Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“Why are you crying?” he murmurs.
I touch his face sadly. “Because I have seen the tyranny that is coming on earth.”
He frowns. “What did you see?”
“The singularity,” I explain. “The point where human and machine intelligence becomes indistinguishable, and humanity is plugged into a global A.I. network. There will be no privacy or freedom, and all humans will be born slaves.”
“Yes,” he confirms gravely, “that is what our ancient books have foretold.”
“But it doesn’t have it to be that way,” I say fiercely. “The future is not set in stone. We can still change it.”
Our conversation is interrupted by a wet sound coming from one of the bodies of his family. I sit up and see their bodies moving jerkily as more and more blood clots come out of their mouths.
“Stay here,” Rocco instructs, as he stands. I notice, to my surprise, that the deep cut on his wrist has completely healed over. The same has happened to me. All my wounds have healed without a trace.
I don’t look as he stabs them in the heart with Zelena’s silver dagger. One by one, they breathe their last. Then he comes to stand over me.
“It’s finished,” he says softly. Then he holds out the little pendant I had torn from my neck and flung to the ground.
I curl my fingers around it and bring it to my cheek.
“Can you walk?”
I stand, and it appears as if I have suffered no ill-effects at all from everything that has happened. “Yes, I can walk.”
“Let’s go,” he says, as he gently gathers Zelena’s inert body into his arms. We go upstairs and find the main room is full of people. They are beautifully dressed and in a celebratory mood. When they see us, they turn pale and shrink back as if they are afraid of us.
Frozen with horror, they watch us walk out of the castle.
Chapter 69
Autumn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjrOcrisGyI
-Up Where We Belong-
I do not know how Rocco managed it but we are allowed to bring Zelena’s body with us back to the States. William opens the door for us.
“Welcome back, my Lord, Miss Delaney,” he says, stepping back from the front door. His voice is as polite as it always was, but his eyes shine with a secret joy.
Rocco nods at him. “It’s good to see you again, William.”
William swallows so hard, his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. “At your service, my Lord.”
Before we let ourselves feel the relief we have of coming home we bury Zelena. In the darkness, Rocco himself digs a grave in a special spot in a sunny corner of the garden facing south, so I can see her from our bedroom every day I wake.
Rocco holds my hand as I say a prayer for her. I can’t help the tear that runs down my face. I understand that she has finished her job on earth and I understand I will see her again, but she was my guardian angel. Rocco wipes away the tear with his thumb.
Then we walk back to the house hand in hand.
We go upstairs and lay on the bed. I turn to look at Rocco. The soft light from the lamp falls on his cheekbones making them glow. God, I love this man so much there are butterflies in my belly.
“It feels as if a lifetime has passed since I was last here,” I breathe.
“You’ll never know how terrible I felt when I saw that man drive away with you. The helpless rage I felt when I couldn’t come after you. I never want to be without you again, Autumn. It was unbearable.”
“Oh, Rocco. I’m sorry I made you suffer, but you’ll never be without me again, my love. I belong to you.”
He rises from the bed and goes to his cupboard. He opens it and comes back holding a black box. I sit up and watch as he opens it and puts it in front of me. There is a diamond ring inside. It looks very old and very valuable.
“Where did you get this from?” I murmur, staring at the stunning stone.
“From my art dealer. I didn’t think I would ever be able to give it to you, but I accidentally saw it in his suitcase when he came to show me a new work of art he’d acquired for me.”
“So it’s not a family heirloom. You bought it for me?” I ask, looking up into his face.
“Will you marry me, Autumn Delaney?”
I exhale in a rush, and start grinning from ear to ear. “Thought you’d never ask, Count Rossetti.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes, that is a big, fat yes,” I shout happily, flinging my arms around his neck and clinging to him like a monkey and kissing him. He tastes like home. Finally, he is mine. And only mine.
Eventually, he puts me down on the bed and slips the ring on to my finger. “I love you, Autumn. I never thought I could love someone the way I love you. Without you, life has no meaning. I was ready to end it all if things went wrong in Scotland.”