Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84194 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84194 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Our fight hung in the air with lashing tails, animosity rife between us. I didn’t like Cal, and he didn’t like me. A competition had sprung between us. He saw me as a threat to his position as main confidant in Sully’s life. And I saw him as the blockade between me and Sully’s potential truce.
Either way, nasty fear hissed through my blood. Could he be right? Could whatever closeness Sully and I had felt be a fleeting, fragile thing because of what I’d done? But if I hadn’t done it, I’d be on a plane right now flying to become Roy Slater’s wife.
I had no choice!
You did have a choice.
You could’ve realised that your heart is a liar and an ignoramus.
You should’ve known that you’d be scrambled from being kidnaped, trapped, and used.
What if the emotions I felt toward Sully were terribly fake?
What if I’d fallen into the same pitfalls any other girl who’d been imprisoned by a mercurial man went through?
I fell for the monster…believing I could see the good inside him, when really…it could all be a lie.
My voice mimicked a whisper as I said, “I’m not like them. I am trustworthy…if he deserves it.”
Cal snorted. “Yeah, unbelievably trustworthy. First, you run away the moment his back is turned, and then, you drug him without his consent.” He rolled his eyes. “Way to prove your integrity.”
“Integrity!?” I hissed. “How about we talk about his integrity. Your integrity. You two live on this island and play puppet-master with real people. People who had a life before Sully stole—”
“Stop.” Cal’s hand shot up. “I’m done arguing with you.”
Goosebumps shot over my flesh as he raked a hand through his hair and visibly shed his anger. He sighed heavily. “Look, I didn’t come to harass you. I actually came to save you.” He half-smirked, and our fight faded, leaving just icy worry behind. “If you must know, I came to stop him. I figured if he hadn’t finished with you by now, then you’d probably be almost dead.” He shrugged, depositing the bag on the bed by my feet. “Turned out, I’m too late to be of any use.” He looked down at his liege and master, keeping his gaze on his face and not his ass. “What I don’t understand is why he’s out cold already. He’s fit. He’s been suffering a severe case of blue balls—”
“I think…” I hugged myself, accepting his armistice. “I think almost drowning interrupted the elixir’s potency.”
“The what now?” He flashed me a look. “He fucking drowned?” Marching around the bed, he fought the mosquito net until the gauzy material fluttered out of the way. Reaching for Sully, he checked his pulse. Concern coated his face. “Why didn’t you call me? His breathing sounds weird.”
I refused to be the bad guy for not calling for help. Yes, Sully most likely needed a doctor, but I wasn’t about to go traipsing around for one, especially with my own wounds and soreness.
And if I was honest, I’d been afraid that the moment reality intruded on our private paradise, everything we’d done would be over. That it wouldn’t exist anymore.
My shoulders slouched as I sat back on my heels and dragged the sheet over my lap. That one thought revealed just how feeble this plan had been. I’d been terrified of it being over because I already knew what would happen.
Cal is right.
Sully would never permit me to stay after what I’d done.
I’d just signed my own bill of sale by going behind his back and forcing a connection when he didn’t want one.
But he was familiar!
You recognised his body.
It was him in Euphoria.
It had to be.
I shook my head as Cal grabbed his cell phone and called for a doctor. My thoughts were in shreds, blended together with doubt and confusion.
I don’t know what to think anymore.
Exhaustion suddenly crushed me, begging me to rest. To close my eyes and forget about this whole sordid day. I needed to sleep, but I didn’t feel safe dropping my guard that much around Sully, even if he was unconscious.
Sleep was a precious thing. The most vulnerable a person could be. Sully slept beside me under false pretences. He’d never have been able to rest around me without elixir draining him of everything.
Unlike him, I’d kept my faculties while sleeping with him.
And now…I’m ready to go.
To lick my wounds in private and pretend the illusion of a door between us could keep me safe from whatever future he’d paved for me.
Cal muttered something and ended his phone conversation. He caught my gaze, arching his chin at the bag he’d deposited by my feet. “Painkillers, healing creams, and vitamins. Take what you need.” His green eyes trailed over my injuries once again. “I suggest you have a bath and put arnica on your bruises. They’re gonna look worse in the morning.”