Sins That Bind Us

Sins That Bind Us MADLY EVER AFTER BOOK TWO E.M. LINDSEY Sins That Bind Us Copyright © 2023 E.M. Lindsey All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Any events, places, or people portrayed in the book have been used in a manner of fiction and are not intended to represent reality. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. Cover by: Cate Ashwood Designs Editing: Sandra with One Love Editing Content Warnings: This book is a dark romance that ends on a cliffhanger. It contains both mentions and on-page instances of kidnapping, torture, suicidal ideation, D/s dynamics, morally grey characters, and ableist language. Please take care if these issues are triggering for you. Contents Preface Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Sins That Define Us Also by E.M. Lindsey About the Author Preface Click HERE or scan to join EM Lindsey’s newsletter and receive a link to the free prequel Novella, Misfits. As the only daughter of the Romano empire, I was always up for auction, but Kane made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I might be exchanging one level of hell for another, but at least in this one, with Hades by my side and the other misfits in my bed, I can rule as queen. I can finally have power over the person who had made it clear my worth was only in what someone was willing to pay. And then it all came crashing down. My father might not be clever, but sometimes he gets lucky, and the prison that had become my sanctuary is now under threat. Kane is missing, the rest of my men are frantic to find him, and I’m still being hounded by the life I left behind. Chapter 1 PHOENIX I thought I knew what it was like to lose my mind. To feel utterly helpless. To know that nothing I can do will change my circumstances. It was like that after being shot. The first couple of days, it was a coma, and then there was some light and shadow that slowly crept into darkness. And there was pain. Then there was Kane’s voice telling me that he was sorry. His words were thick and slurred and anguished. He said there was nothing he could do. The next time I woke, my eyes were gone, and my fate was sealed. I would be totally blind for the rest of my life. There were times I felt like that was hell and that there would never be an escape. And this is the same feeling. Hearing Kane scream, then losing his call—I want to tear the world apart. It kills me to ask Alice to describe what’s on the screen, and it’s worse when she says there’s nothing. The connection is severed, and the screen is black. It takes me nearly a full minute to compose myself before I can get out of bed, and I don’t even register that my dick is hanging out and I’m half-dressed as I burst into James’ room. I hear his quiet laugh, but it dies seconds after he sees my face. “What is it?” That’s the tone I want. It’s all business. He understands that something’s wrong. “We lost Kane on his call, and the connection was severed. It sounded like a car accident,” I say. I turn on my heel, confident he’ll follow me, and I hear two sets of footsteps, which means he was likely fucking Ari when I burst in. I catch a whiff of Alice, too, as I rush into my office, and my fingers skim over my computer as I boot it up. “Even if his car is in pieces, the tracker should still be functional,” I’m saying, barely registering the words coming out of my mouth. My brain splits into two—the desperate man terrified for his lover and the emotionless beast whose only job is to get things done. It’s almost too easy to let the beast take over. “Alice,” I hear James say quietly as I open up the tracking app that’s connected to all of our cars. “Can you please tell me exactly what happened?” I feel a small measure of relief that she can do that, and I quickly tune her out as I stick my earbud in my ear and fire up the location device. I feel a warm presence behind me—enough to be grounding, but Ari knows better than to touch me right now. Everything is heightened, and I’ll lose it if anyone gets too close. And that’s not what we need right now. “…screen went dead. So then he had me pull up the video feed, but it was just black,” she finishes. It’s accurate enough. My fingers skim over my braille display, reading coordinates as the AI speaks them into my ear. Having both mediums keeps me focused, and I feel the way the location refreshes and refreshes until it settles. “He’s off the ten,” I say. I double-check, but his car isn’t moving. I switch over to his phone tracker, but it’s not picking up any readings. “Get a car. Get out there.” I feel a light tap on my arm. ‘On it.’ I turn to James and hold out my hand. “Get me clothes and shoes.” His fingers touch mine, and I yank him close, needing him for just a second—needing a moment to be weak and afraid. His brow knocks against me, and I smell cloves and aftershave. “And tell me you’re going to find him.” “We will always find him,” James growls. He lets my hand go to grab my chin,