Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Juniper’s jaw locked as memories of torture flooded her mind. She wanted Adriel to admit she’d been complicit. How could anyone have simply sat through such awful treatment?
What if, on some level, she believed Juniper deserved their cruelty?
“Hearing isn’t the same as living through it.” She couldn’t hide the anger in her voice. “First, they removed all of my clothes. Could you hear that?”
Adriel lifted her chin but didn’t respond.
“I had to stand there, in front of a hundred immortal men, as they searched my body for markings. Could you hear my tears falling? Probably not because of that filthy blindfold they forced me to wear. Had I not been gagged like a bridled horse, you might have even heard me cry.”
“If I’d had a choice, I would have helped.”
“You did have a choice. You chose to sit there and do nothing.”
She didn’t deny it. She just held her stare, not looking remorseful or self-righteous. Just… there.
“Could you hear me when they brought in a basin and held me underwater?”
“Please stop—”
“Yes, that’s what I screamed against the muzzle. But no one heard me.”
Her gaze dropped. “They would have punished me for interfering. Females are not permitted inside of council meetings unless summoned by an elder.”
Juniper’s jaw trembled as she lifted her chin. “Would they beat you? Burn you? Try to drown you? Touch you without consent? Because that’s what they were doing to me—for months—while all of you just sat there like I didn’t matter. And maybe I didn’t. I’m not one of you. You couldn’t feel—”
“We do feel. More than you realize.”
“Really? Did you feel what I did to them last night? Could you hear their screams?”
“What are you talking about?”
“When I escaped, they were all gathered around a burning building. The fire had them preoccupied. They didn’t see me coming.”
“Juniper, what did you do?”
“I showed them what pain is.”
Adriel looked away, her brow pinched and her mouth a firm line. “My son was there.”
“I earned a right to revenge.”
“You make these blanket assumptions about my kind as if we’re all cruel when we’re not. Christian would never—”
“Your son wanted me dead.”
“That’s enough.”
“I said that too. Begged, actually, but they didn’t care.”
She covered her ears. “I don’t know what you want from me.”
Juniper yanked her hands away from her head. “I want to believe you’re prepared to fight. I’m laying my neck on the line for you. When shit hits the fan, are you going to fight? Because the days of meekly sitting on a bench are over, Adriel. There can be no hesitation. Do you understand? I need you to unlock whatever closed-off part of yourself you’re hiding in there. Fuck propriety. Fuck the rules. This is life or death, and I didn’t come all this way to die.”
“Then why did you come with me?”
“Because we’re stronger together! But I have to truly believe we’re in this together. We’re the only two people who matter now. I protect you, and you protect me. That’s where our loyalty has to lie. Not with your son. Not with the elders. And not with other immortals. I’m the one here with you.”
She nodded her understanding. “You’re right. We were taught to be pacifists, especially the females.”
“Well, fuck that. You’re tougher than you realize, and you don’t need a man’s permission to survive. You do whatever is necessary. From here on out, we only answer to each other. Got it?” She held out a hand.
Adriel stared at it. “What do you want?”
“I want you to shake it. It means you agree.”
Their hands locked and Juniper exhaled a sigh of relief. “Good.” She released her grip. “Now, tell me about Dane.”
“Dane? What about him?”
“He’s different, but I don’t understand how.”
She bit her lower lip. “Dane’s mother was a mortal.”
“And his father?”
“Was not.”
“Like…” Me, she almost announced. “How old is he?”
“Young. Perhaps twenty. He and his sister arrived on the farm after Isaiah killed their adoptive mother.”
“Adoptive mother? Was she like you?”
“No, she was mortal.”
“Does he know who his real parents are?”
Adriel’s gaze dropped. “His mother left behind journals. At first, we weren’t sure, but after some tests we found a link in his blood that connected him to Christian.”
“Christian, your son?”
Her mouth pursed and she nodded. “It turns out…they have the same father.”
“Oh, shit. You mean your psycho ex?”
“I’m afraid so. It’s how I knew Cerberus was free.”
“What do you mean free?”
Her brow pinched, and she noticeably swallowed. “In order to escape him, we needed to detain him. Cer has always possessed extraordinary strength, so I needed help. Many of the males who later formed the elder’s council came to my aid.”
“If he was so terrible, why didn’t they just kill him when they had the chance?”
“He was my mate. They did what they thought was best. Had I been able to speak at the time, I would have told them to finish him, but I could not. I was pregnant and badly injured.”