by V. F. Mason
“Yes, it was just a bet.”
“A tricky bet, Mamá!”
She ignores all the whines. “Who pushed the statue?” She always asks the same question in different variations.
They exchange looks, and I grin when they reply in the same manner they always do. “We all did.”
My quadruplets are so tight, always protecting each other and never allowing anyone to come between them.
My four riders who brought love, peace, and happiness to my dark life, brightening up this world of mine in a way I never anticipated.
“Well then help clean it up.” They nod and then gasp in outrage when she adds, “No one will play with Leo this week either.”
Despite his old age, my lion still stays at our place once a month, enjoying having me around, although he moves slower now and has no teeth, so the kids interact easily around him, with me present at all times. The kids love running around him or sitting by him while they’re reading or playing. I sometimes think they just consider him a domestic cat.
My brows furrow when I remember Arson’s latest gift to them, a fucking talking parrot who won’t shut up.
He knew I wouldn't be able to get rid of him once the kids saw it, so he went behind my back.
“Mom!”
“It’s unfair!”
“Leo will miss us!”
“It’s cruel. Think about the kitty!”
Briseis raises her splayed hand. They shut their mouths, and she points at the mess again. “Get to work.”
Carina and Amai run to me, wrapping themselves around my hips, and tilt their heads back. “Daddy? Could you please bring Leo next week and not tomorrow? So we can play with him in the garden,” Carina asks.
“He will be upset if we ignore him. He’s old! He won’t understand,” Amai pitches in.
Barely holding back a laugh, my sneaky hellions sure know how to manipulate any punishment in their favor, I pat their heads. “We will see.” Then I turn them around by their shoulders and push them forward to their brothers who have already grabbed brooms. “Clean up the mess, muchachas.”
Huffing and puffing, they start sweeping the small pieces.
I catch Briseis by the waist, pulling her back to me. Her eyes glisten, and I know she’s barely holding onto her own laughter, although she’s acting stern with the kids. “We will see? Sucker.” She slaps my bicep. “Why are you smiling, Santiago? It’s not funny.”
“I’m proud. Besides, they shouldn't have been here, and you know it. They can never sit their asses down, even during family gatherings, let alone here.”
“Proud?”
“Yeah, I raised no snitches, and that’s a parenting win.”
And I foresee myself saying this phrase a lot in the future, but who gives a fuck?
As long as my hellions are happy and know how to respect the people around them, I consider our job well done.
She laughs and tugs on my tie, bringing me closer, giving me a kiss, and whispering against my mouth, “I love you.”
Everything inside me still freezes whenever she says those words to me, words I thought I’d never say to someone or experience the overwhelming emotions shaking my system.
Love was a lost dream to the boy in a cage.
“I love you too.” I might not give those words often, but I mean them every single time.
“It’s family hug time!” Javier yells, and four small bodies slam into us, covering us from all sides while they giggle around us.
I always thought happily ever afters didn't exist for the villains in this world.
Our hearts have seen so much darkness and have been broken so many times, and believing something else might fill it up was impossible.
Until she came into my life and gave me everything.
My princess who accepted the villain and saw beneath his monstrous attire, instead of changing me into the prince I’d never be.
We all have our destiny.
All the pain, agony, and heartbreak in mine led me to this moment, where I hold my entire world in my arms, knowing happiness despite the darkness that will always possess me, because I won’t ever give up what I do.
My destiny has been cruel, but she was also kind to me.
She gave me a chance to not die in the darkness.
I survived, so life granted me the most valuable gift.
Her.
My Briseis.
And I will cherish her and our family till the day I die.
The End
Turn the page to read an excerpt from Callum’s Hell.
Callum’s Hell Excerpt
Giselle
Fisting the skirt of my red ballroom dress, I run toward the garden, my bare feet barely making a sound in the perfectly cut grass that scratches against my skin.
My brown locks cascade down my spine and blow back from the wind as the veil coronet made of orchids and roses entwined together slides a little, tugging on my hair.
A mark that forever stains me.
I hear him call out behind me, a deep and husky voice that haunts me in my dreams and catches me in my nightmares.
Stifling the groan of pain, I speed up, ignoring the protesting screams from every bone in my body.
