Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
“You’re snickering, but it’s not funny. It was chaos, Theseus. I can’t even wrap my head around everything that happened because it was so much at one time, let alone give you a play-by-play recount of it.”
“Then show me.” He pushed off the elevator doors, moving to me.
“How?”
“Do you trust me?” he questioned randomly.
“Little too late to ask, don’t you think?”
He waited.
“Fine, I trust you.”
He lifted his hands for me, and I stared at it. “Give me your wrist, and think of everything that happened. Don’t let your mind wonder onto anything else.”
“No problem there—ah.” I hissed as he bit my wrist, his teeth breaking the skin. My blood rose to the surface.
His eyes never left mine as he drank, and it should have hurt, but instead, I felt warm.
How did he make me feel warm? Even in the lab…
“Focus,” he muttered against my skin, and it tickled.
I nodded, closing my eyes, thinking of what had just happened, leaning toward him, he stopped, placing his arms around my waist, pulling me to his hard chest.
“I understand,” he whispered, releasing his bite but not my waist. He licked the blood from my wrist as it began to heal. “It truly was you, Druella. What an astonishing gift.” Of course, he’d be amazed instead of concerned.
“Why now?”
“Maybe you did not need it until now.” He kissed my forehead just like before. “Whatever the reason, I am grateful you spared me from seeing you hurt.”
“But you did see it,” I replied, trying to back away.
“You know what I mean.” He actually let me go. “Now we must go face them.”
“Again?”
He nodded. “But thanks to you, we will be wiser about it.”
“Theseus…”
“Do you suggest that we spend the rest of eternity in this box?” he replied, amusement clear on his face at the idea. “Do not worry; I know what I must do.”
“Can you let me know what I need to do?” I muttered as he turned back to face the doors.
“I doubt you would listen or enjoy even being told.” His fingers paused over the door for a brief instant before he pressed the stop button.
“Main floor.”
“Shut up,” I mumbled at the voice, and Theseus gave my hand a gentle squeeze again.
When the doors opened fully, the scene was different. The witches weren’t hiding in wait, and the vampires, the young Lucy, Taelon Swan in his suit, were already waiting. They stood opposite from each other like chess pieces, waiting to be moved. All of their eyes shifted to us as we came out.
“Ms. Ward, if you wished to see me again so soon, you shouldn’t have left,” Theseus said to her.
Her eyes narrowed, but she put that classic fake and overly polite smile back on her face. “On the contrary, you said your name was Christian de Apollo, Taelon says you are a Thorbørn. So, am I meeting you for the first time?”
“No, that is my name,” he replied. “It just is not my full name. Now, whatever poison you have inflicted, remove it before I become annoyed.”
Déjà vu. I watched her face make that similar look as if she were really reconsidering what was going to happen.
“A circle in our coven disappeared last night. We’ve tried searching for them, but we haven’t even been able to pick up the faintest traces of their magic. Would you happen to know anything? As you did arrive last night, as well.” She probed for answers, and I wondered if this was what made her attack, knowing she’d most likely die.
“A full circle?” Theseus spoke with surprise. “Just gone? I’m surprised you are even questioning me instead of searching for them. This world is full of dangers, even for the most experienced Wiccan. And that you are not, at the very least, someone has bound a great portion of your power, have they not?”
“You haven’t answered my question!” she snapped.
“Who are you to question me?” He growled back, and I squeezed his hand. “I do not know what happened to the witches of your coven, nor do I care.”
“He’s lying,” Faye snapped, stepping forward with her fingers twitching. “I feel it. He’s the one that killed them. The Swans would never mess with our coven. Druella is the only other vampire in the area. We’ve been watching her for a year. She rarely drinks human blood, nor does she have the type of power to kill my brother’s circle.”
And this was one of the reasons I avoided human blood, vengeful relatives.
Jericho, just like before, turned his back to whisper to Simone. “We cannot fight with them.”
“No, you cannot, but I believe you will still try; will you not, Jericho,” Theseus spoke, making him turn around.
“Do I know you, Thorbørn?”
“No, but I know your plans, and it will only lead to your deaths,” Theseus answered, stepping forward. He lifted his now black arm to him. “Your snakes are strong. Had it been any other vampire, they would be on their knees. But I will let you in on a little secret, why every vampire here has dared not move without my acknowledgment.”