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)
CHARLOTTE
I pull up to my house and park. We’ve been married for two weeks, and I’m officially moving in with Haidyn. He told me last night that he’s hired a moving company. I didn’t put up a fight. He said they would handle everything, but I wanted to pick up some more of my clothes. He had to run to Carnage and said he’d meet me here.
I enter my house with a smile on my face. It’s weird, actually, how happy I have been lately. It’s Haidyn. As much as I want to deny it, I can’t any longer. He makes me love Charlotte more than Annabelle.
Flipping on the light to the kitchen, I see a bottle of wine on the island and a glass already filled next to it.
I laugh, putting my purse on the counter. “You’re an hour early,” I call out, picking up the glass and taking a big drink. Setting it down, I turn around to see him sitting at the kitchen table. Just like he did the first time he broke into my house.
Smiling, I pick it up and take another sip. “Trying to get me drunk to have your way with me?” I arch a brow. “We both know that’s not required.”
He sits there dressed in his cloak and mask, and my body tingles with excitement of what’s to come. I take another drink, stepping closer to the table. “Going to chase me around the house again one last time?” I look up at the ceiling and tap my chin with my free hand in thought. “Maybe drag me down into the basement.” I tip the wineglass and finish it off. “I’m up for any one of those.” I laugh at my own words. As if Haidyn would let me decide what he does to me.
I turn around at his silence to pour another glass, but I drop the wineglass when I see another Lord standing in my kitchen. The hairs on my neck instantly rise and so does my heart rate. I take a step back but run into something. An arm wraps around my waist, and another covers my mouth.
Kicking my legs, I try to scream into the hand and pull it off, but I’m too weak. What the hell? My vision blurs, and it’s getting harder to breathe.
“Relax,” an altered voice speaks into my ear. “Give it time to kick in.”
My watery eyes go to the second Lord who stands in front of me still dressed in his cloak and mask, just watching. He picks up the wine bottle and drops it to the floor, the glass shattering and the wine covers the tile.
There was something in it. I can feel my body slacken; my arms feel heavy and fall to my sides.
“That’s it.” The person behind me loosens his hold on me, and I drop to the floor like the bottle of wine, unable to hold myself up.
The side of my face lies in the wine and the side of the kitchen island goes in and out of view.
My arms are grabbed, and I’m rolled onto my back. One of the Lords comes to stand on either side of my hips. Everything seems to be in slow motion. The guy pulls a syringe out of his pocket and a clear vial. My head lolls around, my vision going in and out. I try to speak but can’t seem to make my lips work. I feel like I’m about to pass out.
I feel a sting on my face, and my eyes manage to open to see the man leaning down into it. His mask is inches away from my blinking eyes. “Don’t worry, Annabelle. This…” He holds the now full syringe in front of my eyes. “Is for later.”
My body jerks involuntarily, and I begin to cough.
“There it is,” one of them says.
I can’t breathe. My throat closes, and my back bows off the wine-covered floor. Panic grips my chest, and all I can think is to get ahold of Haidyn. But nothing works.
Hands grab my face and hold it in place while my body goes into spasms, flopping around out of control.
“No need to panic,” the mask that hovers over me says calmly. “It’s all part of the plan.”
I’m dying. I can feel my chest heaving, trying to breathe, and I get nothing. And thankfully, everything goes black.
SEVENTY-TWO
HAIDYN
Ienter her house and remove my jacket. I go straight to her bedroom but don’t see her in there or her bathroom. “Charlotte?” I call out, knowing she’s here. Her SUV is in the driveway.
Walking through the living room, I still don’t see her. “Doll face?” I holler. “I know you’re here,” I add with a smile. Is my girl playing a game with me? I’m more than willing to play hide-and-seek. “When I find you, I’m going to…”