Hael’s P.O.V.An hour had passed since I said goodbye to my father.Violet sat curled up on the sofa at my newly acquired house, wrapped in my arms where I knew she’d always be safe. A comfortable silence settled over us both. The kind of silence where words were no longer needed.As she stared into the flames licking up the brick walls of the fireplace, I thought about her earlier words, and the estate I had once called my home.The memories ran deep here, flowing through my veins like a poison designed to kill. Tonight I had taken the first step towards ridding myself of it, and I couldn’t help but wonder if demolishing this house would be the cure I needed.Amusement warmed my chest as I thought of all the things Violet might do should she have her own home to decorate and design. We’d have a state-of-the-art kitchen, packed with everything she could ever want or need.I’d listen from the shadows while she baked, humming to herself as she always did. While the cookies and cakes sat
Hael’s P.O.V.The corpse was dropped off at the local hospital around five in the morning. We grabbed a few coffees from the café Violet assaulted that fucker in and raced to the morgue. It was surreal, knowing the man with the pasty skin and glossy eyes had been Evelyn’s stalker.All of it felt a bit anti-climactic, but if this was what would bring Violet and her mother peace, then so be it. Still, doubts continued to plague my mind, refusing to be banished.Cole’s house was eerily silent, as it usually was. His father spent most of his time at the office, likely bending his secretary over the desk. The only time the man deigned to come home was when Arianna stirred up chaos.We walked into the kitchen to find Cole perched at the counter, eating a bowl of cereal. The box, with a cartoon vampire on its surface, sat off to the side. Violet paused; her eyes fixated on the milk dribbling from his lip. I swallowed a chuckle, reading between the lines of her exasperated grimace.“Cole, tha
Violet’s P.O.V.Days passed since Arianna, Cole’s twin sister, confirmed the worst.Lorenzo’s father was not Dominic, and that indescribable peace I’d been feeling had slipped through my fingers like freshly melted snow.Whoever claimed that time heals all, clearly wasn’t talking about fear, because I was as terrified as ever. To make matters worse, hours after speaking with Arianna we arrived back at Sylvia’s estate to find a letter resting on the pillow atop my bed.The red envelope was identical to the stack my mother had received over the years. Inside was a note—a note with two words that made my blood run cold.‘Always mine.’ It could’ve been there minutes, hours, or even days.After that, Hael gifted me a replacement necklace. The one that led him to the abandoned mall had been destroyed when I shifted. This one was of the same design, a padlock with the words my heart engraved in the metal. The only difference was that it was on a chord and not a chain. While it could be cut
Violet’s P.O.V.Dad stared Hael down for several seconds, grunting when he didn’t balk. “I’ll need a day or two to get my affairs in order and to gather a team of men. I hope you understand my need for added safety considering your father has hunted me relentlessly for many years.”“Any men you bring will be treated as honored guests.”Silence ensued, the seconds ticking away in the stagnant air. Dad cleared his throat, a sudden softness filling his eyes. “I look forward to meeting the man that’s stolen my daughter’s heart. Let’s hope you are worthy of it.”While I had the chance, I asked my Dad what he knew about that night. The night everything had gone to hell. I still had no inkling as to where the twins were or if they’d died in that house. The moment the words slid past my lips; I regretted them.Shadows fell over Dad’s face in a heavy shroud.“I’ll never forget that night for as long as I live. I’d been waiting for your Mom to call me for our monthly check in, but she never did
Violet’s P.O.V.What Holden had done those weeks ago was a mistake. I knew that, but I wasn’t going to make excuses for his behavior. He could’ve controlled himself, but he chose not to. I didn’t owe him forgiveness or even a drop of my time. I didn’t owe him anything.My confidence wavered slightly as we pulled up to the three-story colonial house. Olive’s flashy sports car sat out front, soaking up the afternoon sun.I quickly texted Olive letting her know I was here and settled into the seat as I waited. The minutes ticked by without a response or glimpse of Olive through the massive arched windows.This wasn’t the first time she’d gotten absorbed into her schoolwork. In fact, it was a common occurrence with her. As time continued to pass, I began thinking about what a coward I must look like avoiding Holden like the plague.Steeling my nerves, I pocketed my phone and told the driver I’d be hitching a ride with Olive.My fist didn’t so much as tremble as I knocked on the front door
Violet’s P.O.V.Slowly, he turned. Nothing could’ve prepared me for what I saw. It was like a mask had been lifted, and though nothing about his face had changed, I now saw the truth written across his features, shimmering in the oceanic pools of his eyes.Holden was Noah.Carefully he asked, “How do you know that name?”The betrayal was a punch to the gut. Even breathless and heaving I knew that there was no way out. He stood in the foyer, blocking me from racing to the front door. The walls began to shrink, closing in on me.His lips twitched.I was trapped and he knew it. My hands began to shake. “It’s you. It’s always been you. I don’t…I don’t understand. How is this happening?”I needed to distract him so I could run. There was no way I could stay here, not when he was just as bad as his sister. If I could get my phone out, I could send Hael a message.I held out the photograph in my hand, the one taken of us when we were children. His head fell into a tilt as he homed in on it.
Violet’s P.O.V.Three things happened simultaneously.I was beginning to shift when Noah swung, and as his hand smashed into my cheek, I was thrown backwards. Four feet hit the ground instead of two, and while every instinct in my body roared at me to tear his throat out, I didn’t.Now that his identity was revealed, Hael would hunt him to the ends of the earth. All that mattered was that I get out of here, as far away from him as possible.Since Noah was blocking the only doorway, I had one other choice for escape.The muscles in my large body coiled as I pounced. Pushing off the desk and Mr. Cartier’s corpse, I sailed through the massive window in an explosion of fur and blood-stained glass. My paws hit the ground and I took off, veering towards the forest that stood to the left of the house.Noah’s furious screams followed me the entire way.I dashed around the army of trees, narrowly avoiding their trucks as fear increased my speed tenfold. Startled shouts rang out as I broke thro
Violet’s P.O.V.Delaney—I mean Alice, raised her eyebrows. Her lips tipped up in joyful surprise.“Naughty, naughty Violet. Why didn’t you tell us you got your memories back?” she sang, “So, how’d you do it?”A layer of ice encased my beating heart. It smothered the fear, the unending terror that I was likely on my way to meeting Dominic and left me only with the sharp sting of betrayal. Was there anyone I could trust? Delaney had been my friend, one of the first people at Darkling to actually show me kindness.…and it had all been a lie.“Why the fuck would I tell you that?” I snarled coldly.All of the people I’d met since moving here flashed through my head. I knew I could trust Hael. He’d proven that more than once, and I felt the rightness of it deep in my soul, but what about everyone else? What about Olive, or Sylvia?Even Beta Macon and Carmen, Sylvia’s assistant, had their own ulterior motives.Maybe Hael truly was the only one I could trust. Alice whistled. “Oh, touchy. I w