Dark Need (House of Sin 3)

What job do I have left if all of them are gone?

“What about the House?” I ask.

He takes in a deep breath again and sinks deeper into the chair, staring woefully at the fire. “I’m done. It’s broken me.”

I go to one knee in front of him and grab his arm. “Eli. Do not do this.”

He throws me a look. “This is the only way to fix it. I need her. More than I need this House.”

“Was this her decision?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “It’s mine and mine alone.” His eyes bore into the book for a while. “I must honor what’s left of it. I will pay for my sins after they are gone. I will …”

Commit to the final rule.

I know what he’s thinking.

And I know he can’t say it out loud.

Releasing all the sinners comes with a price, and he seems more than willing to pay.

All because of that one woman.

And I’m honestly impressed she managed to break through his ice-cold heart.

Is that what it means to love?

A twinge in my stomach makes me clutch my own chest, and I get up from the floor again. There is no way back from this. He’s already decided this is going to be his fate. And it is my job to see his will through to the end, even if it means abandoning my only job here at the House.

“You do what you must,” I say. “And I will do the same.”

Chapter 4

Soren

Present

After an hour of walking, I’ve finally decided to put April down on the ground again. It’s not that I’m tired or have achy muscles because I could go on for days without feeling her tiny bit of weight. No, it’s because I want to give her a chance to be a good little Kitten.

To comply and not be a sinner.

That’s the greatest gift there is.

Even if Eli said she didn’t come to us voluntarily as the others did, she must have committed a sin. Why else would she be there in the first place?

No, no amount of begging and pleading from her will work on me.

It never has.

And I think she knows this too, considering she’s trailing me like an obedient puppy dog. Besides, it’s not like going anywhere will do her any good in this pitch-black darkness.

“Can you please just tell me where we’re going?” she asks, her voice softer this time as though she’s trying not to anger me again.

Replying is futile. I’ve already told her twice I’m not going to, and I don’t know why she keeps asking. The answer won’t change.

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” she says.

I still don’t say a word. I made a promise to Eli, and I’m going to honor his request.

But I never realized walking alone in the woods with a girl like her would be such an undertaking.

“Can we at least take a break?” she asks.

“Again?” I growl at her over my shoulder, unable to stop myself from blurting it out.

“What do you mean again?” she scoffs. “We’ve been going for hours on end!”

“I have,” I rebuke. “Not you.”

Her cheeks flush, and they become all puffy as though she’s keeping her emotions tucked inside when she’s about ready to burst.

“Fine, you walked around for hours on end … with me on your shoulder,” she retorts, a little too snarky for my liking. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“Keep whining, and I might put you back up there,” I bark.

Our eyes connect, and she visibly gulps, holding down whatever it is she wanted to say.

She sucks in a breath and continues following me through the thick woods until we finally get to where I wanted us to arrive: the harbor.

April

When we pass the trees and my eyes land on a body of water, I freeze.

The sea?

Are my eyes betraying me?

Pearly sand lines the shores, so there’s definitely a beach.

And my nostrils definitely suck in the smell of salt water.

Oh my God … I’ve been on an island all this time.

How did I not know this?

Then again, how could I have, being confined to a small room in that giant house of theirs?

I walk closer until I’m no longer surrounded by trees, and my feet sink into the sand. It’s definitely real, all right.

I bend over and touch the sand, letting it run through my fingers. I’ve been stuck going from one prison to the next for so long that I’ve missed the simple things.

“Come,” Soren snaps.

He doesn’t even wait a second before marching over to a jet ski bobbing in a small harbor that barely fits three boats. He throws his supplies in the small compartment underneath the seat. Then he glares at me, and I suddenly feel caught in the act of looking. The look in his eyes is so volatile that I don’t know if I should stay put, go to him, or run away as fast as I can.