Sins of Chaos : The Sin-Eater/Part Two by scongrove |
Previously ... When two, human homicide Detectives, Manuel Sanchez and Frank Perkins, question Zeke Rizzo—who is a Breedline, born with the curse of a sin-eater, and owner of the Cat Club—about a woman they’d found brutally murdered near his bar, one of Zeke’s bouncers recognizes the victim after Detective Perkins shares her photo from social media. He also confirms the victim left the bar around midnight with a guy that oddly resembled the famous actor, Jason Momoa. Before the detectives leave, Zeke gives them a copy of the bar’s video surveillance, hoping it would help with their investigation. **** After Anna—Sebastian’s sister that had been forced to live in a women’s monastery most of her life—finds out her adopted brother is in a coma, she introduces herself to his physician, Dr. Helen Carrington. Feeling sympathy for Anna, Helen contacts the Breedline Covenant to set up arrangements for her to meet Sebastian’s beloved Eve and their twin boys. Continued ... As Zeke watched the detectives exit the club, his hands went clammy, and a cold sweat bloomed on his forehead. He frowned as he sensed a presence looming from behind. It was almost paralyzing. “You’re a sin-eater,” said a sultry voice with the S lingering. Zeke quickly wheeled around and froze. A female he’d seen in the VIP section earlier, attached to the arm of an older gentleman who’d obviously had a fat wallet, stood before him. He’d never forget this particular female, especially after she’d opened her legs and flashed him her most valuable goods. Zeke wasn’t the type to pay for sex. He stared at her for a moment, his instincts warning him. Zeke’s body screamed for him to run, get away, save himself. Jesus, he thought. It was time to get the hell out of here. Instead of listening to his gut feeling, he narrowed his eyes and said, “Excuse me. What did you say?” As the silence stretched out, she stared at him with a cold smile. There was a moment between them as their eyes clung to each other. Then, she looked him up and down. “I know what you are,” she whispered. “I can smell your kind a mile away.” The temperature in the air between them dropped. “Who and what are you?” Zeke asked. She smirked and took a few steps closer. “My name is Callisto,” she said, cocking a brow. “And I’m every man’s dream.” While Zeke stood face-to-face with her, he sensed her emotions without as much as touching her with his pinky. The color red was the only thing he saw in her mind. The color of blood. Callisto was hungry for it ... starving. “Spend the night with me,” she murmured. Her sultry voice blended those words into one another, and a powerful feeling of ecstasy went through Zeke, tingling down into the fly of his pants. “I’m sorry,” he said, ignoring the intense sensation. “You’re not my type.” As he turned to leave, she caught his arm. The instant her hand came in contact with him, he connected with her mind. What he saw threw him off guard. A heavy tide of exhaustion crashed over Zeke when a vision of Callisto’s past came to him. The image was so vivid he could almost feel the swill of her agony. Callisto awoke in the darkness with silver manacles clamped around her limbs, confining her inside a sarcophagus. The claustrophobic dimensions both appalled and angered her. It was bad enough that her father had condemned her to eternal imprisonment to starve, but in so small a space as well? The cruelty of it brought tears to her eyes. In spite of all the bad things she’d done, death would have been more merciful. Her eyes burned with pain as she screamed for what seemed hours until there were no more tears to cry. Finally, she let herself go limp, desperate to telepathically connect with her siblings, Electra and Apollyon. But all she could sense was an empty void filled with utter silence, and found there was no freedom to be had. Breaking free from her hold, Zeke almost fell to his knees. The remnants of her pain lingered in his body, making him weak. But more than that, seeing Callisto screaming inside that tomb nearly had done some kind of internal damage to his subconscious. Closing his eyes, he rubbed at his temples. The horror of her experience left him unhinged. Callisto’s eyes widened. “What did you see ... sin-eater?” His body jerked at the sound of her voice, and his eyes opened. As he focused on her, his expression softened. “I saw you then ... trapped ... suffering.” His voice was weak, a