Blood on White Marble

Ruby La Rosa's wedding is a spectacle of power and pain, a union meant to secure alliances but haunted by forbidden love. As she's pulled from the altar by Wicked, the man who owns her heart and her darkness, violence erupts—gunshots shatter the celebration, and blood stains the white marble. The chaos is not just external; it's the culmination of years of secrets, betrayals, and the inescapable pull between Ruby and Wicked. Their passion is as destructive as it is consuming, and as the dust settles, the true cost of loyalty and love in a world ruled by crime becomes clear. The wedding is not an ending, but the ignition of a war that will consume families and hearts alike.

Strays and Saviors

Wicked and his sister Poppy are survivors of a brutal childhood, orphaned by violence and taken in by Victor La Rosa, a mafia patriarch with his own agenda. Victor's home is a sanctuary and a trap, filled with warmth, opulence, and the ever-present threat of the underworld. Ruby, Victor's daughter, is both a beacon and a warning—her kindness draws Wicked in, but her world is laced with danger. As Wicked and Poppy try to find their place, the lines between savior and captor blur. Victor's motives are never pure, and the siblings' arrival is the first move in a game that will test the limits of trust, family, and survival.

The Devil's Daughter

Ruby La Rosa is the mafia princess, raised in luxury but never free from the shadows cast by her father's empire. Her life is a careful dance between rebellion and duty, her friendships and romances always colored by the threat of violence. When Wicked enters her orbit, he is both a temptation and a threat—his darkness mirrors her own, and their chemistry is undeniable. Ruby's struggle is not just with her father's expectations, but with the legacy of pain and power that defines her family. She is both victim and villain, learning that love in her world is always edged with danger.

Wolves in the House

Wicked and Ruby's connection is immediate and incendiary, a collision of trauma and longing. Their relationship is forbidden by Victor, but the rules only fuel their obsession. As they circle each other, the house becomes a battleground of wills and desires. Poppy finds solace in Ruby's friendship, but Wicked's protectiveness is both a shield and a prison. The La Rosa home is a microcosm of the mafia's contradictions: warmth and violence, loyalty and betrayal, love and cruelty. Every touch, every glance, is a risk—one that will have consequences for everyone under Victor's roof.

Forbidden and Bound

Wicked and Ruby's passion explodes in secret, their bodies and souls marked by violence and need. Their first time is a mix of pain and pleasure, a loss of innocence that binds them together and sets them apart from the world around them. But love in the mafia is never simple—every secret is a weapon, every vulnerability a liability. As they navigate the dangers of their families and their own hearts, they are forced to confront the reality that their love may be as destructive as the world they inhabit. The boundaries between lover and enemy, protector and predator, blur until nothing is safe.

Baptized in Violence

Victor offers Wicked a place in his world, but the price is steep: loyalty, violence, and the willingness to become a weapon. Wicked's initiation into the mafia is a baptism of blood, a test of his capacity for cruelty and his devotion to Poppy. The lessons are brutal—trust is a currency, and compassion is a weakness. As Wicked proves himself, he becomes both more powerful and more isolated, his soul scarred by the choices he must make. The transformation is not just his; Ruby, too, is shaped by the violence that surrounds her, learning that survival often means becoming the very thing you fear.

The Maze and the Mask

Wicked's past is a labyrinth of trauma, shaped by a shadowy institution where children are forged into killers. The maze is both literal and metaphorical—a place of tests, pain, and transformation. Skully, the enigmatic and sadistic leader, is both mentor and tormentor, orchestrating rituals that blur the line between victim and perpetrator. Ruby is drawn into this world, her own history revealed to be intertwined with Wicked's in ways she never imagined. The mask becomes a symbol of survival, a way to hide the scars and secrets that define them. In the maze, love and violence are inseparable, and escape is never clean.

Love's Cruel Bargain

Wicked and Ruby's love is tested by impossible choices—each must sacrifice, submit, and betray to protect the other. Their relationship becomes a series of cruel bargains: sex as power, pain as proof, loyalty as currency. The outside world closes in—rival families, old enemies, and the ever-present threat of Skully's machinations. As Ruby is forced into a marriage for the sake of peace, and Wicked is drawn deeper into the underworld, their love becomes both a weapon and a wound. The question is not whether they can survive together, but whether they can survive what they must do to stay together.

The Dragon's Initiation

Wicked's true heritage is revealed—he is not just a stray, but the lost heir of a powerful mafia family, his bloodline a secret weapon in the war for power. His initiation as a Dragon is both a curse and a calling, binding him to a legacy of violence and vengeance. Ruby, too, must confront the truth of her parentage, her place in the La Rosa dynasty more complicated than she ever knew. The revelation of their intertwined fates forces them to choose between the families that made them and the love that could destroy them. Identity becomes a battleground, and every choice is a betrayal.

Family of Monsters

The La Rosa family is torn apart by secrets—Victor's true motives, Skully's manipulations, and the revelation of hidden siblings. Ruby's sense of self is shattered as she learns the truth about her parents, her sister, and the man she loves. Wicked is forced to confront the monster he has become, the violence he has done in the name of survival and love. The family's collapse is both personal and political, a reckoning with the sins of the past and the impossibility of forgiveness. In the end, the only thing more dangerous than their enemies is the truth.

