Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 107118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
“It wasn’t, baby.” Sia ran her hand down my wet face.
“But it was.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “We stayed in a motel until everything was sorted.” I gestured to Cowboy. “The authorities said it was an accident. Some malfunction-of-the-oven bullshit.”
“See,” she said, trying to soothe.
“But we got a note. Under our motel door—” My words cut off, my limbs becoming leaden. I knew what was coming. Only this time, I was loath to fight it.
“It was the Klan.” I tensed, hearing Cowboy finish for me. Because that’s what he always did. Picked up the pieces I couldn’t carry. I kept my eyes shut, reading the note in my mind with him. “Said it was because they married out of their race.” Cowboy hissed, disgusted at their prejudice. “And for bringing a half-breed abomination into the world, an example had to made of them.”
“Me . . .” I said hoarsely. “They died because I was born.”
“No.” Sia yanked on my hand. “Don’t do this to yourself.”
“They called her a white whore. A traitor to the Aryan race.” I licked my dry lips. “They called her a black-loving slut.”
Sia’s face softened, then her expression changed to one of understanding. “Ky . . .” she whispered. “It’s why you went for him like you did.”
I nodded. “And they died because of my seizures.” My tongue felt too dry to speak, but I managed to force out, “She wasn’t supposed to have been there . . . it should have been me instead . . . but she stayed, waiting for me to come home, because I had a seizure. She would have waited to make sure I was okay.” The room tilted. “They . . . I ruin everything . . .”
Sia clutched my arm. My eyes glazed, and I began to taste the metallic flavor on my tongue. “Cowboy,” I slurred, just as a loud banging sound came from outside. Sia jumped, and Cowboy shot to his feet. No! I tried to scream, but nothing came out of my mouth. I fought for consciousness, fought to get off the bed. But I couldn’t move.
“Get him hidden!” Cowboy called.
Sia tried to move me. “I can’t lift him!”
I must have blacked out, because when I came to, I was in a dark room somewhere. I heard the soft murmuring of voices outside, then the sound of car doors shutting and a high-pitched scream. Confused, I tried to place where I was. Tried to understand what was happening. But the darkness drew me back under before I could.
And I couldn’t fight it anymore.
Chapter Ten
Hush
My eyes snapped open. It was pitch black. I wondered where the hell I was . . . then fragmented pieces of lost memory began flooding into my mind. I shook my head as the sound of deeply spoken Spanish words circled above my head . . . heavy footsteps on wooden floorboards . . . screams, shouting . . . and the sound of gunshots being fired.
No . . . I scrambled to get up. My head hit something immediately above me. I looked up. Light was creeping through some slats. My hand hit the wood above me. It moved a little, yet somehow it was sealed shut. I pushed and pushed, using what little strength I still had to force it open. With a snap, the wood gave way; it was a door, built into the floorboards of Sia’s closet downstairs.
“Sia!” I called as I climbed out, my voice quiet and hoarse—the after-effects of the seizure. I needed water. My mouth was bone dry. But my feet led me through the house instead. I checked each room, my heart beating faster with every step. “Aubin!” My chest tightened. Every room I went in was trashed, furniture thrown over on its side. “No,” I whispered, my skin slick with sweat.
I burst out of the front door. I ran as fast as I could toward the barn. I saw the blood coming from under the stalls before I’d even flicked on the light.
I didn’t bother looking, knowing that all Sia’s prized horses had been killed . . . then my feet ground to a stop when I saw a hand on the floor, blood pooled around the fingers as it lay limply on the concrete.
I was welded to the spot. Because it was a female hand. “Sia,” I whispered. My legs shook, but I made them move. I couldn’t breathe as I rounded the corner. Every fucking part of me was braced to find her gone. Then when dark hair came into view, I exhaled a quick breath and jumped to the girl’s side. “Clara,” I called gently and checked her pulse. But I didn’t need to . . . her eyes were staring up at the ceiling, frozen, Hades’ hand clutching her firmly in his death grip.