Page 3 of Beautiful Sinners

Right before the light surrounds me, I’m pulled back down to earth, my wings clipped and useless. As life courses through my body once again, the pain comes. My torn, damaged vocal cords cry out a sound much like that of a kitten’s strangled mewl.

I don’t want to come back. I want to be the phoenix and fly into the bright light like Icarus did the sun.

But I can’t because the person who saved me won’t let me go.

“You’re safe now. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

CHAPTER 1

Present Day

Standing under an arbor of climbing roses, I watch Con and Syn as they stroll through the garden, stopping once in a while for Syn to look closer at a flower. Every so often, their hands gravitate together for brief touches as they walk. Con tucks a flower in her hair, and whatever he says has her smiling broadly and laughing.

“That’s a damn beautiful sight.”

“It is,” Hendrix agrees, not able to keep his eyes off her. “Even if she’s pissed at us.”

I pick a rosebud from its thorny vine and tear the petals off one at a time. As a child, Aoife fought against the status quo of our world in her own way. She greeted every lower member and servant by their name and treated them as equals. She would bring them gifts, little things like a flower garland she’d make herself out of wild clover or honeysuckle or cupcakes she would bake with the help of her governess.

“How are you feeling about last night? That she chose him to be her first and not us.”

I suck in a jagged breath and let it out slowly. Aoife loved all three of us, but her connection with Con was different. Deeper. But I get what he’s saying. For Syn, Con will always hold a unique space in her heart because he took her virginity.

“We need to tell her who she really is.”

Hendrix hits me with icy, glacial eyes. “Will you fucking get over that already? You know we can’t. At least not until we clean house.”

Such a simple euphemism for what we have planned.

We both look over when two men in dark suits walk by. Armed guards. The house and grounds will be teaming with them in an hour. Extra security since the highest-ranking members of the Society will be here.

“I don’t like this. Syn’s going to notice and ask questions.”

“I’m pretty sure she already has noticed.” Hendrix follows my line of sight. “Dad was more vague than usual last night when we spoke. Fuck. I forgot to tell you. He’s giving his vote to the Stepanoffs.”

The brief calm of serenity I was having watching Syn and Con together gets blown all to hell. I back him up until we’re hidden from view under the arbor.

“You better have a fucking good explanation why you didn’t tell me immediately last night.” I tighten a leash on my anger to counter the insurmountable urge to punch him.

He swipes my hand off his upper arm. “Because I knew you’d lose your shit, and there isn’t a damn thing we can do about it.”

“There you are,” a voice calls out from nearby.

I smooth out my features when Eva materializes on the courtyard. As soon as she steps off the stone patio and into the grass, her ridiculously high heels sink into the ground as she walks, making her canter like that of a newborn giraffe. Syn was smart when she took hers off to walk barefoot in the grass.

Eva hasn’t had the same amount of plastic surgery as my mother, but she’s just as fake. And hidden behind her expensive nose job, polished, glossy veneers, and diamonds is a woman just as ruthless and power-hungry as her husband.

Her oversized designer sunglasses hide half her face, making it hard to tell who she’s looking at.

“Your father would like to speak with you.”

Hendrix waves her off. “He can wait.”

“Not yours. Tristan’s.”

Knots twist in my gut. I hadn’t expected him for another hour.

“He’s here?”

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