The Devil and The Prince.

The Devil and The Prince.
Alice’s Point of View

The dim light of Silas’s room cast soft shadows across the bed where I sat, trapped by his arm curled tightly around my waist, anchoring me in place. His head rested on my belly, his slow, steady breaths a rhythm against my skin, rendering me immobile. 

I leaned back against the headboard, my heart a tangled mess of confusion and curiosity, unsure what to do but unable to look away from him. 

Silas was a beautiful man. 

The resemblance he shared with Tiberio was undeniable—sharp jawline, inked skin, the same commanding aura. 

But where Tiberio was wildfire, Silas was more like smoke: lingering, hazy, dangerous in a quieter way. And maybe even more tragic.

The image of his earlier breakdown looped in my mind—his unfiltered pain, the desperation in his voice when he asked to hug me. The way he held me like I was the last piece holding him together. The way he’s still holding me.

What could reduce a man like him, a mafia prince feared by all, to such fragility? 

My gaze lingered on his face, searching for answers, and without thinking, my fingers brushed his smooth cheek, a gentle touch born of some unnameable urge. 

He flinched, his brow twitching, but his eyes remained closed, and a small, bittersweet smile curved my lips. 

I was caught, his arm a chain I both wanted to break and couldn’t bear to escape. 

Silas intrigued me—a locked box I yearned to open, a puzzle far deeper than the arrogance he wore like armor.

“Alice.” Tiberio’s deep voice sliced through the silence, a whip-crack that froze my hand on Silas’s face. 

My heart lurched, and I swallowed hard, my eyes lifting slowly to meet his. He stood in the doorway, hands tucked into his pockets, eyes like twin storms. 

His jaw was so tight I feared it might break.

Those brown-blue eyes, glinting under the faint light, burned into me, a canvas of rage and something darker—possession, maybe, or betrayal. 

I tore my gaze away, dropping it to Silas’s peaceful form, my chest tight with guilt and defiance.

“Come with me,” Tiberio commanded, his voice low and unyielding, a tone that brooked no argument.

My brows shot up, indignation flaring. 

“Are you serious right now?” I hissed, keeping my voice low to avoid waking Silas. “Your brother—”

A sharp hiss escaped Tiberio’s lips, cutting me off. 

“Alice, don’t test my patience. This isn’t the time.”

I wanted to snap back, to tell him to go to hell, but Silas’s soft breaths against my skin held me in check. 

I didn’t want to wake him. He needed this moment of peace more than I needed to win an argument.

With a heavy sigh, I bit back my retort and carefully peeled Silas’s arm from my waist, my movements slow to avoid rousing him. 

He stirred, turning slightly, but his eyes stayed closed, and I exhaled in relief. 

I glanced at him one last time, his vulnerability tugging at my heart, before sliding off the bed and crossing the room toward Tiberio.

He didn’t wait for me to reach him. The moment I was close, his hand shot out, seizing my wrist with a grip that sent a jolt of pain through me. 

He yanked me into the hallway, closing Silas’s door with a quiet click, the sound final, like a judge’s gavel. 

Before I could react, he slammed me against the wall, his body towering over mine, one hand pinning my wrists above my head, the other pressing against my shoulder, caging me in. 

I winced, the pain from his hold sharp, but it was his eyes that stole my breath—stormy, searing, scanning every inch of my face with a predatory intensity. 

His cologne—whiskey, grapes, and danger—flooded my senses, tinged with the heat of his breath, an expensive scent that made my head spin despite my anger.

“What did I tell you about getting close to him?” He growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through me, his whiskey-laced breath brushing my skin.

I squirmed, trying to wrench free, but his strength was unyielding, a steel trap I couldn’t escape. 

“Tiberio…” I stammered, glaring up at him, my defiance warring with the fear his proximity sparked.

“I hate being disobeyed, Alice,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. 

His knuckles grazed my cheek, the touch deceptively gentle, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine. 

“And worse?” His eyes darkened, a promise of violence in their depths. “I punish hard. If it means getting rid of my own brother, I won’t hesitate.”

The threat was poison, and it dripped straight into my chest. 

I should’ve been horrified. But instead… a part of me was turned on. 

Broken, I know. But how could I not be when he looked at me like that?

I was lost in his eyes, those molten brown-blue depths, and for a moment, I hated myself for it. 

“Ti…” I started to say something, anything, but his lips brushed against mine, just barely.

My breath hitched, and my eyes fluttered shut. God help me—I waited for more.

What’s wrong with me? I thought, my heart pounding erratically. He’s my captor, a monster, and I’m… turned on?

Then, like a bucket of ice water, reality crashed over me. With a surge of strength, I shoved him back, my glare fierce despite the flush burning my cheeks. 

“You’ll kill your own brother for your selfish, sick desire?” I spat.

Tiberio smirked, a dangerous, pulse-quickening curve of his lips that made my knees weak. He stepped closer, crowding me against the wall again, his voice a gravelly murmur. 

“You called me the devil, didn’t you, bellissima?” he said, his breath hot against my ear. “We both know the devil stops at nothing to get what he wants.”

I rolled my eyes so hard I felt my ovaries twitch in frustration.

“You were asked to be there for Silas,” he snapped, “not stroke his damn cheek like a lover.”

I swallowed hard, caught in his glare like a deer in headlights.

“Uh…”

His chuckle was low, menacing, and he grabbed my arms, his grip bruising. 

“Alice,” he whispered, his lips hovering just above mine, “don’t make me more monstrous than I already am. It’ll end badly—for you, for Silas, for everyone.”

And just when I was about to respond—when the tension was thick enough to snap—a loud, shattering noise erupted.

Tiberio’s face changed instantly.

If I thought I’d seen him angry before, I was wrong. This… this was something else entirely.

His eyes flicked to the window at the end of the hallway, his grip on me tightening briefly before he released me, his body coiled with lethal intent. 

Did our argument wake Silas? I wondered, whipping my head toward his door, heart thudding at the thought.

Author’s Note 💌

You’ve made it this far, darling reader, and now you’re just as tangled in this chaos as Alice is. One brother holds her like she’s salvation. The other? Presses her to the wall like he owns every breath she takes.

So… are you Team Tiberio or Team Silas? Or are you like Alice—caught in the web, aching for both?

Things are about to get bloody. Keep your heart close. You’ll need it.

With sinful smirks and soft sighs,

Auteure Angel 💋