Total pages in book: 266
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
He nods. “Well, that’s a good thing, right?”
“He just seemed off…you know? He was upset and had been drinking…”
He runs a hand down his face, letting out a sigh. “Where is he?”
I hide my smile by biting my bottom lip and drop my eyes to the floor.
“It’s okay, Charlotte. You can tell me. Where is Haidyn?”
I kept my concern vague because I didn’t want to tell him anything specific. I wanted Saint worried enough to go to Haidyn. And by how fast Saint rushed out of Carnage, I’d say it worked.
I wanted Haidyn to be caught off guard when he saw Saint on his front porch. He’ll know it was me, of course, but I don’t give a fuck.
Taking another gulp of wine, I relax into the couch, getting comfortable. I’ve kept my real cell phone off and my one from the Lords on silent because I’m still out of town, according to my social media pages. Wesley gets a text every now and then to update him on my trip, and I send my mother a picture that I have to make on Photoshop with the added my service is spotty text. But other than that, I’m MIA, and it’s actually been nice. I’m still on the fence about what to do about my fake friends knowing I’m dating Haidyn. I fucking lied about being broken up with Wesley. The only thing about that is they are my friends, not his. I had them before we started our fake relationship.
My door opening has me sitting up and my hand tightening on the neck of the wine bottle.
Haidyn steps into my house, and I roll my eyes, lying back down. “Don’t you ever knock?”
He stays quiet as he makes his way into the living room and drops his backpack onto the coffee table. Unzipping it, he removes the notebook that I gave him during my first visit to Carnage and a pencil.
Then he removes the laptop, and I sit up straighter, placing my feet on the floor. “Haidyn—”
“I took the liberty of writing out an email for you.” He opens the laptop and spins it around so I can see he’s started a new email to the Lords.
“What?” I leap from the couch to grab the laptop, but he slams it shut, yanking it from the coffee table. “What the fuck, Haidyn?” I demand.
He places the laptop next to him on the opposite couch and smiles up at me. “Saint paid me a visit.”
I can’t help the smile, and his lips thin. “Guessing it didn’t go well.”
Leaning forward, he places his tatted elbows on his jean-clad thighs. “It went about how you wanted it to go. But it got me thinking…” Reaching up, he rubs his chin, and I notice he still hasn’t shaved. I like the facial hair. It makes him look more rugged. More threatening. And somehow, it’s a turn-on.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” I say, rolling my eyes at his silence.
“Oh, the only thing I’m going to hurt is you, doll face.”
My pulse races at his threat because I know it’s not an empty one. “So...” I try to shrug it off, acting like I don’t care. “Go ahead and send the email. I don’t care.”
He stands, and I swallow nervously. “I think you do care. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have picked me last time you tried to quit.”
“You know that?” I whisper.
He gives a rough laugh. “I know everything, Annabelle.”
My teeth clench, and I look away from his intense stare.
“Do you think they’ll give you an option this time? Or do you think they’ll just take you in the middle of the night, strip you naked, and tie you to the Lords altar?” Walking around the coffee table, he comes to stand next to me. His hand slowly slides up my back before tangling in my hair.
I moan when he pulls my head back and forces me to look up at him, his free hand wrapping around my neck to hold me in place. His eyes search mine as he speaks. “As much as I’d love to see you tied to the altar, I don’t find the thought of you being someone else’s whore appealing.”
My breathing picks up, and my thighs tighten.
“But you tell me, doll face...do you want to be an offering for the Lords?”
“No.” I don’t even have to think about it, and he knows that. My father took me to the cathedral that night to make sure I had all the facts…saw all the angles that the Lords work. I knew the night I killed a woman and took my brand that there was no going back. I’m committed to this assignment, and I’ve come too far to let him give me up. The Lords most definitely won’t give me a second chance at picking him.
“So what are you going to do for me, Charlotte?”