Page 113 of Liberated By Sin

“Don’t fucking fall asleep on me. I can listen to you scream all day.” Helena pressed the bloodied edge of the sword to his throat. “What was that you said to me once?”

“F-fuck…you,” he grunted, eyes rolling in and out of his head.

She grinned wickedly. “No, that wasn’t it.” Helena’s sword sliced off his nose, and his wails filled the room like a fucking symphony. “That’s the one—where you squeal like a goddamn pig at slaughter.”

“My turn.”

Ronan only had a handful of breaths before he died of blood loss. As much as I wanted to take my time and watch him suffer until I’d had my fill, it was time to retrieve what I’d come for.

“You have something that belongs to me.” My hand gripped his neck again, and his weary eyes connected with mine. “Tell my bastard father I send my regards.”

The sound of my blade piercing through his rib cage was almostas sweet as the strained howls erupting from his mangled mouth. He violently spasmed as I reached inside for his heart until I felt it beating in my fist. There was a moment when his green eyes pulsed with horrified awareness before they drifted out of focus.

“For Athena,” I said, releasing him, the lifeless organ in hand.

“For myfather.”

Helena’s katana caught the collapsing body before it hit the floor, and Ronan’s severed head rolled between my feet.

Epilogue

Rio de Janeiro

Six Years Later

Forever Young – David Guetta, Alphaville, Ava Max

Warmgusts of wind rolled over the surrounding mountains, blowing my curls in every direction. I closed my eyes and relished the scent of the ocean below. It smelled like home.

It wasn’t my first time back in Brazil after meeting Santino and all the events that followed—changing my life for the better—but it was the first time we were here as a family.

All of us.

I swung my gaze to the infinity pool where Valentina and her partner-in-crime splashed around, pretending to be mermaids. Well, Remi preferred to be a shark most days. The four-year-old was the spitting image of her mother, but with eyes as blue as the ocean, just like Kai. A smile crested my lips as I watched my niece dance to the music from a nearby speaker, followed by an amused laugh when she tossed Maksim’s glasses over the pool’s edge. From the day she was born,that little girl had given her parents pure hell. And I loved watching my brother be the best father, be everything he never had.

He and Derek deserved every bit of happiness because, despite the cards life had dealt, my boys crawled out on the other side of darkness. We all had, in one way or another. We’d severed our ties to a world that had once demanded blood in exchange for our souls. And maybe we didn’t get to come back from the things we’d done, and one day, we’d have to atone for our past, but for now, we couldn’t ask for anything more. The world kept spinning, brighter, happier, and we’d enjoy the ride until it was over.

Little hands tugged on my skirt. I glanced down, and another set of baby blues stared back. “Giovanni, up from your nap already?”

The one-year-old had been asleep on a cot under the cabana. I lifted him into my arms and kissed his button nose. Baby Gio was the perfect blend of Kai and Amalia, and his broad, gummy smile resembled his late uncle’s.

“Where is your mom?”

He giggled at the mention of his favorite person and instinctively searched for her, his gaze landing on his cousin and sister in the water.

“Don’t worry,” I assured him, placing a hand on my belly, “In about three months, you’ll have your own best friend.”

His giggles were contagious, and I tickled him some more.

“I don’t know what’s more beautiful, you pregnant with my child or the vision of you holding a baby.”

The years gone by didn’t matter. Santino’s words always made my heart flutter. I grinned, wetting my lips in anticipation as he approached.

“Are you on baby duty,preziosa?”

I nuzzled Gio’s soft black curls. “I am, but I don’t mind it one bit. This little guy is the sweetest kid in the world. He makes me so anxious to hold our little boy already.”

Santino laughed. “And what if he’s a hellion?”

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