Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 132582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
I can’t help the smile that takes over my whole face, or the bombardment of heat swimming through me. “Thank you,” I say, voice soft. “For the flower…and the story. As for my hair, they’re called locs. Lots of Black women have them.”
“They look great on you.” He lowers his gaze, a small smile on his lips. “You’re right about my family, though.” His head lifts back up. “We should get going before they get concerned for both of us.”
“Yeah.”
“Cerberus!” he shouts, and in only a matter of minutes, I hear his paws pounding into the ground. Cerberus appears, panting, his black fur shimmering in the moonlight. Caz drops to one knee and rubs the top of his large head.
“A good boy, eh?” He strokes him under the chin, and Cerberus leans into Caz’s touch.
“Do you think Silvera will come?” I ask.
“I’m sure she will if you call for her.”
I look ahead, in the direction Cerberus came from. “Silvera?” I don’t call her as loudly as Caz called Cerberus, but she appears just as quickly as he did, her tail wagging, silver eyes glowing in the dark.
“There you are!” She stands beside me, and I smile as I scratch behind her ears. “Thank you for leading me here, homegirl.”
She rubs her muzzle on my leg.
“Homegirl?” Caz asks. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Oh—it’s a saying.” I crack a smile. “It’s like calling someone your bestie.”
“Bestie?” He raises a confused brow.
“Wow. I have so much to teach you about my world,” I laugh.
He chuckles. “Right. Well, fill me in on the way back,” he says, fixing his collar. He walks toward the cabin, Cerberus at his side, and I follow his lead. As he goes up the single step in front of the door, I watch him fish around in his coat pocket for his gloves and slip them on, and I’m reminded that the Caz I’m with tonight won’t be the same man once we walk into his real home. He’ll have to return to his violent acts, his nonchalance, and his take-no-shit mentality because he has to. It’s how he protects himself, and how he maintains order of Blackwater.
I see why he wants to stay here at the cabin. Here, he can be himself. There’s no point in hiding what he wants or how he wants things. But to everyone else, he has to put up a shield because any sign of weakness can lead to his demise.
Caz has me put on a shirt to conceal my upper half. He’s still not satisfied with my legs being out, but in his words, “It’ll do for now.” Afterward, he collects his guns and a few other items from the cabin, then walks outside again to untie his horse.
“What’s his name?” I ask.
“Onyx,” Caz says, then wraps his hands around my waist. “Up you go.” He helps me onto the horse, and I gasp as I sit on his back.
“I’ve never ridden a horse before, Caz.”
“Do you not have horses where you’re from?”
“Yes, we have horses, but people aren’t really getting by on them in the city. Everyone drives cars.”
“Well, this isn’t the city,” he says, climbing on behind me. He slides in close, his breath trickling past my ear. Goosebumps sweep across my skin, and I feel a clench between my legs as he drops his hands to clutch the reigns. “And he’s a wild horse at heart, so you better hang on.” When he says that, he loosens the reins and Onyx takes off, jerking us backward. Our wolves run on either side of him, and at first, it’s terrifying riding on the back of a horse—especially at night. It’s dark and I’m not sure how he can see anything, but he gallops flawlessly between the gaps of the trees, leaping over fallen trunks and ducking under low-hanging branches like he’s done this many times before.
My heart beats a mile a minute, but as I look ahead and we reach a clearing, I realize how freeing this is. The air is cool and comforting, running through my hair. Caz steers his stallion, tugging on the reins to control Onyx’s speed, and never in my life have I felt so liberated.
As we ride through the clearing, mist sprinkles from the sky, droplets clinging to my skin.
“You’re radiating joy,” Caz says on shell of my ear.
“You can feel that too?”
“I can.”
“Well, I can’t help it! This is a first for me!” I laugh.
“Yeah.” He chuckles, a comforting sound from him. “It’s a first for me too.”
Sixty-Eight
WILLOW
At the sight of Caz’s mansion standing like a gothic tower in the night, I’m filled with relief. There are lights on inside, casting a gold glow, and smoke billows out of one of the chimneys.
After Caz takes Onyx to the stables, we journey across the field to get to the door. Caz opens it and walks inside, and I follow after him while our wolves decide to stay outdoors. When the door creaks and slams shut, he walks down the foyer, checks the den, and then his office, until finally stopping at the kitchen entrance.