Betrayal in the Blood

The final secrets are dragged into the light—Victor's betrayal, Skully's true identity, and the real reason for Ruby's suffering. The war that has been brewing erupts in violence, as alliances shift and old debts are paid in blood. Ruby and Wicked must decide what they are willing to do—and who they are willing to become—to survive. The cost of truth is high: innocence, love, and even family must be sacrificed. In the end, the only way forward is through fire, and the only thing left is what they can build from the ashes.

The Wedding and the War

Ruby's wedding is both a political alliance and a personal crucible, a moment where love, duty, and vengeance collide. As she is forced to marry for the sake of peace, Wicked's jealousy and pain threaten to consume them both. The ceremony is interrupted by violence, and the war that has been simmering explodes into open conflict. Betrayals are revealed, loyalties are tested, and the line between enemy and ally is erased. The wedding is not a happy ending, but the beginning of a new, bloodier chapter in the family's saga.

The Price of Survival

In the aftermath of violence, Ruby and Wicked are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. The scars—physical, emotional, and psychological—are deep, and healing is neither simple nor complete. The family must reckon with the cost of survival: the innocence lost, the relationships destroyed, and the parts of themselves they can never reclaim. For Ruby and Wicked, love is both a balm and a reminder of all they have endured. The question is not whether they can be whole again, but whether they can live with the pieces that remain.

The Hangman's Redemption

Wicked's journey comes full circle as he confronts Skully, the architect of his pain and the source of so much suffering. The final confrontation is brutal and cathartic, a reckoning that offers both vengeance and the possibility of redemption. For Ruby, forgiveness is harder to find—her wounds are fresh, and the betrayals too deep. But in the ashes of violence, there is a glimmer of hope: the chance to build something new, to choose love over hate, and to find peace in the ruins of the past.

Ashes and Aftermath

With the war over and the old enemies defeated, Ruby and Wicked are left to rebuild their lives and their family. The process is slow and painful, marked by grief, guilt, and the ever-present threat of relapse into old patterns. But there is also joy: the birth of new relationships, the healing of old wounds, and the possibility of a future not defined by violence. The family's legacy is both a burden and a gift, and the only way forward is to accept both.

The Throne of Thorns

Ruby inherits the throne of the La Rosa family, a crown made of thorns and stained with blood. Leadership is both a privilege and a curse, demanding sacrifices she never wanted to make. Wicked, too, must find his place in this new world, balancing his love for Ruby with his own need for redemption. Together, they navigate the treacherous waters of power, learning that true strength lies not in cruelty, but in compassion. The throne is not a reward, but a responsibility—and the only way to rule is to never forget the cost.

Sisters and Sins

Ruby's reunion with her lost sister, Ivy, is both a blessing and a challenge. The sisters must navigate the legacy of their parents' sins, the trauma of their separate lives, and the possibility of forgiveness. Their relationship is a microcosm of the family's larger struggle: the need to reconcile the past with the hope for a better future. Together, they learn that family is not just about blood, but about the choices they make and the love they share.

Christmas in the Underworld

The story ends with a Christmas celebration—a moment of peace and joy in a world still haunted by violence. Ruby, Wicked, and their family gather to celebrate survival, love, and the hope for a better future. The scars remain, but so does the possibility of healing. In the underworld, happiness is always fragile, but for one night, they are allowed to believe in it. The past cannot be erased, but the future is theirs to write.

Characters

Ruby La Rosa

Ruby is the daughter of Victor La Rosa, raised in privilege but forged in violence. Her journey is one of transformation: from sheltered princess to ruthless leader, from victim to survivor, from lover to queen. Ruby's relationships are complex—her love for Wicked is both her greatest strength and her deepest vulnerability. She is fiercely loyal, but her trust is hard-won and easily broken. The trauma of her past shapes her, but does not define her; she learns to wield power with both compassion and cruelty. Ruby's arc is one of self-discovery, as she learns that true strength lies in embracing both her darkness and her light.

Wicked (Vittorio Amante)

Wicked is a product of trauma, shaped by a brutal childhood and a sadistic institution. His love for Poppy and Ruby is the anchor that keeps him from becoming a complete monster, but his capacity for violence is always close to the surface. Wicked's journey is one of redemption—he must learn to forgive himself for the things he has done, and to believe that he is worthy of love. His relationship with Ruby is both salvation and damnation, a bond that is as destructive as it is healing. Wicked's true heritage as the lost heir of a mafia dynasty adds another layer of complexity, forcing him to choose between the family that made him and the love that could save him.

Victor La Rosa

Victor is the head of the La Rosa family, a man whose love is as dangerous as his wrath. He is both savior and betrayer, taking in Wicked and Poppy for reasons that are never entirely pure. Victor's relationship with Ruby is fraught—he is both her protector and her greatest source of pain. His secrets and schemes set the events of the story in motion, and his ultimate betrayal is the wound that Ruby must learn to live with. Victor is a tragic figure, undone by his own ambition and the sins of the past.

