Hael’s P.O.V.“How nice of him. I always did love impossible missions.” Cole griped, and for good reason.He wasn’t at all wrong, which is why I didn’t bother looking his way. It didn’t matter that he and Mykelle were mates, Imani Vanderbilt would never give out information for free.She and her daughter were both conniving snakes.“There has to be a way.” Olive said, her words directed to Violet whose lips were now curled into a frown. Her shoulders had fallen in defeat, and it was that defeat that made me even more adamant to get answers.Imani Vanderbilt would make a deal with me, I was sure of it. The best way to get the ball rolling, however, was by going to her daughter.Mykelle. I excused myself and headed downstairs to the foyer where Mykelle waited. From the balcony, I could see the cellphone she had pressed to her ear and could hear the quickness in which she spoke.It was amusing how quickly she’d replaced the one I destroyed, but it was also expected.She spun around as I

Hael’s P.O.V.Violet jumped a solid foot off the step when she heard me coming down behind her. Her trembling hand slid down the wall, all the way to the light switch which she quickly flicked on. I noticed the huff of breath that escaped her lips when the room was bathed in light, every corner of this hellscape visible.One glance at the rough brick walls had my body reacting in ways I would’ve thought impossible if I hadn’t seen Violet stuck in one of her black out’s. A cold sweat clung to my skin and seemed to appear out of nowhere. I took a slow breath, but instead of calming me, it made things worse.The scent was the same—a mixture of fresh paint, dirt, and stone. All it was missing was the sharp tang of piss and metallic undertone of blood. That and pain—so much pain.Violet’s lips were moving, letting me know that she was speaking. At first, I was too absorbed in the violent mixture that was the present and past to focus on her words. Slowly, they trickled through.“As much as

Violet’s P.O.V.Resigned that I’d have no choice but to tell the truth, I held back a sigh and kept my head up.“Yeah, I did.”She made a sound that was a mixture of approval and interest. “What happened? Oh, and don’t bother cutting corners or sugar-coating things. I want the truth, and if you don’t give it to me, I have other ways of finding it.”The weight of her scrutinizing gaze threatened to pull the words free, and I was far too fed up to fight it’s pull.She wanted to know the truth? Fine.“Hael and I broke things off, and now Mykelle is determined to give me hell.”I had to hand it to Sylvia. The woman had a strange sort intuition that never failed to steer her in the right direction. She didn’t look the least bit surprised as she strolled over to one of her many filing cabinets and began looking through them, running her manicured fingers along each tab.“My sources tell me it was Kota O’Hare that started this particular scuffle, yet you claim it’s Mykelle that’s caused this

Violet’s P.O.V.Like I had the other two nights, I padded downstairs and fumbled with the lock on the front door until I was absolutely certain no one was going to break in.When I slumped back in bed around four in the morning, I burrowed under the covers and tried to will my limbs to stop trembling. This was the first time I didn’t immediately pass out after checking the locks, something I was grateful for. If I’d fallen asleep, I would’ve missed what happened next.I didn’t hear my bedroom door open, but I did catch Hael’s scent as he entered the room. His breathing was so soft that if I’d been any closer to falling asleep, I wouldn’t have noticed it.Considering the fact that I was already exhausted, it wasn’t hard to close my eyes and slow my breathing.Fingers grazed my cheek with the whisper of a caress, gliding along my lips before delving to the slope of my jaw. If it hadn’t been for Hael’s steady breathing, I would’ve never known he’d been inching closer and closer.If he wa

Violet’s P.O.V.Her hair was a waterfall of ebony that trickled down her narrow shoulders to her tapered waist. A slender jaw, high cheekbones, and deep-set eyes of the warmest brown I’d ever seen made up her face. Everything about her was flawless, from the maroon cocktail dress she wore, to the golden tan that radiated off her skin.She spared me a quick glance through her long lashes, but her attention was solely reserved for my best-friend.“Olive Chen, we finally meet. I am unsurprised Katherine managed to weasel her way out of this meeting, but the result is not terrible.” Cortana Santino had a heavy Italian accent that made each word sound like a melody as it slid past her plump and perfectly heart-shaped lips. She gestured to the other side of the couch and ushered a one worded command that left no room for argument. “Sit.”Killer slinked off to the shadows, leaning against the far wall where a mountain of a man stood. The creep’s eyes crawled over my skin like the furry legs