All Chapters of The Devil's Vow #2: The Viel of Vengeance: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The safe house had become our temporary sanctuary. Helios was healing, though not as fast as I would have liked. He was restless, caged by his own body, the wound in his side keeping him from moving the way he was used to. I knew it frustrated him, but there was nothing he could do except wait. While he recovered, I kept myself busy. The attack at the stronghold hadn’t been random. Someone had known we were coming, and I needed to find out who. The deeper I dug, the clearer it became that there was something rotten within the Moretti family. I had always assumed their enemies came from the outside, rival families, old grudges—but this was different. Someone inside was working with an unknown force, feeding them information, pulling strings behind the scenes. And if I was right, they weren’t just looking for power. They wanted to take control. I pieced the evidence together slowly, through old contacts and whispered conversations. Bank transfers that didn’t make sense. Orders given

Darkness clung to the corners of the lavishly decorated room, the dim glow of a chandelier casting eerie shadows along the walls. The scent of expensive cigars and aged whiskey filled the air, a stark contrast to the stench of blood drying on my skin. My wrists ached from the tight restraints binding them behind my back, but I refused to show weakness. Across from me, lounging behind a grand mahogany desk, was the man I assumed to be the mastermind behind everything. He was older, perhaps in his late fifties, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that barely wrinkled as he sipped his whiskey. His silver hair was slicked back, his dark eyes sharp and assessing. “Elena Carter,” he mused, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “You are as stubborn as I was told.” I lifted my chin, despite the dull throbbing in my skull. “If you went through all the trouble of kidnapping me, I assume you already know that.” He chuckled, leaning forward. “Indeed. But I had to see it for myself. Aft

With the syndicate’s plan exposed and the traitor dealt with, the war between the Morettis and Volkovs is narrowly avoided. However, nothing is the same. Helios, recovering from his injuries, must decide if his loyalty still lies with the Moretti family or if his future is with Elena. As for Elena, she finally allows herself to acknowledge her feelings for Helios, but with everything they’ve been through, is love enough? I sat beside Helios’s hospital bed, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. The beeping of the machines was steady, rhythmic, but it did nothing to calm the storm brewing inside me. The battle was over, the enemy had been defeated, but at what cost? Helios was barely alive when we got him here, and the sight of him bleeding out in my arms was something I’d never be able to erase from my mind. Isabella had left just moments ago, giving me space, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. Because my thoughts led me to questions I didn’t have answer

The decision to walk away from Helios had been the hardest thing I’d ever done. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to stay, to fight for whatever fragile thing had started between us. But I knew better. Helios deserved a life without the constant weight of blood and danger pressing down on his shoulders. If he stayed with me, he’d always be hunted. Always be looking over his shoulder. And I couldn’t live with that. So, I created distance. I stopped answering his calls. I avoided the places I knew he frequented. I let the walls around my heart rebuild themselves, brick by painful brick. But Helios wasn’t one to be ignored. He showed up at my apartment one night, pounding on the door like a storm battering against fragile glass. “Open the door, Elena,” he called out, his voice rough with frustration. I sat on the floor inside, my knees drawn to my chest, fingers gripping the fabric of my sleeves so tightly that my knuckles ached. “Please,” he tried again, softer this time.

The night air was heavy, thick with the scent of rain-soaked pavement and the distant hum of city life. I exhaled slowly, my fingers tightening around the grip of my gun as I watched Helios check the perimeter of the safe house. For the first time in weeks, we had a moment of stillness, a fragile semblance of peace. But I should have known better. Peace was never meant to last in our world. Helios turned to me, his sharp eyes scanning my face. "You're thinking too much again." I let out a small scoff. "Can you blame me? We’ve been running from one fire to the next." His lips pressed into a thin line as he walked toward me, his presence as steady as always. "We made it through the last battle, Elena. We’ll make it through whatever comes next." I wanted to believe him. I really did. But something inside me refused to let go of the gnawing unease building in my gut. Then it happened. A single shot shattered the silence. Glass exploded behind us, sending shards flying through the ai