Page 187 of Hell Breaks Loose

“Sing! You do realize that you don’t have to wait at the car for me. Or follow me at a distance. Or sweep the room before I enter.” Hellena pats him on the cheek as he holds the door open.

“It’s my job to protect you.”

“No, your job is to be in charge of Sanctum’s security and policing.”

“I hate that word.”

“Lack of a better term?”

“Fair. But that includes our governess’s safety.”

“Extra hate that title.”

“Lack of a better word?”

“Ugh.” Hellena slips into the car. “Good goddess! It fucking reeks in here. Tyler Vanderbelt, open the fucking window!”

A genuine, full chuckle shakes my chest. And out of the corner of my eye, I swear I see Sing shake, just for a second.

When I flick my gaze to him, he’s looking right at me, bland as ever.

“She’s right, you know? You don’t have to be our bodyguard. Or driver.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but Miss Clive and Miss Foxglove would skin me alive if anything happened to any of you, especially her.”

My mouth drops open.

I didn’t know he knew that many words.

“You definitely don’t want to piss off Alaya and Ora. It’s bad enough the way they treat you like a piece of meat.”

Sing’s eye twitches.

“What was it she called you the other day? Her fuck-ninja?”

His eyes widen slightly as I duck into the car, immediately regretting the decision.

I should have set off the stink bomb in Tell’s bedroom instead.

But as we drive down through the hills, all four of us with our heads out the window, I see the town spread out below us, windows sparkling in the late afternoon sun, matching the twinkling surf out in the bay.

And I realize we made it.

Through hell.

To the other side.

The future stretches out before us with a new vision. A new sense of purpose.

A new Seven.

We still deal in favors. In secrets. In trust. In principles. And when we have to, in blood.

But now, we also deal in hope.

EPILOGUE: HELLENA

Half the town shows up for the festivities in the huge memorial park. We stop by, making an appearance.

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