Poppy

Poppy is Wicked's younger sister, a symbol of innocence lost and the cost of survival. Her relationship with Wicked is the emotional core of his character—he will do anything to protect her, even at the cost of his own soul. Poppy's journey is one of healing; she must learn to find her own strength and to forgive Wicked for the choices he has made. Her presence is a reminder of what is at stake, and her fate is the catalyst for some of the story's most devastating events.

Skully (Antonio)

Skully is the shadowy figure behind the institution that shaped Wicked, a man whose cruelty knows no bounds. He is both mentor and tormentor, orchestrating rituals and tests that blur the line between victim and perpetrator. Skully's obsession with Ruby and Wicked is both personal and political—he sees them as both tools and threats. His ultimate defeat is a moment of catharsis, but the scars he leaves behind are permanent.

Mikhail Volkov

Mikhail is the head of the Bratva, Ruby's political fiancé, and a man whose motives are always suspect. His relationship with Ruby is transactional, a marriage meant to secure peace but built on lies and manipulation. Mikhail is both enemy and ally, his actions driven by a mix of ambition, pride, and genuine affection. He is a reminder that in the underworld, love and loyalty are always conditional.

Val (Vasili Kozlov)

Val is both friend and foe, a man whose loyalties are divided between the Bratva and the La Rosa family. His relationship with Ruby is one of genuine affection, but his true allegiance is always in question. Val's actions are driven by a desire to protect those he loves, even when it means betraying others. He is a survivor, a pragmatist, and a reminder that in this world, trust is always provisional.

Ivy

Ivy is Ruby's twin, separated at birth and raised in a different kind of hell. Her reunion with Ruby is both a blessing and a challenge, forcing both sisters to confront the legacy of their parents' sins. Ivy is a survivor, her strength forged in suffering. Her presence is a reminder that family is both a source of pain and a possibility for healing.

Betty

Betty is Ruby's childhood friend, the only person outside the family who truly knows her. She is a source of comfort, humor, and perspective, grounding Ruby when the world becomes too much. Betty's loyalty is unwavering, and her presence is a reminder that love can exist outside the bonds of blood and violence.

Royce

Royce is Wicked's closest friend in the MC, a man who understands the darkness because he has lived it. His relationship with Wicked is one of mutual respect and shared trauma. Royce is a stabilizing force, helping Wicked find his place in the world and reminding him that redemption is possible. His own journey is one of healing, as he learns to build a family out of the wreckage of the past.

Plot Devices

Dual Narratives and Shifting Perspectives

The story is told through the alternating perspectives of Ruby and Wicked, allowing readers to experience both the external events and the internal struggles of the main characters. This dual narrative structure creates dramatic irony, as the audience is often privy to secrets and motivations that the characters themselves do not know. The shifting perspectives also allow for a deeper exploration of trauma, love, and the ways in which the past shapes the present.

Nonlinear Timeline and Flashbacks

The narrative frequently moves between past and present, using flashbacks to reveal the origins of the characters' pain and the events that set the story in motion. These nonlinear elements create suspense and allow for a gradual unfolding of secrets. The flashbacks are not just exposition—they are emotional touchstones, grounding the characters' actions in lived experience.

Symbolism of Blood, Masks, and Mazes

Blood is a constant motif, representing both violence and kinship. Masks are used both literally and metaphorically, symbolizing the ways in which characters hide their true selves to survive. The maze is both a physical space of torture and a metaphor for the characters' psychological journeys—escape is possible, but never clean, and the path is always fraught with danger.

Rituals, Initiations, and Power Plays

The story is structured around rituals—weddings, initiations, and acts of violence—that serve as both plot points and character development. These ceremonies are tests of loyalty, love, and power, forcing characters to choose between survival and morality. The rituals are both binding and destructive, shaping the characters' identities and relationships.

Betrayal, Revelation, and the Cost of Truth

The central engine of the story is the slow revelation of secrets—about parentage, loyalty, and the true nature of love. Each revelation is both a liberation and a wound, forcing characters to confront the cost of survival and the impossibility of innocence. Betrayal is both a plot device and a theme, as characters must decide what—and who—they are willing to sacrifice.

Analysis

Amo Jones's Wicked is a dark, labyrinthine exploration of trauma, love, and the legacy of violence. At its core, the novel is a meditation on the ways in which we are shaped—and sometimes destroyed—by the families and systems that raise us. Through the intertwined journeys of Ruby and Wicked, the story interrogates the nature of power, the cost of survival, and the possibility of redemption. The narrative's nonlinear structure and shifting perspectives mirror the psychological fragmentation of its characters, while the recurring motifs of blood, masks, and mazes underscore the inescapability of the past. Ultimately, Wicked is a story about the search for identity and belonging in a world where love is both a weapon and a wound. The novel refuses easy answers, insisting that healing is possible but never complete, and that the only way forward is through the fire. In a modern context, Wicked challenges readers to consider the ways in which cycles of violence are perpetuated—and broken—by those brave enough to choose compassion over cruelty, even when the world demands otherwise.

Last updated: August 22, 2025