Page 40 of Love At the Gates of Hell (The Seven Sinners Trilogy #1)

twenty-five

The Warehouse

The mood in the warehouse was precarious and delicate.

He knew that his men were waiting for his reaction.

What kind of response would he have after another loss?

After all, he had spent the last fifteen years waiting for the precise right moment to arrive in order to complete the ascension.

And he had been so incredibly patient. Biding his time.

Ensuring nothing would prevent him from achieving the final step.

Because the requirements of the ritual had been quite clear, and up until recently, each piece of the puzzle had been within his reach.

Even the stone heart of the sun.

The Heart of Fire.

It had felt like fate—kismet, in fact, when news of the gala reached him.

Was this a gift from beyond the gates? Were they speaking to him?

Telling him that he was on the right path?

He had held fast to this belief, allowing it to empower him as he began to collect.

The untouched blood, the Strega, the offerings that would move him beyond the temporary veil of this preternatural invulnerability he was granted.

A little gift from below to protect him as the ascension neared.

But now, word came that one of his best soldiers was gone.

Doluviri was a shapeshifter. A rare child of a human and a demon, gifted with the uncanny ability to sway or attract certain things into their favor.

A creature so strong, he felt very little pain.

The perfect choice to infiltrate the Caruso family.

To seduce Benedetta Russo. To ensure that the witch would become easy prey.

And Doluviri had played the role of Christian d’Aviano perfectly, picking out each and every delicious weak point in the witch all while keeping her out from underneath her father’s thumb.

His death was a loss.

A setback he did not need. And his patience was wearing thin. Thin enough to wear a line in the concrete floors of his office as he paced back and forth. And he was still no closer to having the witch back in the cage where she belonged.

The gala was in just one week, and there was plenty to prepare.

He just had one little problem to deal with.

The Crawford brothers.