tiny echo of the baritone it normally was. “But now ... you’re free. How?” Stunned by his revelation and not knowing what else to do, Callisto placed her hand to her throat. Without warning, a dark figure came into Zeke’s view. The man before him was definitely not human. He oddly resembled the guy Sam Malone described to the detectives: tall, long dark hair, and dressed in a lot of leather. The guy looked like a vampire and an assassin rolled into one big package. And then his stern voice startled Callisto when he called out her name. When she looked over her shoulder, Apollyon came between her and Zeke. “Stop playing games, Callisto.” His voice took on a threatening edge as he grabbed her arm. And then he shot Zeke a look. The horror of his stare was a visible indication he was pissed. “You seem anxious, sin-eater,” Apollyon said, flashing him a predatory smile. Zeke was too dumbfounded to form a coherent response as he looked up at the guy that towered above him. He stepped nervously back and muttered, “What is it you want?” In the awkward silence, Apollyon’s expression turned stone-cold. He shifted his gaze toward Callisto and gritted his teeth. Two armed bouncers stood close by, watching Zeke and Apollyon warily. Callisto pursed her lips as Apollyon exchanged a look with her, telling her without words to keep her mouth shut. Refocusing his eyes on Zeke, he finally said, “I’m here for my sister.” Zeke noticed the signet ring on the guy’s finger. It was the shape of a trefoil knot, identical to the pendant Callisto wore around her neck. As Apollyon leaned down, he got face-to-face with Zeke, his face stern and unwavering. “Bide my warning, sin-eater,” he said, scowling, “do not speak of what you have seen inside my sister’s head.” Zeke had no ready response. He shifted uneasily on his feet, wrestling with the right words to say. And then he merely said, “I don’t want to see you in my bar again.” Apollyon leered at Zeke, his eyes smoldering. And then there was the strangest scent in the air, something seductive and sensual. As Apollyon breathed in the heady fragrance, he felt the tension in his shoulders ease. The wonderful smell drifted closer when a tall blonde moved next to Zeke. Apollyon was stunned. The scent of her skin hit him hard like a punch to the gut. She was the hottest thing he’d ever gotten anywhere near. And his body knew it as clearly as his mind did. Mine. Yelena craned her neck to look up at his face. On impulse, she bared her fangs and let out a hiss. “Easy,” Zeke said, holding out his arms, shielding Yelena. “I think it’s time for you and your sister to leave.” He frowned, hovering above Zeke in silent menace. Without another word, Apollyon tugged at Callisto as he turned and retreated toward the exit, taking her with him. Shit, Zeke thought as he reached into his pocket for Detective Sanchez’s card. **** “Can we come in?” Helen asked, peering through the kitchen door. Jace glanced over his shoulder with a panicked look, and then back to his brother and finally letting his gaze flicker warily over Helen. “Please,” Tim called out. “Come on in, Helen. We just sat down for breakfast. Would you care to join us?” As Helen pushed through the door, Anna followed in close behind. The very first thing she saw were two little boys—obviously twins—sitting in highchairs. They had the fairest complexion and thick, wavy dark hair. Their mouth was smeared with syrup and their hands sticky as they ate pancakes. When they looked up, their eyes sparkled with a golden hue. It was then that Anna realized how much they resembled Sebastian, remembering him at that age. Her face softened and her eyes watered. She desperately wanted to hold them. It took Anna every bit of her control to keep her expression impassive and not to let free the full force of her reaction. “I’d like to introduce Sebastian’s sister, Anna Saeni,” Helen said as she and Tim exchanged quick, worried glances. Tim rose from his chair and cleared his throat. “It’s nice to meet you, Anna,” he said, extending his hand out to her. “We’re glad to have you as our guest.” Anna’s eyes became shuttered, the bright green flecks dimming as her expression became indecipherable. She accepted his hand and said, “I hope I’m not imposing.” “Absolutely not,” Tim replied. “As I was saying, would you like to join us for breakfast? We made pancakes.” “I would love to,” Anna said quietly. Tim introduced Anna to everyone at the table except for