Page 1 of Sacrifice

Prologue

Nero

Echo Beach, a Long Time Ago…

The neon lights of Echo Beach claw at the evening sky, painting it in strokes of sin and promise. I weave through the crowd on the downtown strip, a half-hearted smile plastered to my face.

I’m a Rossi, and around here, that name carries weight—a weight I’d rather shrug off. It’s not that I don’t care about the family business; I just prefer to spend the old man’s cash without getting my hands too dirty.

“Hey, Nero!” A familiar voice slices through the pulsating music, and I turn to see a couple of women eyeing me like I’m dessert. They’re all curves and confidence, their smiles laced with mischief.

“Looking good,” one purrs as I sidle over to them, her eyes raking over me like she’s assessing a prized stallion.

“Can’t say the same for you,” I shoot back with a smirk. “You look…well, better than good. Fucking delicious.”

They laugh, and I can tell they’re into it—the game, the flirtation. It’s easy, this dance of words and winks.

But then, one of them slips something into my hand—something small and illicit, promising a night without inhibitions.

And I’ve never been handed a drug I didn’t take.

“Try this,” she whispers, leaning close enough that I catch the scent of her perfume mixed with the salty tang of the beach air. “It’ll make the night unforgettable.”

The pill tastes like nothing on my tongue, chased down by the burn of cheap tequila. I give it an hour, tops.

That’s all it takes before colors start to bleed into each other, lights streaking across my vision like shooting stars.

“Whoa,” I murmur, more to myself than to anyone else as the bass from the speakers throbs in my chest, syncing up with my heartbeat. The world tilts, but I don’t fight it. Instead, I let the waves of sound and disorientation pull me under, drowning in the sensory overload.

It’s like I can feel every pair of eyes on me, every whisper of fabric against skin as bodies press close. I’m a Rossi, yeah, but right now, I’m just another reveler caught in the undertow of Echo Beach’s nightlife.

“Come dance,” a voice says, or maybe I imagine it. But I’m already moving, finding the rhythm in the chaos, letting my body take over where my mind checks out. Two betas wait, their dresses setting off a riot of color that makes me dizzy.

Our dance is a mess of limbs and laughter, and when they lean in to kiss me, I don’t hesitate. Their lips are soft, pliant under mine, and the kiss is anything but chaste. We’re making a scene, but who cares? This is Echo Beach, where secrets spill out under neon lights and get lost in the roar of the tide.

“Hey, Nero,” another voice breaks in, breathless with dancing or desire—I can’t tell which, and I don’t care. “How about we take this somewhere private?”

“Sounds like a plan,” I reply, pulling back from the kiss with a grin.

“Both of us?” the beta asks, a challenge in their voice that sends anticipation skittering down my spine.

“Absolutely.” My lips twitch into a cocky smile, heart racing. A threesome isn’t exactly uncharted territory for me.

“Lead the way then,” they say, hands finding mine, guiding me through the throng of bodies.

I don’t know their names, and I don’t ask. Names make it real, and nothing tonight is supposed to be real. It’s all just a game, a reprieve from the life waiting for me once the sun comes up.

But for now, I allow myself to be led, swallowed up by the promise of pleasure without consequences—as fleeting as the high coursing through my veins.

The cool night air hits my face as we spill out of the club and into the dimly lit streets. The betas’ hands are still entangled with mine, their laughter a melody that dances over the hum of the city. We weave through the crowd, their bodies close enough to feel the heat radiating off of them.

“Where are we going?” I ask, the words slurring just a bit from the cocktail of drugs and alcohol still pulsing through me.

“Somewhere quiet,” one of them purrs, pulling me down an alley that veers off from the main strip.

“Sounds perfect,” I murmur, anticipation coiling tighter within me.

The alley twists and turns, and their hands slip from mine. The laughter fades, swallowed by the darkness that stretches out in front of me.

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