“I find myself wildly curious about the insignificant human who not only had Father contemplating tupping a female, however drunkenly, but who has my little brother so tied up in knots he’s completely forgotten where his loyalties lie.”

“What do you want?” I grated, wishing I could wipe my eyes, but she wasn’t letting up. I was held fast to the wall by her winds. They roared in my ears, but somehow her words cut through the cacophony.

“You hand over her Soul Token to me. Now. I do not care how incomplete your little trial run is—it’s clear to me it’s been well and truly compromised now. So, you give it to me, or I will take myself up to your little Jemma Bliss and reap her soul myself … the old-fashioned way.”

“I don’t have it to hand over,” I snapped, relief and terror at the truth of those words warring in the pit of my stomach. Where had it gone?

“That sounds like a you problem, brother.”

Think, SJ, think fast!

“How about we make a … a bargain,” I stammered.

Hellen cocked her head to the side. “What could you possibly have to bargain with right now? I have you backed against a wall here … literally and figuratively.”

If she so much as touches a hair on Jemma’s head …

I swallowed. “We … we roll out the scheme on a grand scale. Immediately. I know that we can harvest live human misery. I’ll start mass production of Soul Tokens tonight. Working out the logistics of distribution to the Pit … well, in a matter of a week or so, we’ll have many Tokens, brimming with misery to test.” I tried to crick the tension from my neck, but I was still locked fast to the wall.

For the first time ever, I felt more than just hatred of my sister. I felt true fear.

She can’t be trusted not to hurt Jemma.

Hellen polished her claws against her shirt. “I want full control of them once they’ve been … loaded with pieces of soul.”

“Done,” I snarled.

“And what do you expect in return?”

“You stay the Home away from Jemma.”

Hellen chuckled. “Oh, Junior, it’s a little late to get all protective, isn’t it? I mean, you’ve already chipped a piece off her soul … and apparently you’ve gone and lost it!” Hellen pouted malevolently. “Now she’s never going to be whole again.”

Self-loathing welled up inside me. Even if I could find the missing Token, what if I never figured out a way to return that piece of her soul to her body?

I don’t deserve her affection.