Total pages in book: 187
Estimated words: 184867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 924(@200wpm)___ 739(@250wpm)___ 616(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 924(@200wpm)___ 739(@250wpm)___ 616(@300wpm)
She glances up at me with those doe-like eyes and snorts, amused by my victory, however small. But this victory pales in comparison to knowing I survived because someone cared enough to come and save me.
“We were all afraid you’d die on us,” Blaine says, and I look up to see him sitting in a wheelchair in the corner of the room. I swallow away my pride when the memory of him jumping in front of me to catch a bullet crosses my mind in a flash.
“You … took that bullet for me,” I mutter.
He nods. “I promised you I would guard you with my life, so I did.”
I’m moved by how far he’d go for me, all because of one good thing I did a long time ago. “And now you’re finally relinquished of your debt,” I muse.
“Don’t write me off yet, darling. I’m not going anywhere,” Blaine replies, winking.
“Thank you.” I look up at all of them. “All of you. For saving me.”
Caleb folds his arms. “You should’ve told me.” The anger practically flows off his body like lava. “You should’ve told me your dad summoned you. That he was the one who was hurting you all this time.”
I take in a deep breath. “I didn’t want you to get hu—”
“I would’ve taken all of those lashes for you!” Caleb yells.
My eyes widen.
He would’ve taken all of them … for me?
“You should’ve told me.” His voice is much more brittle than before.
“I couldn’t,” I say, my own voice cracking too. “He was my father.”
“So?” Caleb grits.
“What he means is … some part of him still craved his love.” Crystal interjects as she leans up to look at both of us while squeezing my hand. “Right?”
I don’t answer. It’s too fresh, too rough to deal with.
“You didn’t want us to kill him,” Blaine says.
I slowly shake my head, but Crystal releases my hand. “I … I …”
“Say it,” I tell her.
“I was the one who shot him,” she mutters, her gaze drifting away.
I cup her face and make her look at me. “Thank you. You did the one thing I never could,” I say. “I couldn’t ask anyone to do it for me because it wasn’t right. But you … you were the only one who really could. Who had the right.” I swipe away a single tear rolling down her cheek. “You want to know why I made you shoot Ferry? To make you feel what it was like to kill a human being so you’d be prepared when the time came to kill him. To take your revenge. And I’m proud of you.”
Now even more tears roll down her cheeks, and she falls into my chest, hugging me so tightly I can barely breathe, but it’s worth it.
“Caleb,” I growl. “Come here.”
He reluctantly agrees, grumbling all the way over to me before he too collapses in my arms, and we hug tight.
“I was worried he’d kill you,” Caleb mutters.
“I’m sorry I made you worry,” I respond.
He leans away and stares at me for a moment. “I don’t think you’ve ever said that word to me.”
“Haven’t I?” I swipe aside some of his hair. “I’ll say it a million times more if it means you’ll all stop being mad at me.”
He lets out a giant sigh. “You make it really damn hard to stay mad, goddammit.”
I chuckle, but immediately regret it because of the pain. “Then I guess you’ll just have to forgive me.”
“Fine,” he grumbles, but I know he means it.
“How did you guys even manage to get inside the casino with all those guards? I’m impressed.”
“We had help,” Blaine answers. “I know you don’t approve, but I asked them anyway.”
My eyes narrow. “You asked those Phantom bastards?”
“And the Skull & Serpent Society,” he adds, raising a brow. “Never come unprepared is what I always say. And they sure were ready for a good fight.”
“So he was there too?”
“If you mean Kai, yes,” Blaine answers.
I suck in a breath through my nose, annoyed they’d bring him.
“You never told him your father tortured you, did you?” Blaine asks.
I avert my gaze because I don’t want them to see the only weakness I have left guarded.
“You thought you couldn’t trust him,” Blaine adds.
Always prying into my mind like it comes easy to him.
“My father chose him as a successor when I failed to kill the target because Kai had no qualms about killing whoever came in his way. He and I have never seen eye to eye.”
“When I tried to stop your father from killing you, Kai snatched the whip and started lashing him with it instead,” Caleb says.
My jaw drops because I can’t believe what he just said. “Kai did what?”
“He seemed incensed, kept lashing him with zero restraint,” Blaine says. “I quite enjoyed the spectacle, to be fair.”