Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 44804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Every hair on my body stands on end as adrenaline has me seeing nearly red.
I practically scream as my body burns with anger. “I’ll fucking kill him. Where the fuck is Dom?” My heart races as my hands ball into tight fists at my sides. How the fuck could he hit her?
“Knock it off, Grace!” Lizzie’s quick to tug at my arm while scowling. “And shut your mouth about Dom.” She hushes me with a tone I’m not used to and a hurt in her doe eyes that I don’t understand. “He didn’t do a damn thing to me.” I step back, the wind taken out of my sails by her offended reaction.
“He hit you.” Staring at her wide eyed with disbelief, I don’t understand how she could possibly be defending him.
“First of all, Dom has never laid a finger on me.” Her voice cracks as she speaks. “Dom loves me and so does Caleb. Caleb’s the one who used a belt to get me to open up to him. And I fucking loved it.” She points her finger at me and pushes out each choked-up word with a tone that brooks no disagreement. “You better not fucking judge me for it, Grace.”
“I—” I don’t know what to say. A numbness of regret runs through me. “I had no right to react that way. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Lizzie.” Putting my hands up in surrender, I walk toward her. My best friend is practically shaking with emotion. “I’m so sorry, babe, it was wrong of me to jump to conclusions.” She leans into me for a hug.
“Please don’t think badly of me. Don’t hold it against him,” she says softly. Lizzie pulls back with her hands on my shoulders and says, “Tell me you won’t think badly of him. Please.” My lips part, although I’m somehow able to hold my tongue. He hit her. He punished her.
“You liked it?” She nods her head and brushes the tears away with the back of her hand. “A belt?” She blushes again, bright red this time.
“I swear, Grace. It was … kinky and I loved it.”
“Okay.” I try to imagine it and then regret it. “If you’re happy, then I’m happy.” Taking a deep breath, I look right into those baby blue eyes of hers when I tell her, “But if either of them hurts you, you know you can tell me, right?”
“It’s a good hurt.” Her cheeks flush beet red before she gives me a hug as if to end the conversation there. “I love them so damn much. I’m so fucking happy.”
To each their own, I suppose. I don’t know if I’ll ever look at Caleb the same again. Between the pair of her mates there’s no way I’d have guessed it was Caleb who’d be into that. An odd feeling comes over me as a weight seems to lift off my chest. I glance at my best friend, so happy and at peace with everything. I feel like I can let go, like for the first time in our lives, she doesn’t need me. She has her mates now. Walking past her to pick up my fallen stool, Lizzie gasps and touches her chest.
“Lizzie?” The chair drops back to the floor at the sight of her shocked expression and her hand clutching her shirt.
“I feel my wolf, Grace. I feel her!” Staring at Lizzie, I’m frozen in place.
“What should I do?” I’d do anything for her, but I have no idea how to help her or what to do.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m so scared she’s going to leave me.” Tears well in her eyes again. She rubs her chest before whispering, “Please don’t leave me.”
VINCE
I’ve never been afraid of vampires. Never in my whole life have I even bothered with the thought of fearing bloodsuckers.
But holy fuck. Walking into the den of Veronica’s coven, surrounded by vampires on all sides, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a cold prick traveling down my spine and eliciting a hint of fear.
Veronica is the first vampire I’ve met who I’ve seen as more than an enemy. She’s the first I’ve been able to interact with beyond strategizing about defense and offense. I’ve seen them before, of course, from the Authority, whenever Devin invited them into our estate, onto our territory. I’ve killed them when necessary. I’ve never had to question what would happen if they attacked. Our pack would have demolished them.
There is no pack with me now, though. On their turf and highly outnumbered, I’m not naive enough to think I stand a chance against them. If they decided I was their prey tonight, there isn’t a thing I could do to win a fight against the coven.
Acutely aware of such facts, I wrap my arm casually around Veronica’s waist. I may be humbled by the terrifying thought, but I’m sure as shit not going to let them know. In my periphery, I keep tabs on them watching me.