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"Are you sure you wish to wear this, Hellen dear?"

"I am"

"It&039;s sounattractive"

The deep concern in her sister&039;s voice made Hellen smile Poor Levia She was truly desperate to make this a romantic event Both Levia and Polly knew their sister didn&039;t love Cruen, but in the De&039;s household, love had never been a consideration for aunion Granted, they didn&039;t know the particulars of why she&039;d agreed to mate with Cruen-and they never needed to-but they believed her satisfied with thethe buttons of the oversized green gown she&039;d found achoices"

She&039;d hten the mood, but Levia didn&039;t look ahtly embarrassed by her sister&039;s words

"You are not unappealing, Hellen"

Hellen bit her lip to keep fro "Thank you, Levia"

"But the dress does not help hed "I loved Mother, but her sense of style was nearly as singular as yours" She frowned "Not to ht and width"

All true, Hellen irls had placed in her room earlier Neither she nor her mother had cared all that much about appearance They&039;d had far deeper, far ue theed and hidden from Abbadon&039;s keen senses

Polly burst into her roo theht you could hold this"

"Why?" Hellen asked

"I&039;ve heard that in round, the females carry flowers" Her eyes flashed with ro now, but perhaps they will close up as you walk toward Cruen"

It was in that moment, the innocent ret-laced panic She had just finished off a third vial of draft a few o, and her insides were decently cold and her skin held a cal the draft&039;s call for oblivion I demon male continued to rise to the surface, and now they were te her to run

"Do you knohat you will say?" Polly asked, placing the flowers on Hellen&039;s bed "Do you know your promises?"

"Yes," Hellen nearly whispered To take oneforth the first child of Earth and Hell

And perhaps the ht as she secured the last button on herhands Protect your sisters frole punctuated the air "Do you think the de?" Levia asked

Hellen froze, her back to her sisters She wouldn&039;t have theh her veins, they would be able to see the misery in her eyes as they spoke of Erion

"What demon?" Polly asked

"The one who came into the Underworld with Hellen and me"

"I have not seen this male"

"He is quite fierce Isn&039;t he, Hellen?" She didn&039;t even wait a beat before continuing "He is Ladd&039;s father"

Polly gasped, and Hellen could practically see her clutching her skirts and hurrying over to her sister for more information The rustle of silk confirmed it

"If Ladd&039;s father is here, why doesn&039;t Abbadon hand over the boy? Let hi him"

"For what?"

Levia paused "He is the one who abducted Hellen froue "Well, perhaps he deserves punishment But the boy is innocent I do not like Father&039;s choices in punish, it seems"

Hellen&039;s heart squeezed with that truth Ladd must be freed and safe-Erion too-and she would see to it No s could be different

"He will release thehtly, as if she fully believed it-as if she believed her father merciful "And when he does, perhaps he will allow me to mate with the "

Hellen&039;s lip curled a fraction, but she caught herself and forced her face to relax

"The other part of him is vaust

Levia giggled "Yes, think of it Fangs"

"I do not wish to think of it," Polly said indignantly "I would never find a va bitten Not if theit looks like the derowl echo throughout the rooht be at the door, and her insides battled against the cold draft that fought to repress any and all flashes of heat and excite of embarrassment, she realized the predatory, possessive sound had come from her own throat

Behind her, her sisters had fallen silent They&039;d heard her too and aiting for an explanation Hellen closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, forcing back the deed as her sisters had spoken of Erion When she finally turned and faced the two curious females, her mask of impassivity was firmly in place

"I think I&039;etic smile "I&039;d like a moment alone, if you don&039;t rabbed her sister&039;s hand "Of course We&039;ll meet you at the entrance to the theater Father wants us to present you to Cruen"

The De is a true master manipulator Isn&039;t he? she one, Hellen went to stand in front of the ht, of course The dress was hideous and three sizes too big, but, truly, what did it e on the first trip to -had been destroyed Much like her hope for a future that didn&039;t involve thinking about the true ned surprise at her body&039;s inability to produce an heir

She grabbed the hair band that kept her curls contained on top of her head and yanked it out The startling red locks spilled down her shoulders, over her breasts Despite her hair, she was no beauty Her eyes were too large and set too far apart, and her nose was too long Her ly built, with a top lip that was fuller than the bottom She didn&039;t understand how Erion saw her as beautiful when no one else did, including herself Perhaps he wasn&039;t being sincere, or perhaps he was blind She s hi shift and change in the one in an instant, much like her smile But she was certain she&039;d seen a rosy-cheeked nyreen eyes

She sed andthe s when he calls me beautiful? And if so, have I truly spent a lifeti else in thethat made every wisp of happiness and hope bleed from her expression The ti her child&039;s bedroom behind, Hellen walked out the door As she traversed the dark corridors like a mole, she recalled the last ti his frustration, his desire Kissing her She instantly felt the pressure of heat atteet into her cold veins,

Would Erion ever leave her thoughts? Would she have to take double the amount of draft every day to keep the effects of his touch, his taste, his hands on her flesh froth of the damp stone wall as she moved down the tunnel toward her destiny She&039;d never thought she&039;d meet someone like him Someone who saw her, truly saw her, and wanted her anyway

If she had

Da there What was done was done, and she would clai she had in her Her sisters would be saved, so would Ladd, so would Erion-and her father&039;s black soul and nonexistent heart wouldn&039;t stretch any further into the future, but end with her generation

Her thoughts had carried her not just away in her ive herself to Cruen, was in the north section of the compound Where she stood noas decidedly east and housed the slance around to h the door and went straight up to the glass

The balas, Ladd, was playing with two puppies her sisters hadwildly as they licked his face and tried to seize his toys Hellen couldn&039;t help but smile at her sisters&039;hi him feel welco to scent him, then shook her head at her stupidity

Erion&039;s child

He was so beautiful, his features striking like his father&039;s No doubt he would grow like Erion too, tall and broad, fierce and loving

The last thought made her stolance up When he caught sight of her, his wild, playful expression turned sweet and knowing Hellen didn&039;t understand this strange connection he seee inside her to break down the glass and steal him away and hold him in her arms But his life, her sisters&039;, Erion&039;s too-they all depended on her walking out of this room, out of Ladd&039;s life and his father&039;s, forever