Series: Lords of Rathe Series by Meagan Brandy
Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
“Please… please don’t kill me.”
“It’s your fault she’s being hunted now.”
“Bu—” before the words can leave her sinful mouth, I reach into her chest until I feel the pounding of her heart beating against my palm. Thud. Thud. She gasps, her mouth falling open into a perfect O as the blood slowly drains from her face. She turns a ghastly shade of white, before crimson slowly leaks out from between her lips, sliding down the side of her chin and dropping onto my boot.
“They want her dead. Because of you.” I squeeze a little, just enough to feel the heavy organ turn to jam between my fingers. The whites in her eyes burst red, before I yank my hand out, holding the dying symbolism for love.
Her body falls back, and I’m left staring at the dark hole left in her chest where her heart used to be. Tossing it onto her lap, I hear the door close behind me as I swipe my nose with my bloody hand, stepping backwards while keeping my eyes on her withering corpse.
“Okay, I knew that was going to happen. Why the fuck did they leave you in here alone?” Silver pats me on the shoulder, but it does nothing. Nothing to simmer the rage that I feel bleeding through me as every second passes.
“I need to find her.” I turn to face the door, reaching for my shirt and tossing it over my shoulder just as Sinner walks through.
He holds my eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Even before I can truly register what I’m feeling, he picked it up.
Throwing the doors open with nothing but a thought alone, a sudden sharpness stabs at my chest, and my brows crash together as I widen my feet in attempt to hold my balance, but still my body sways. My muscles don’t freeze or clench; they tear, one by fucking one.
My brothers turn at the sound of the door.
My face constricts, lips fucking trembling from an ache I've never felt. A pain so fucking sharp my eyes fall to my chest to see what the fuck has been driven through it, but the only blood on my skin is blood I spilled moments ago.
“What the fuck.” Sinner darts for me, and within a second I’ve crossed the long hallway, falling to the floor as my legs give out.
My knees crack against the marble floor and every part of me fucking crumbles from the inside out.
The pain is sharp and fucking searing, like someone’s taken the scales of a silver snake and ground them, injecting them straight into my black-blooded veins.
“Brother, talk to us.” Legend’s eyes trace my blood smeared body, attention snapping over my shoulder to take in the massacre I left behind me.
I growl, teeth clenched and fangs freeing themselves as my claws do the same, but the moment they’re at full descent, they retract.
I gasp, dropping against my brother’s chest. “I think … fuck. I think I’m fucking dying.”
Sin and Legend look from me to Creed, hoping our big brother has the fucking answers.
When Sin’s eyes narrow, I tip my head to look up at Creed.
His arm shifts so I’m cradled in it so he can see me better.
He presses on my chest, right over my heart. “Knight...”
As if out of my own fucking body, my head flings back as my eyes roll into the back of my fucking head. An animalistic scream tears out of my chest viciously. My limbs start to shake when they lay me flat against the cold marble. I dig my nails into the ground, banging my head against it until I hear it split from the impact and warm liquid spills down my skull.
I pant, trying to catch up with what is happening to me. It feels like a fist was driven into my skin; my chest plate torn wide open.
And then... nothing.
An overpowering sense of numbness falls over me, my body going still, eyes wide and I swear to god, my heart stops fucking beating. Blood stops flowing.
Gifted or not, the blood in our veins is vital, a source of our power. Our hearts, though black as a winter’s night, are what keeps us alive and moving, what keeps us sane and prevents us from going feral. The birthplace of our bonds before our souls’ feast on them.
It’s what links us to our mate—
Electricity shoots down my spine and I snap upright, panic like I've never felt prickling over my skin. Loss like I’ve never fucking known. Except we know that’s not true. I know loss. I pretty much kicked the bitch out the door and locked it behind her.
“No.” I jump to my feet, slamming at my chest with my fist. The bubbling fury that won’t leave is intensifying as I walk in fucking circles.
“No, no, no...” I clench my eyes closed, searching the depths of my fucking soul. Stretching my magic beyond reason.