Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 53433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
“Jeni, wait.” Ansin came up behind me and latched on to my elbow.
“What?” I snapped it back.
He held up his palms in surrender. “Just listen to me.”
“I’m done listening.” I shook a finger in his face. “I’m done waiting for you to help, to teach, to trust me. You’re the one who can’t be trusted.”
“Hey, you begged for my help, and you knew what you were getting with me.”
“Clearly a mistake,” I replied.
“We have a deal.”
“You’re playing games!” Supposedly, King was never coming back, yet here he was. I’d spent months weeping! Now both he and Ansin were dying but “didn’t know why,” and I was sucking sparkly shit straight into my chest? They had to know something, but fine.
Fuck them. I was done waiting around for these two bastards to reveal their big, dumb, secret agendas. Assholes.
Ansin looked down at his biker boots. I couldn’t ignore how haggard he looked. But instead of feeling sorry for him, I needed to use it to my advantage. “According to King, you’re going to die soon. And you’ll do it without leaving behind any hope of your bloodline making a comeback. So if you want me to play ball, stop the games.”
“Jeni, I…” His voice faded off.
“You know what? Forget it. Go freeze your sperm. Donate it to a clinic. Jerk off in a yogurt cup and throw it to people on the freeway. I don’t care.” I continued out to the sidewalk, Ansin on my heels.
“Jeni! Stop!”
I didn’t. Not this time. I would figure this out on my own. Draco was my child. I had the strongest connection to him. I could find him.
“You took him!” Ansin yelled.
Huh? I froze in my tracks and then turned to face him.
“I think you took him,” he said reluctantly.
“You think I faked his kidnapping? Why the hell would I do that?” I shouted. And wasn’t Ansin supposed to be some sort of quasi-mind reader? He’d know if I was faking my pain.
“I have spent days dwelling on how the person got into the house in Miami, past my wards. And how did they disable the alarm system? Only someone like me or King could pull it off, and it wasn’t us. But after seeing that display of yours on the plane, it all clicked into place. The only explanation is that you took him.”
“I would never hurt my ba—”
He cut me off. “That hole in your chest was a…fissure, a weak spot in a wall you’ve put up. I think you took him, and you’re the one draining us—draining everything.” He marched up to me. “Think about it, Jeni. You were terrified of Draco being used by the Seers. You would do anything to protect him.”
“Yes, but—”
“The house was locked up tight that day,” he argued. “And no one knew you were leaving but me and your dad.”
“How do I know you aren’t behind it?”
“Because I could have taken him at any point if I wanted. I could do it right in front of your face—used my voice to command you to surrender him, drown him, dump him off at an orphanage. But I chose to give you a safe haven instead.”
I knew he was right. It was the reason I never suspected him to begin with. Once, and only once, Ansin had used his voice on me. I’d been completely entranced. His abilities were undeniable.
Shit. Maybe he’s right. “But why would I take my own baby?”
“You did it to hide him.”
My mind spun in a sad, dizzying circle, and the pit of my stomach filled with a sick, heavy feeling.
He went on, “The day after he was born, the Seers stopped showing up, and you were unable to go to them. I think it’s because you began blocking anything dangerous, anything that could harm or take him away. Just like any mother might if they could.” He drew a breath. “You baby-proofed more than just your house, Jeni. And now you’re stopping anything that could lead to his whereabouts. Me and King included.”
That couldn’t be right. How could I be responsible for all this? “Then why don’t I remember?”
“You know just as well as I, with powers like ours, we can trick the mind into doing almost anything.”
I thought about when I met King. He’d brainwashed himself to forget about Mia, Arch, and Ariadna to end his suffering. “I don’t have powers like yours.”
“How do you know? Because from what I have seen, you have many powers; you simply haven’t mastered them. But trust me, they are there. I have spent my entire existence seeking powerful objects. I can practically sniff them out. Which is how I found you, my little treasure. You are, without a doubt, the most powerful Seer I have ever encountered.”
My eyes teared up, my heart aching with sadness. “If I’m so powerful, then why not fight anyone who’s a threat?”