Page 69 of Hell Breaks Loose

Well, now I have a way to truly control them.

They all come to the call of the Herald.

“And you come to our call, woman,” Pride sneers from the corner.

Their voices are always louder when I haven’t slept.

Always more vicious and unforgiving, too. Only by completing their demands can I rid myself of them for a time.

Sliding the needle out of Angel’s arm, I settle him back against my legs in front of me, playing with his hair absently. He always was a useful tool.

So much more so now.

And he will be the ace in the hole when the time comes to bring Hellena to heel. Because she has finally returned. My messengers sent word to me in Severance.

Which means Marco Vice will be making a move soon, too. Or maybe this is his move.

Dangerous. Foolish of him to turn her.

But it all falls into the catch-all that is my plan. Let them play their games. Let her come back and try to heal this festering wound of a city.

It will be that much better when I take it back from them. For me.

Because it is my inheritance. My right.

Once every single mind lies under my control, I will put them to task finding what my brother hid from me, the true source of all of the Sinful’s power and wealth.

That secret that I've been cursed with trying to find for twenty years.

I know she knows where it is.

Where Damon hid it. Who he hid it with.

Hellena is the key. And Evan, Angel, is the key to controlling Hellena.

And once I’ve used her to open the lock…

13

HELLENA

Home sweet home.

Staring up at the ceiling of the master bedroom, I sigh, wishing I were anywhere but here. Not that it doesn’t meet the standards of the posh life I’ve lived since ‘falling in line’.

But the place is so…

Historied.

Partly by the fact that one of the loves of my life grew up here.

Mostly because being back in Sanctum Harbor is so much harder than I thought it would be. Every fiber of my being is pushing back against the cold, hard exterior I’ve hammered into place.

Queen bitch just wants to run out the door, find Gavin, Evan, Tell, dive into their arms, and never let them go.

I can’t afford that kind of weakness.

And apparently, I can’t get a freaking moment alone.

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