The Sinful Pact

Chapter 3: The Other Brother.

The next few days were a haze. The mark on her wrist had faded to a faint outline but she could still feel it there, a constant reminder of the deal she'd made. Her clinic had changed too, new supplies, extra staff she hadn't hired, all courtesy of Alistair. She was grateful but the freedom she used to love was slipping away and being replaced by a creeping sense of unease.

One evening as she was closing up the clinic a shadow appeared at the door. She looked up and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the face before her. Dante Hale. He was Alistair's half brother though she'd never met him. Rumors about Dante made him sound like a dangerous man, a rogue who operated in the city's underbelly.

"Leona," he said his voice low and rough and full of an intensity that made her heart race.

She took a step back her mind racing. "How do you know my name?"

A small smile played on his lips. "I know a lot about you Leona. More than Alistair wants me to."

Her hand went to her wrist and she covered the mark that still felt like it was burning beneath her skin. Dante's eyes flickered to her wrist and his face grew darker.

"So he's bound you too," he muttered his voice full of venom.

Leona's heart was racing. "What are you talking about?"

He stepped closer his eyes never leaving hers. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into Leona. Alistair is dangerous, more than you know. This pact... it's not what you think. It gives him control over you, a bond that will only get stronger over time."

A shiver ran down her spine. She wanted to brush him off, to tell herself he was wrong but something in his eyes told her he was telling the truth.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked her voice trembling.

Dante's face softened and for a moment she saw a glimmer of regret in his eyes. "Because I don't want to see him do to you what he's done to others. There's a way to break the pact, but it's dangerous. And if Alistair finds out it won't end well for either of us."

Her heart was racing. A way to break the pact. The words repeated in her mind and she felt a mix of hope and fear.

Before she could ask him more Dante disappeared into the shadows leaving her alone in the dim light of the clinic. She touched her wrist feeling the faint heat of the mark, a constant reminder of her bond to Alistair.

And as she looked into the darkness where he'd gone a new fear sprouted in her chest. She was in a game she didn't understand and every move she made only pulled her further in.