Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Suddenly, I looked up at a large form hovering over us, gripping a blood-caked flogger in his right hand. He had my face, but his eyes were filled with rage and hate.
He grabbed Piper’s arm and jerked her away from me.
“Let her the fuck go,” I snarled, getting to my feet.
I reached to get her back, but my hand went through her.
Piper screamed as he threw her onto the bloody stone table. Sooty rain began falling from the sky, lightning striking the ground around us.
“How the fuck did you get free again, you cunt?” said the man who looked like me. He chained Piper’s legs and arms without a struggle.
I rushed at him, only to pass through.
Piper turned her head and looked at me, those hazel eyes filled with terror. “Help me, Draco. I love you.”
I blinked and was back in the basement, surrounded by the Seers.
“No, no. Fucking send me back!” The hole had been closed, but the sounds of a whip cracking and Piper’s screams rang in my ears. “Send me the fuck back.”
The Seers’ expressions hadn’t changed much, still hungry and sinister.
“Oh boy. I feel like I just walked into the middle of a fun family squabble.” Lori stood at the bottom of the staircase in a red dress, grinning with delight. “They took her—your sweet, sweet Piper. Didn’t they?”
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Lori strutted over. “Making sure our new King isn’t swayed by these she-devils. They want to break you, Draco. They want you so far gone that you’ll do anything to stop your torment. Of course, it will never go away—those sounds of Piper screaming your name. The Seers are quite skilled at manipulating the wall between this world and theirs.” She narrowed her eyes. “But after you give them what they want, they’ll just take your precious Piper again. And again. Until you give in once more to whatever they want. There will be no escape.”
The Seers had nothing to say.
“And you? What do you want?” I asked.
“To give you the world, Draco. A world where you decide who lives, who dies, and who has power.” She snapped her fingers, and a tall man with empty eyes came down the staircase, holding a gold cup in his hands. In the other hand, he gripped a rope. He gave a hard tug, and Leo came tumbling down, all bloody and bruised.
“What is this?” I growled.
“A goodwill gesture,” Lori said. “Our friend Leo discovered the chalice amongst his things after Piper packed them. Likely an oversight on her part. However, we caught him attempting to sell it to one of our black-market collectors. Leo had done his research and knew it was a priceless artifact sought after by many.” Lori leaned in to whisper, “We even told him that Piper was in trouble and could be saved with it.” She shrugged and then tsked. “He chose the money.”
Leo groaned on the basement floor, half conscious. I did not care for the bastard, but I’d already gotten inside his head. He was not a good person, but he was not evil either. He was simply a giant asshole. Selfish, a bit greedy, and harmless compared to the likes of Lori. Also, he wasn’t my problem.
“Thank you for finding the chalice, Lori, but what do you want in return?”
“It’s time to take your place as head of Ten Club,” Lori said. “With your power, no one will be able to touch you or your Piper. After I give you the chalice, of course.”
“Just remember, Draco,” said the old Seer, “you have no idea how to use the chalice.”
I shook my head. So it seemed I’d been right. Here I was, one step closer to a future I’d so desperately been trying to change. The Seers had something I wanted. So did Ten Club. Ultimately, I’d have to give in to both if I wanted Piper back.
Defeat washed over me. I’d been a fool for hoping I could beat fate, and it was time to accept that. There was no other way to rescue Piper from that sick nightmare of pain.
But I will have to sell my soul. Then again, so what? I would do anything for the woman who had shown me a slice of something true and unspoiled in the world.
On the other hand… I looked at Lori and then the silver-haired woman. “Sorry. But I make my own fate. Not Ten Club. Not the Seers. Not the family who wrote me off.” I stepped around Lori and her sidekick. “Keep your fucking chalice. Leo, too.”
“Where are you going?” Lori spat.
“I’m the anti-Christ, the most powerful person to ever walk the earth. And I’m going to tell the world what you have in store for them.” It was the last thing Piper asked of me, and I believed in her, in her goodness.