Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Arvo reached for me, grabbing at my clothes and hair to try to get a hold of me.
I managed to slip away, stumbling back along the thin strip of concrete beneath my feet. I tried to turn and run around the clocktower, but Arvo wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me up to pull me back. I struggled in his hold, my heart threatening to pound out of my chest as he hauled me near the railing.
“If you won’t tell me your secrets, they’ll just die with you,” Arvo hissed near my ear.
Adrenaline shot through me, giving me one more burst of energy before I was tossed over the edge. I threw my elbow back, smashing it against Arvo’s head to knock him away. I immediately whipped around and shoved Arvo, watching his back strike the railing.
Arvo waved his arms, trying to capture his balance, but it was too late. A look of pure fear crossed his face before he toppled over the top of the railing and fell off the clocktower with a chilling shout.
With wide eyes, I ran to the railing and peered over the side, watching his body fall onto the Stormcloud gate. A spike impaled his body, making him slump over the top of the metalwork. Completely still. I couldn’t get over how still people were when they were dead.
I managed to catch my breath, sticking my hand out to grip the railing to steady myself. Arvo was gone. Just like that. It was over. My eyes swept over the ground, spotting Zephyr peering up at me from the courtyard. I swallowed hard as tears burned my eyes.
All I wanted to do was fall into the arms of the men I loved, to finally take a breath and acknowledge the fact that my life finally wasn’t in danger any longer. A shaky breath left me before I turned around and hurried into the clocktower and down the stairs.
CHAPTER 19
BIBA
I didn’t get to fully rest until a few days after Arvo’s death. After telling the police everything that happened on the day of Arvo’s passing and the necessary details leading up to it, I finally headed back to Stormcloud. Luckily, the police seemed satisfied with my accounting of the events and believed I told them everything they needed to know. The most important thing that I didn’t tell them was about the Kings’ “lost” money. No one else needed to know about that.
It was odd living in a world where Arvo didn’t exist. Despite the terrible things he did to so many people around him, including me, I couldn’t forget that we were lovers once. We had a physical connection, bound by our bodies and our desire. He swore himself to me, and I swore myself to him.
There had been a time when I thought we would stay in each other’s lives for a while. He was rough around the edges and cocky, but his charm wooed me like it wooed a lot of women. In turn, he was interested in me too until he realized that I was in the way between him and the power he craved. Our bond shattered, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel some of those sharp pieces jabbing at my soul. It was something that I would have to live with, though. I had everything I needed now.
Things weren’t completely back to normal yet. Some things were still up in the air, but I didn’t expect much more craziness to occur. Our biggest threats were dead, and Zephyr was dealing with his father by helping him escape the country. He wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.
Even Sol was gone briefly to talk to his mother. He told me that he was determined to convince his mother that I was a good person who he refused to kill. He loved me, and he was going to make sure that no one ever tried to kill me again.
As for Theo, I invited him to stay with me on campus tonight. I finally got to use my new room, and it would be nice for us to have some time alone together. I couldn’t remember the last time we were alone, and there was a lot for us to talk about.
After Arvo died and I was reunited with the boys, they had somehow become even more protective over me. Both Zephyr and Sol were reluctant to leave me so soon after everything happened, but they felt more comfortable about leaving knowing that Theo would be around to watch over me. Even outside of dealing with enemies, they still worked together as a team.
We all had to talk about our future together moving forward. I was in love with all three of them, and I didn’t want to lose a single one of them. We all had the goal of bettering Stormcloud and putting the bloodthirsty legacy of the Kings to rest, but we would have to figure out how to work together on that front and the emotional front.