Abbey. She decided to take a shower before breakfast. “You’ll meet Abbey shortly,” Tim told Anna. “I’ll introduce you to Eve later. She left early this morning to visit Sebastian in the hospital.” And then he looked pointedly at the dark-haired little boys. “That’s Sebastian and Eve’s twins, Arius and Tidus. Your nephews,” he added. Anna’s eyes widened, but pleasure shone in them as she stared at the boys. “They’re beautiful,” Anna murmured. “They look exactly like my brother when he was just a little babe.” Jace turned his gaze to Anna, who’d remained silent, clearly gauging her reaction. When Anna turned in his direction, he looked away but not before she saw the expression in his eyes. He appeared uneasy in her presence. Tim was silent for a moment after what Anna had said. It made his heart ache to remember what Helen had told him in private earlier. When Anna was fourteen, she witnessed her mother’s horrific death. And Sebastian had been present as well. His biological mother had murdered Anna’s mother in a jealous rage. Focusing back to the present, Tim placed his hand on Anna’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Please, have a seat. I’ll get two extra plates.” Tim shuffled over to the kitchen counter and dug out more plates and silverware. “Helen ... Anna, would you like some coffee?” “Yes, thank you,” Helen said. Anna shook her head. “I’m fine, thank you.” Angel held up a glass and a plastic container. “Anna, would you care to have orange juice instead?” “Oh, yes,” Anna replied and reached for the glass and the container of juice. “Thank you.” Angel smiled. “You’re welcome.” Remembering that Helen liked sugar, Tim spooned some into her coffee and gave it a quick stir. Balancing the plates and silverware between his arm and chest, he picked up the mug and headed back to the table. Anna surveyed the occupants around the table with avid curiosity. She sat between Helen and Tim, her face alight with joy and relief. Across the table, Tessa leaned over to help Jace cut pancakes into small squares for their twin boys. The toddlers beamed with delight when their parents finished cutting their food and began stuffing bites into their mouth. On the far end of the table, sitting in a highchair, a beautiful little girl with curly hair dug into her plate with gusto after Angel poured syrup on her pancake. A black cat sat on the floor grooming itself just below her highchair as if he belonged to the little girl. “Yummy,” Natalie mumbled with her mouth full. Anna sat back, eating but mostly watching and enjoying the sight of everyone enjoying a meal together. This was truly a loving family. A solid, unbreakable family unit, one she wished she was a part of. “Would you like to hold them?” Mia asked Anna, noticing the desperation in her eyes as she gazed back and forth at Arius and Tidus. Anna’s expression lit up. She opened her mouth to speak but seemed lost for words. And then she placed her hand over her heart and said, “Oh ... I would love to.” After Mia cleaned off Arius’s sticky hands and face with a towelette, she wiped down Tidus next. When she lifted Arius from the highchair, she held him up as Anna reached for him. “Hello, Arius,” Anna said as she hugged the toddler to her. “I’m your Auntie Anna.” Arius looked up at Anna and chortled in glee. “You’re such a happy little boy, aren’t you,” Anna murmured as she buried her face in all that sweet-smelling baby skin and hair. “You remind me of your daddy.” “Da-da,” Arius mumbled, reaching up with both hands. He patted her cheeks and let out a squeal of delight that Anna felt all the way down to her toes. Anna smiled at Arius as tears streamed down her cheeks. When Mia came over with Tidus, they exchanged toddlers. With the toddler in her arms, emotion welled and expanded in Anna’s chest. “You’re such a beautiful little boy,” Anna praised, kissing his forehead. Tidus stared up at Anna from underneath his long lashes, gazing at her with curiosity. He seemed fascinated by her thick curly hair, and then to her surprise, he reached up to touch a long strand. Anna smiled, warmth entering her eyes as he cracked a little smile revealing the dimples on his cheeks, and cuddled against her chest. It was such an endearing feeling to hold her brother’s child in her arms. Anna was struck by the rightness of it all. Now, all her prayers would be answered if only Sebastian would wake up. To be continued...
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