knowing I have to see. Feeling deep in my belly that whatever has just happened is very bad.
And when I get there, when I see, I can’t process right at first.
Mercedes is screaming. She’s on her knees, and on the floor is a man, and I know it’s him. I don’t even have to see the discarded mask, the strange skull he wore. Like a dead man’s mask. Like the ink on his face.
“Santiago?” My eyes fill with tears as I put my hand on someone’s shoulder to push them out of the way. To see.
And I do.
I see his pale skin. His dark eyes unfocused, then closed.
“Santiago?” I ask again, my voice a whisper.
He doesn’t respond, but Mercedes hears me.
“You!” she accuses.
I shift my gaze to her, the venom in her eyes almost making me topple backward.
“You!” she hisses, pointing her finger at me.
I shake my head, open my mouth to speak. To explain... but explain what? The medical crew rushes in. People follow Mercedes’s accusing gaze and turn to me, and then there’s a sound, a thud in the distance, and in the next instant, the room is plunged into darkness, a black so solid, so thick the women around me scream, and I feel hands on me, clutching me, nails digging into me as chaos breaks out.
The dark and the noise are dizzying, the look on Mercedes’s face before the lights went out terrifying. That on Santiago’s indescribable.
Dead?
No. It can’t be. He can’t be. Not Santiago.
A beam of light illuminates the space where his body lies. I try to push through to get to him. To see for myself.
“No pulse,” a man says, his voice carrying over that of the crowd.
No pulse? They can't mean that.
“...start compressions...”
I open my mouth. I don’t know if it’s to scream or call his name or to tell everyone to get out of my way. He can’t be dead. He can’t. But there are too many people. And just when I’m about to shove hard, something wraps around my middle. I’m pulled into a man’s grasp, arm like a solid steel bar circling my ribs, crushing them as I’m lifted off my feet, the lights blinking once, twice coming back on just as I’m taken from that room to another, this one deserted.
The man sets me on my feet, and I stumble, then turn to face him. He’s wearing a dark cloak with a deep hood that he pulls back to reveal a masked face like all the others.
My mouth goes dry. The sound from the other room background now. White noise.
No, his mask isn’t like the others.
His is one of menace.
I cringe away, turning in a desperate attempt to find an exit, seeing only the door behind him as he stalks toward me, backing me into a corner.
“What do you want?” I scream when my back hits the wall.
He doesn’t speak, though. Instead, his fingers come to my jaw, an iron grip. My hands claw at his forearm, but it’s no use. He’s too strong. And one jerk of his wrist is all it takes for the back of my head to smash against the wall.
That’s when he steps backward.
When I stumble forward.
Stars dance before my eyes, and the room spins.
I reach out to steady myself, but there is nothing to hold onto, only air. He’s saying something but I can’t quite make out his words as my knees buckle, and I drop to the floor.
That’s when I feel his hands on me. Powerful arms lifting me. The room going black around me, arms hanging limp and useless as he carries me out of the compound and into the night.
Thank you for reading Requiem of the Soul. We hope you loved Santiago and Ivy.
Their story continues in Reparation of Sin.
One-click Reparation of Sin here.
Also by Natasha Knight
To Have and To Hold Duet
With This Ring
I Thee Take
The Society Trilogy
Requiem of the Soul
Reparation of Sin
Resurrection of the Heart
Dark Legacy Trilogy
Taken (Dark Legacy, Book 1)
Torn (Dark Legacy, Book 2)
Twisted (Dark Legacy, Book 3)
Unholy Union Duet
Unholy Union
Unholy Intent
Collateral Damage Duet
Collateral: an Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance
Damage: an Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance
Ties that Bind Duet
Mine
His
MacLeod Brothers
Devil’s Bargain
Benedetti Mafia World
Salvatore: a Dark Mafia Romance
Dominic: a Dark Mafia Romance
Sergio: a Dark Mafia Romance
The Benedetti Brothers Box Set (Contains Salvatore, Dominic and Sergio)
Killian: a Dark Mafia Romance
Giovanni: a Dark Mafia Romance
The Amado Brothers
Dishonorable
Disgraced
Unhinged
Standalone Dark Romance
Descent
Deviant
Beautiful Liar
Retribution
Theirs To Take
Captive, Mine
Alpha
Given to the Savage
Taken by the Beast
Claimed by the Beast
Captive’s Desire
Protective Custody
Amy’s Strict Doctor
Taming Emma
Taming Megan
Taming Naia
Reclaiming Sophie
The Firefighter’s Girl
Dangerous Defiance
Her Rogue Knight
Taught To Kneel
Tamed: the Roark Brothers Trilogy
Also by A. Zavarelli
Boston Underworld Series
CROW: Boston Underworld #1
REAPER: Boston Underworld #2
GHOST: Boston Underworld #3
SAINT: Boston Underworld #4
THIEF: Boston Underworld #5
CONOR: Boston Underworld #6
Sin City Salvation Series
Confess
Convict
Bleeding Hearts Series
Echo: A Bleeding Hearts Novel Volume One
Stutter: A Bleeding Hearts Novel Volume Two
Twisted Ever After Series
BEAST: Twisted Ever After #1
Standalones
Tap Left
Hate Crush
For a complete list of books and audios, visit http://www.azavarelli.com/books
Thank you
Thanks for reading Requiem of the Soul. We hope you enjoyed it. Reviews help new readers find books and would make me ever grateful. Please consider leaving a review at the store where you purchased the book.
About A. Zavarelli
A. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.
When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching bizarre and twisted documentaries in the name of research.
She currently lives in the Northwest with her lumberjack and an entire brood of fur babies.
Want to stay up to date on Ashleigh and Natasha’s releases? Sign up for our newsletters here: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/x3s0k6
About Natasha Knight
Natasha Knight is the USA Today Bestselling author of Romantic Suspense and Dark Romance Novels. She has sold over half a million books and is translated into six languages. She currently lives in The Netherlands with her husband and two daughters and when she’s not writing, she’s walking in the woods listening to a book, sitting in a corner reading or off exploring the world as often as she can get away.
Write Natasha here: natasha@natasha-knight.com
Click here to sign up for my newsletter to receive new release news and updates!