Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Fuck that!” Ruin snaps at me, but I whack his hand away and reach for his wrist.
“It’s twelve oh five.”
It is officially my birthday! I go to reach for the handle of Cooper’s car when something catches my eye in the bush behind. A shadow moves from beneath the branches, and I hit Ruin’s arm.
“Shut up.”
The wind whistles louder through the thick branches as it wraps its fingers around my hair and brushes over my skin like a ghost that has just risen from the dead.
“Shi, I’m fucking serious! I liked you!” Ruin yells, pulling me back into the now.
People are spilling out from the surf club behind us, but I ignore everything that’s going on around us because something doesn’t feel right. I should be happy that I’m now eighteen, legally an adult who doesn’t need the help of three sexy men, but I’m not.
“You’ve never told me that before,” I say, but my focus is on everything else around me.
At one point, I would have felt bad that Ruin was spilling his guts out to me, and there was once upon a time when I would have loved to hear these words come out of his mouth, but—
“Ruin, shut the fuck up!” I snap, spinning around when I feel that same touch graze the center of my back. “Stop talking!”
The ground shifts from beneath me, and I stumble backward, hitting the side panel of Cooper’s car. A deep growl vibrates over the concrete. Ruin sways from left to right, his eyes widening as he finally stops talking.
“Is that an earthquake?”
“It must be.” I hold on to the mirror of the door, searching for the people who are all out front, laughing and swaying from left to right. “It’s not funny!”
Hades Hollow never gets earthquakes. In the history of this town, not once has an earthquake ever rocked this small town.
“Get out front!” I hear Sparrow bark orders at everyone who has spilled out the front of the surf club.
My eyes find all three of them in a panic just as the ground cracks beneath my feet. I reach for Ruin out of instinct, watching as the crack forms further and further.
“Blaire!” I yell at the boys, and Malyk disappears back inside.
I go to jump over the crack just as Ruin pulls me back, slamming me up against the car again. I hit it with a thud, all air leaving my lungs. I suck in deep breaths, attempting to calm my thoughts.
“What are you doing?” I shove at Ruin to get him away from me.
“You can’t fucking leave me!” His arms fly around his body as he gestures between us both. “I love you, Shiloh! I fucking love you!”
“Are you crazy!” I snap, looking between him and the crack that’s spreading on the concrete. I try to shake him off me, but his grip tightens around my upper arm, shaking me and slamming me up against the car again. “Ruin!”
He shakes his head, his eyes feral with rage. I’ve never seen this side of him before. Ruin has always been calm. Collected. Cool. I don’t recognize this person standing in front of me.
“I told you, Shi! I’ve been telling you, but you won’t see it.”
The ground continues to sway beneath my feet, and I fall back onto the car again as he reaches up to grab both my arms.
“I—”
Just like that—his touch is ripped away from me, and he’s gone. Everything happens too fast for my brain to process, but a sharp sting pierces my arm, and I wince, falling to the ground beneath me.
“Get her the fuck out!” The shadows from the trees ahead warp together as faces come in and out of view.
“Stop him!” Sparrow roars, throwing up his hand at whoever is behind him.
My eyes roll to the back of my head. Pain. Pain. So much pain and then darkness. Pure darkness.
I try to peel my eyes open. My head thuds to a pulse so heavy it almost knocks me back out. Thud. Thud. Thud. I try to lift my hand to reach the sharp sting, but it’s too heavy. Lead-weighted limbs aren’t going to help my current situation.
“Shi…” a whisper from somewhere behind my eyes grabs me, and I try once more to part my lashes. This time light cracks through with a blur of images, but the pain…the pain only intensifies. “Wake up. Shi!”
Someone’s grabbing my arm, shaking me, and I finally will my eyes open, the ceiling of wherever I am the first thing to come into view. Black bars line the ceiling, and I tilt my head to try to make out what it is. A cage?
Fuck. I’m in a cage.
“Shiloh!” The arm grabs me again, shaking me awake.
I jolt up from where I’m lying, wincing as my hand finally comes to my head.