Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Her body still trembled slightly from the shock of everything that had happened, but I could feel the way she relaxed into me, as if being near me soothed the fear that had gripped her. She instinctively sought comfort in my arms. It was telling of how far she’d come.
As the car pulled up to the estate, I told Isaac to keep the engine running, and then gathered Lolita into my arms, not wanting her to walk without shoes in the cold rain. She pressed against me, still trembling, her soaked dress clinging to her body. Esther was already at the door, her expression calm but her eyes sharp as she opened it for us.
Inside, the warmth of the estate wrapped around us, but I didn’t stop. I took her straight back to the room where I’d first brought her—the room she’d woken up in, confused and chained, what seemed like a lifetime ago now.
She noticed immediately, her body tensing in my arms as her eyes darted around the familiar space. I had no intentions of chaining her up again, this was simply the nearest room to get her situated in. I made a mental note to have it turned into a playroom. It had a spectacular view, after all.
“Shh,” I soothed her, sitting her gently on the bed. I could feel her fingers gripping my shirt with her good hand, refusing to let go. I didn’t push her away, though the part of me that needed to storm out and handle the mess out there was clawing at me.
"Esther and Verity will tend to you now," I told her softly, brushing her hair back from her face. “I’ll be back soon to deal with… this.”
Her hand tightened; the fabric of my shirt bunched in her fist. Her eyes, wide with fear, held mine, pleading for something I couldn’t give her at that moment.
I cupped her face, and kissed her—rough, demanding. I needed to ground her. To remind her of what was ours, what we shared. I couldn’t comfort her with promises, not now. Not when the fury was still burning in my veins. She melted into me, her trembling fading as the kiss deepened, her grip loosening just slightly. That was all I needed.
“I’ll come back to you,” I assured her, the words deliberate. I knew exactly what I was doing, keeping my voice steady, making sure she felt it. Every word was calculated because I knew how much power I held over her now. As I stood, she watched me, her eyes still holding a mix of relief and fear. I turned, brushing past my sister in the doorway. “Make sure you clean her hand,” I ordered.
Esther nodded, stepping aside as Verity followed her into the room.
I knew they’d comfort her in ways I couldn’t. I headed back outside, the rain still coming down hard. My clothes were soaked through, but I didn’t care. The Isle’s anger had calmed some, but it wouldn’t be satisfied until I handled what had been set into motion.
Isaac didn’t say a word as I got into the car, but the look on his face told me everything I needed to know. He knew what had to be done, just like I did. The ride back to Carcerem was silent, the rain still coming down hard against the windshield, creating a steady rhythm. As I arrived at the stone fortress for the second time that day, I told him, “It’ll be a while.”
Isaac cut the engine but didn’t move to leave. Instead, he looked at me with steady resolve. “I’m coming with you.”
I nodded once. There was no point arguing with him, not when I knew he had just as much of a stake in this as I did.
He wasn’t just my driver—he was loyal, and he understood the gravity of what was about to unfold. We stepped out of the car together, the rain soaking us through as we crossed the stone courtyard toward the looming structure. Carcerem’s walls towered above us, dark and foreboding, but that didn’t faze me. The air was thick with the Isle’s fury, and I was ready to soothe it.
Inside, the stone floors echoed beneath our boots as we made our way to the elevator. I pressed the button for level 4, the worst place in the prison. The air shifted as we descended—thicker, darker, more suffocating. The screams and wails of those contained here had long since faded into the background, replaced by the oppressive silence of the damned. Level 4 wasn’t for the weak. It was for those beyond redemption, those who had crossed the lines so far that there was no coming back. And today, I would be dealing with two such people.
The elevator doors opened with a low groan, revealing the dimly lit corridor ahead. The walls here were made of cold stone, damp and cracked from years of holding prisoners who had lost all hope. It smelled like rot, shit, and despair, the kind of place that sucked the soul out of a man before he even set foot inside. I didn’t have enough of one to be at risk.