Stopping means losing, and losing means dying; those are the rules in his twisted game we’ve been playing for so long I’ve lost count of time.
I pass by various bushes, trees, and lush flowers with scents that surround and slip into my nose, reminding me that my love for them became my ultimate downfall.
It’s a shame something so beautiful is smeared in dirt that no one will be able to clean.
I gaze ahead and finally see the gates, wide open and waiting for me just to fly through them to my freedom. Like the gates of Hades that hide the monster living in the underworld.
Those who stay here burn in the fire of his creation.
My breathing heaves. Drawing on all my self-control, I continue to run, even when he shouts louder behind me, “Giselle.” There is a note lacing his voice that I don’t recognize, yet it sends a shiver down my spine, reminding me that no one goes against his will and lives.
But any freedom, even in death, is better than the prison he has created on earth for me.
A slight smile curves my lips when I reach the concrete, my feet slapping against it while the heat in it burns my skin, but I don’t care.
Not when I’m so close to escaping this hell.
The monster lives in the castle of his own creation after all; he won’t be able to follow me.
My hand is extended, ready to touch the gate, when a gunshot echoes in the night sending the birds flying up in chaos, squawking loudly as they are snapped from their calm.
The air hitches inside my throat, and I freeze on the spot, my raspy breath filling the night. A sharp pain travels from my lower back through my entire system as dizziness overtakes me.
I fall on my knees, groaning in agony while the gates in the distance become blurrier and blurrier, taking me farther and farther away from my escape.
“My back,” I murmur, barely finding the strength to utter those words. I reach behind me and then look at my hand, noticing blood coating it. “He shot me in the back.” The minute the words slip past my lips, I hear his hurried footsteps and he drops beside me, his hand fisting my hair and bringing me closer to him, until his cheek is resting against mine.
“What have you done, Giselle?”
I stifle a whimper and hold back the tears that yearn to slide down my cheeks and wash away the hurt he always inflicts.
Hades caught his Persephone once again.
And just like in the myth, he will lock her away from the world and make her live permanently in his hell.
Or so I think.
Slowly, all my strength leaves me as I slip to the side, right into his arms. I exhale carefully, the pain so strong I’m afraid to even breathe. But in all this craziness, a smile settles on my face, because the nightmare is finally over.
No one w
on.
No one lost.
In this twisted myth of his creation, no one got what they wanted, and that’s probably the most tragic story of all.
Click here for Callum’s Hell.
Also by V. F. Mason
Dark Romance
Sociopath’s Obsession
Sociopath’s Revenge
Psychopath’s Prey
Lachlan’s Protégé
Micaden’s Madness
Callum’s Hell
Madman’s Method
Madman’s Cure
Arson’s Captive
The Land Where Sinners Atone
Mafia Romance
Pakhan’s Rose
Pakhan’s Salvation
Sovietnik’s Fury
Brigadier’s Game
Kaznachei’s Pain
Free Books
His Broken Princess
Acknowledgments
First, I want to thank God and my family for allowing me to write and make this dream possible. The support means so much to me, and I understand that sometimes it drives you crazy, especially when I try to meet my deadlines and seem unavailable to you. But I love you guys and appreciate everything you do for me.
This story….Two years ago the prologue of this book popped in my head. I wrote the scene down and couldn’t wait to get to know these characters. Santiago and Briseis intrigued me so much and I wanted to know more about their love story. However, instead of continuing writing Santiago’s book another hero showed up(Callum) and I felt like he had to tell his story first. Writing his book though made me understand why there had to be several books before I could go back to Santiago and his story. I loved writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Huge thank you to Hot Tree Editing team for helping me with my editing process. Especially Becky, Donna, Peggy, Kayla and Mandy. Plus beta readers and final eyes, who gave me valuable feedback and made sure I covered any plot holes I had.
Thank you to Sommer Stein, Wander Aguiar and Lucas Loyola for the fabulous cover.
Heather Roberts, thank you for being with me during this release every step of the way.
L.Woods PR thank you for hosting my cover reveal and release blitz.
Thank you to my reader group, you are amazing!
Thank you to all the bloggers for spreading the word about Santiago’s Conquest and leaving reviews.
And finally to all the readers who took a chance on this journey of love between Santiago and Briseis. Thank you to each one of you.
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