed, tears pouring down her cheeks.

He took a step closer. She didn't back down.

"You don't get to talk about peace ," she spat. "You cheated. Lied. Humiliated me. And now you terrorized my family - for what? Some twisted game?!"

Nate's eyes narrowed. "This isn't a game. It's a correction. I offered you the world, Seraphina. You spat on it."

"You offered me a coffin," she hissed.

He scoffed. "Oh, please. If I wanted you gone, I would've had you disappeared by now. But I didn't. Because I still want you."

Seraphina blinked. "You what?"

"I want you. Still." He moved toward her, slowly, eyes sharp as glass. "Which is why I'm giving you a second chance - to do what you should've done long ago. Marry me and I will clear your parents debt."

She choked. "You're insane."

Nate tilted his head. "Is it insane to want to protect the woman I want? To want to bind her to me, permanently, so no one else can ever touch her?"

Her voice dropped into a whisper. "This isn't love, Nate."

"It's what's left of it."

"You can't force me."

"I already have."

A sharp sob escaped her mother. "Seraphina, please, don't-don't listen to him-"

Seraphina turned her head sharply to her parents, her voice trembling. "I- I-"

"No," her father croaked. "No daughter of mine will become a bargaining chip. I'd rather die than watch you give yourself to a man who uses fists and threats like currency!" He stood up, clenching his fists.

Nate snickered, Father dearest, you should give us your blessing not curse us."

Jude lost his patience and immediately, he dashed for Nate with the intention of hitting him. However, before he could lay a finger in him, he was thrown over.

Two hefty men, clad in black outfits grabbed him and pinned him down to the floor while another man turned him to a punching bag.

"No!" Megan yelled, clutching her bleeding arm, while Seraphina watched in shock.

Suddenly, she snapped out of her daze and turned to face Nate, "Make them stop."

"Hmm?"

"I said make them stop!" She begged, tears trickled down her face on witnessing her father being beaten.

Nate grinned, "You will marry me..."

"Y-"

Her mother reached for her hand, cutting her off, desperately. "Baby, please. You are all I have. If they take you-if he marries you-he'll bury you alive. And we won't be able to help you."

Seraphina's voice trembled as she crouched to her mom's level and replied, "And if I don't, they'll kill you and dad. Then who will I be saving myself for?"

Her father turned his face away.

Her mother sobbed harder. "They don't respect women. You'll become nothing more than a... a baby machine for a man who doesn't see you as a person."

Seraphina swallowed hard. "Maybe that's the calling of a woman."

Her mother gasped. "Don't say that. Don't ever say that."

Seraphina's voice cracked. "I said it because it hurts. Because I'm already drowning, and I need something to hold on to-even if it's made of thorns."

Nate raised his brow. "So you'll marry me?"

Seraphina glared at him. "I'll marry you for them. But if you ever touch them again-if you even look at them the wrong way-I'll poison you slowly and smile while doing it."

Nate stared at her for a beat.

Then he laughed - a slow, chilling sound.

"I always liked the fire in you," he said, walking to the door. "We'll get married in three days. Try not to run. I'd hate to hurt anyone else."

He opened the door.

Paused.

Looked over his shoulder.

"And Seraphina?" His voice dipped low. "Don't embarrass me."

Then he left.

The men that were beating her father left with a huff. Her mother burst into sobs.

Her father looked like a he had colluded with a truck.

"My love..." Megan sobbed as she held his unconscious form.

Seraphina stood still, feeling nothing and everything at once.

Her hands trembled, but her face was stone.

"This isn't over," she whispered.

Then-her phone rang.

Unknown number.

Her heart stuttered.

She answered.

A low, unreadable voice spilled from the speaker, rich and dangerous like a slow fire.

"Seraphina Vale... congratulations."

She froze.

"You just agreed to marry the wrong king."

Click.

The call ended.

"Wrong k- king?"