Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 66503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“Good girl.” He looks over at my father. “See, a little motivation is all she needs.”
“Hmm …” my father grumbles in response.
“Why? Why would you do this?” I ask him.
But there is no answer. Of course.
“Were you forced?”
Lex begins to laugh. “Nonsense. He came to me out of his own free will.”
My eyes widen.
Beast … he was right all along, and I didn’t believe him because I stupidly believed my father still had a semblance of a heart.
“Where else was he supposed to go? He has nothing left,” Lex says, laughing his head off like it’s all one big funny joke to him. “He’s lucky I didn’t murder him on sight.”
I swallow away the nerves when Lex picks up a cigar and lights it on fire. “I would’ve burned out his eyes if he hadn’t told me the code to that fantastic bank account.”
“So you gave him the money after all,” I mutter. “You had it. Even before, when you were still free, you could’ve given it to him and set me free.” I clench my teeth. Every last inch of guilt I felt over not trying to save my father vanishes. “You chose to let me be a prisoner here.”
“Aurora … Did you honestly think your father loved you?” Lex muses, snorting. “Come now, he gave you away like it came easy to him.”
“It wasn’t easy,” he suddenly interjects. “But your choices made it impossible for me to stand by you.”
“What?” I frown.
“You chose that beast over me,” he hisses, frothing at the mouth. “Your own father!”
“He saved your life!” I yell back. “And mine!”
“And where did that get you both?” Lex interrupts. “Right back into my arms with nothing left to offer.” He takes a deep whiff of the cigar and blows out a breath in my direction.
“Was it worth it?” I growl at my father. “Trading your own daughter for your life?”
He slams his mouth shut, too proud to even admit what he’s doing is the lowest of lows.
“And I used to think you loved me,” I murmur through gritted teeth.
“Love is overrated,” Lex says, taking another whiff. “My Beast showed me that much.”
Now he’s got my attention.
“Oh, you thought I’d be content with just you? No girl,” Lex says, tilting his head. “I won’t rest until I have my dog back as well. Because what is a dog without its master? Nothing.”
The way he talks about Beast is horrendous.
Infuriating.
And it pushes me beyond my limit as I bolt up, grab the box of cigars, and throw it right at him.
He catches it mere inches away from his face.
“Don’t talk about him like that! He deserves to be free!” I yell in anger. “You’re disgusting.”
Lex shakes his head and puts the box back on the table, staring at me.
“Call me whatever you want, girl. It doesn’t change the fact that he disobeyed my orders, and I am the one who’s going to punish him for it.”
The smug look on his face makes bile rise in my throat.
“But I have my money now … and I don’t need to take your lives if I can have something far more valuable,” Lex continues. “Complete and utter humiliation.”
He snaps his fingers, and guards pour into the room.
“No,” I shriek as they grab ahold of me. “Don’t!”
“Don’t what?” Lex raises a brow. “Put you back where you belong?”
My throat clamps up, and it feels like I suddenly can’t breathe anymore.
No, no, no!
I fight off the guard as he puts his hands on me, but I’m no match for two of them dragging me by the arms.
I have nothing, no power, nothing left to give except words.
So I throw everything I have out into the world.
Pain.
Pure pain.
“I never should’ve freed you from that chair!” I scream at my father, whose eyes are filled with bitterness. “I should’ve picked him over you and let you die!”
Lex blows out another breath laced with cigar smoke in my direction, wearing a filthy smile on his face. “Too late for regrets, girl … down to the cellar you go.”
Beast
I race to the mansion in my car, not giving a shit about the speed limit. Every second is another one wasted. Another one she spends in his claws.
The mere thought of Lex even touching her with a single finger sends me into a maddening spiral of rage, and I roar out loud, slamming the steering wheel.
“Goddammit!”
I never should’ve left her behind like that.
Nothing in this world could ever be fast enough for me. I need to get to her now.
That blood on the floor was hers, and I’ll be damned if I let him spill another drop of that precious liquid.
She’s mine, and I don’t fucking care what I have to do to save her. Even if I have to rip off each one of his guard’s limbs or eat my way through them, I’ll do it all for her.