Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 62580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Still nothing.
“Hello?” I yelled, louder now.
I parted a couple of branches and came to a halt at the beginning of a large field.
The footsteps went to the middle of the field and just disappeared.
“What the hell?” I whispered to myself. “What the hell, what the hell, what the hell?”
“Thank you for coming.”
I jumped about a foot in the air and whirled, only to see nobody standing there belonging to the voice.
“What the hell?” I repeated.
“Must you insist on using such coarse language?”
That was said from my back, and I whirled, this time coming face to face with a woman that looked like she was straight out of a 1950s pinup.
That’s about the time I felt something touch my legs, and I looked down to see the toddler clinging to them, looking up at the woman as if she were scared of her.
What the hell?
“What do you want?” I asked. “Who are you? Why did you want me here? Is this normal for you to lure people out of their homes in the dark of night without clothes on in the freakin’ snow?”
The woman across from me pursed her overly full lips.
“I don’t know what he sees in you,” she snapped. “My name is Seraphina.”
I didn’t say anything.
“That’s my child.”
I again didn’t say anything.
Something wasn’t right here. Why would she allow her child to walk around barefoot in the snow? And more to the point, where the hell was Constantine? He never let me out of his sight, or out of the sight of his men. Something about my control, and me not eating like I should, or whatever.
For him not to be awake at this point, and aware, was enough to set me on the edge of my proverbial seat.
Something was seriously wrong. This woman had done something to keep Con, and likely the rest of the house, from waking up.
“You didn’t answer any of my other questions,” I said, bending down to scoop up the child.
The child didn’t protest, and the moment her cold feet touched my bare leg, I winced.
“She likes you.”
I turned and started to walk away.
“When you take her inside, he’ll wake.”
I froze and turned.
“How do you know he’s not already awake?” I questioned.
“Tell him that her grave was destroyed. He’ll understand.”
My confusion was likely plain on my face, but before I could ask her any more questions that she wouldn’t answer, she was gone, and I was left with a three-year-old that was likely freezing to death in my arms.
“Let’s go inside. You’re cold.”
“Daddy is inside?” came the little girl’s whispered reply.
I swallowed.
“Who is your daddy, pumpkin?” I hurried toward the front door that was still hanging wide open.
Before I could reply, the bellow of my name was enough to rock the roof of the compound, and people started to pour outside, Con in the front.
His eyes were wild, and for the first time in nearly a week, he made full eye contact with me.
The moment he saw me with the little girl, he took a step back.
“What are you doing?” his voice grated out. “What did you do?”
“Is that…” came Fox’s reply from somewhere beyond Constantine.
I couldn’t look away from my man, though. The pure agony on his face was enough to have me moving toward him.
But the moment I stepped foot in his direction, he took a step back.
“I didn’t do anything,” I said. “I woke up and something felt off. So I went to the window and saw her standing alone in the front yard.” I cleared my throat when nobody said a word. “There was a lady named Seraphina who said this was her child. She said that a grave was destroyed and that you would know what that meant.”
Con’s jaw tightened.
A look passed between him and Pavlov, and then he gestured for me to come to him.
I did, and each step I took, Constantine looked closer and closer to freaking out.
“Con, what’s wrong?” I asked. “Why aren’t any of you going after that woman? Who, might I add, disappeared.”
The moment I was within reach, Constantine reached out, but his hand passed straight through the little girl in my arms.
We all froze.
“It’s time, Daddy.”
The breath left Constantine’s body in a rush.
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m not ready.”
“You are,” the little girl promised. “I’ve made sure of it.”
“How?” Constantine reached forward again.
The same thing happened.
I took Con’s hand, and the moment I did, she became solid for him, too.
Con’s hand tightened on my hand, and he ran just the tip of one finger down the long strand of curls that tumbled down the little girl’s back.
“I’m not ready for you to go, Nola.”
Nola. Con’s daughter. The little girl that hadn’t passed yet. The little girl that was killed in the house fire by her mother.
Oh, shit.
“I’ll find you again, Daddy.” She smiled. “And you finally have someone that will watch over you like I did.”