Page 76 of Hell Storm

Roman

Home—a place where one went to find acceptance, love, refuge.

As I walked through the front door of my father’s palace, despite this being where I’d grown up, I felt none of those things. And yet … here I was.

Laughter and lighthearted conversation floated in from a distance. It was just past six o’clock, so I was certain that sound came from the dining room. A short walk through the foyer, the gallery, and then the parlor proved me right.

Seated around a table for twenty, was my father, his wife, and both my half-sisters. Most who left home longed for these moments—reconnecting with family, a warm meal and fresh blood, but … not me.

Because the people seated here hadneverbeen my family.

The only family I ever had was long gone. Even those who stepped in to take my twin’s place—my Dynasty brothers—didn’t seem to be the men I thought they were.

Not since Corina came into the picture.

The mere thought of her made me want to spit fire. I’d never been so disrespected by a human—byanyone—like I’d been disrespected by her that day. And then to see my brothers come to her defense, it let me know where I stood.

I should have been used to being on the outside. Especially with the cold, unwelcoming stares that flashed my way now.

“Well?” my father stated. “Aren’t you going to greet your mother and sisters?”

“She’s not my mother.”

“I’m not his mother,” the Empress and I declared in unison.

The hatred between us was abundantly clear. Always had been.

“Had you walked through the door five minutes ago, there would have been food for you, but your mo— Empress Clara,” my father amended, “just promised the leftovers to the huntsmen for his pack.”

I peered up to see the Empress herself smiling as she glared across the table at me. My guess was she wanted to make sure I understood my father clearly. She wanted to make sure I knew that, in this house,herhouse … I was valued even less than a dog.

There didn’t seem to be a point in entertaining this conversation, so I continued on past the doorway. I veered toward the kitchen to grab a warm glass of blood before heading out to my estate further up the drive.

“Clara, girls, excuse me a moment,” I heard as I put distance between the dining room and myself. It was the sound of my father politely dismissing himself from the dinner table to chase after me. Most likely, because he intended to rip me a new one for who-knows-what.

“Did you honestly think you could just waltz back in here, after not answering my calls all week?” The words left his mouth in their usual harsh tone. I was onlyeverspoken to like a stranger who didn’t belong here.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him.

“I had a long flight,” I sighed. “My kitchen is bare because I’ve been gone for weeks. Pardon me for thinking it would be acceptable to grab a bite to eat tonight, until Rupert is able to get to the market in the morning.”

“I’m owed an explanation,” he insisted. “And I want the truth.”

That was a lie. He didn’t want the truth, now or ever. He wanted to believe his little family was perfect, and had only the utmost respect for him. When the truth was Empress Clara had onlyeverbeen with him because of his status, and my half-sisters followed in their mother’s footsteps, seeing him as nothing more than a wallet with legs.

And tonight,mytruth would be especially disturbing.

I’d been holed up in a motel in the most unsavory section of the Eastern Quadrant. With limited cash on hand, I had to stay where I could afford. The second I would have used my credit card, my father’s team would have been all over it, hunting me down like an animal. And not because they or my father cared about my wellbeing, but rather because they cared about our family’s reputation.

He sniffed the air. “You smell like cheap booze. Have you showered?”

I couldn’t help but to laugh at his reaction—the look of disappointment he wore. “You mean this week?”

His nostrils flared when he realized I wasn’t taking this nearly as seriously as he was.

“What is this? First you managed to link yourself to Julian’s disaster of a life, and that … girl. And now this,” he seethed. “Are youtryingto prove the people right about you? They already think you’re unfit to rule. Keep this up, and not even my team will be able to fix your mess.”

At the mention of Julian’s name, I was reminded of the many unreturned calls I’d received from him and Silas. However, the ones from Levi had stopped days ago. My best guess was that not knowing my whereabouts was no longer of interest to him.

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