Vow of Vengeance

The Brotherhood of Darkness Vow of Vengeance By Hilary Storm And Sapphire Knight Copyright © 2023 Hilary Storm & Sapphire Knight All rights reserved. Except as permitted under U.S Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Find out more about the authors and upcoming books online at: www.authorsapphireknight.com www.hilarystormwrites.com Editing: Kellie Montgomery Cover Design: Designs by Dana WARNING This novel includes graphic language and adult situations. It may be offensive to some readers and includes situations that may be hotspots for certain individuals. This book is intended for ages 17 and older due to steamy, sexy, hotness that will have you jumping your man. This work is fictional. The story is meant to entertain the reader and may not always be completely accurate. Any reproduction of these works without Author Sapphire Knight and Author Hilary Storm’s written consent is pirating and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Easily offended people shouldn’t read this. DEAR READER We’re hoping to bring you some new spice and suspense to fall in love with. Tropes and triggers you can expect: mfm/menage college/university forced proximity secret society millionaire/billionaire steamy romance loyal heroes with secrets sassy heroine dark themes (as mentioned but not in detail) obsessive/possessive heroes violence/torture drugs You’ve been warned…twice! Enjoy PROLOGUE Kingston “You were told to bring one home and kill the other,” he reminds me. The voice is distorted, but it has to be a man. The fuck is tall and willowy, like a goddamn tree wearing a robe and I’m saying that as a fairly big guy myself. I swallow, my throat growing dry at the realization the society’s not going to let this go. They’re going to punish me for not obeying. “Yes, I was.” “Yet, you’ve done neither. You chose to go above the Brotherhood, to take your order into your own hands. We didn’t grant you permission. You answer to us, Kingston Banks.” “May I ask for a different order? You can give me ten others in place of this one and I will complete them no problem. You have my word.” “Your word?” It’s said mockingly. They go on, dousing any hope momentarily filling my chest. “We do not negotiate.” I still can’t make out the voice behind the mask and it only serves to frustrate me further. Iris whimpers behind the tape while Beau remains stoic and at peace. He and I talked about this exact scenario happening and he made me promise to choose him as my target. Our conversation fucking sucked and even though I promised him, I could never follow through on it. At the end of the day, I love two people. Iris and Beau. Both in completely different ways, neither less important and I will never let them die because of circumstances I can control. “Is this guy one of my options?” I hedge, scrounging for anything at this point but my optimism is killed once again with the response they give. “No.” “Alright. What’s the weapon of choice?” I ask, hoping for a gun so it’ll be quick. The robed guy in charge waves a hand toward a small table set up in front of Beau. When I see the pistol, I instantly exhale. This is the first feeling of relief I’ve felt since I fucked Iris yesterday morning before the sun came up. It was bliss and I’m so fucking grateful I got to feel my woman and whisper how much I love her before I make this sacrifice. “You have one minute to make your decision,” they command, making my muscles clench. I can’t believe I’ve looked forward to joining the Brotherhood of Darkness for so many years, only for it to come down to tonight. I was a fucking idiot to believe the society would protect me, but at least through this Beau will know. He’ll watch out for himself and Iris and be certain he can never trust any of them. I haven’t spoken to my parents in weeks. The thought hits me, and guilt claws at my insides. My mother will be a wreck from my choice tonight. Beau will no doubt try to comfort her, but she’ll push everyone away. Iris wails under the tape, screaming and crying as I take the gun in my hand. “Shh, baby. I love you and everything’s going to be all right,” I say aloud, no longer giving a fuck about the others surrounding me. In this moment it’s only us. She can’t see anything, but she can hear. I wish like hell I could put earplugs in her ears, so she doesn’t hear what I’m about to do. What I have to do. I move closer to Iris and Beau, walking around them, and hating how they can’t touch me in return. I don’t do well being alone and right now I have to make peace with the fact that I’ll always be by myself. My entire life flashes before my eyes and I couldn’t swallow or speak a single word now if they asked me to. There’s a vice around my chest with the heaviness of what I’m about to do. The severity of my situation is worse than an anchor, plunging me into the depths of darkness as it sinks me to the bottom of the ocean, slowly stealing every breath along the way. Caressing her cheek, I linger at her side much longer than I should, but I can’t break my touch from her soft skin. I love her so much my heart literally aches right now, as pain