Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 116263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
He kept alluding to it. The truth that I didn’t know him here. That he was as dangerous as he looked.
I’d forced myself to sit back from the lure of it when the server approached, carrying our order.
It did nothing to shatter the connection that strummed between us, a constant hum in my veins and a prodding from somewhere in the recesses of my soul. I was sure that I did know him, in every way that mattered.
“Here we go. Three eggs over medium with sausage and white toast.” She set a large plate in front of Pax. “And a Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream for you.”
My stomach rumbled and my mouth watered as she placed the towering goodness onto the table. It wasn’t until then that I realized I really hadn’t eaten in days. Not since before I’d been admitted to the facility.
It felt like an eternity from then.
“Thank you,” I told her.
“My pleasure. Anything else I can get for you?”
“I think we’re good.”
“Just let me know if you need anything else.”
I watched her walk away, and when I looked back at Pax, I found him staring at me. The slightest smirk hitched at the edge of his mouth.
“What?” I asked him.
“Are you eating dessert for breakfast?” The tease played across his features.
I liked it too much. Him looking at me that way.
“It’s my eighteenth birthday. I think I’m allowed.”
And that impenetrable stone that normally hardened his expression had gone gentle. “I think you’re more than allowed, Aria. You deserve so much more than this.”
“I guess if there’s anyone I could share my eighteenth birthday with, it would be you.”
My mother’s face flashed behind my eyes. My sister. My brothers.
What were they doing now? Was my mother pacing? Was she driving her minivan around the city? Was she on her knees?
My eyes squeezed closed with the weight of it.
“My mom wanted to take me to my favorite restaurant and for us to go ice-skating this weekend.” I admitted it quietly.
It felt like I was letting go of a dream. But I’d already known I had to leave. That I couldn’t stay under their watch, causing them pain.
Affliction carved through Pax’s features, and he sat forward a fraction. “I’m sorry.”
A single tear got free, and I swatted at it. “I just . . . can’t stand the thought of her worried about me. Can’t stand her thinking that I’m . . .”
I trailed off, choking over the torment.
Pax stretched his hand over the table and set it over mine.
“Wish it was different,” he said.
“I know. I do, too.” But I doubted he knew how much different I wished it could be. “So what do we do now?” I asked.
“First and foremost, we have to keep you safe. Keep moving. Stay one step ahead of both the authorities and any Kruen or Ghorl who might seek to do you harm. Beyond that, I think we need to find out why this is happening to you. How you’re healing people in the day. If there’s anyone else like you.”
My brow furrowed. “How do we do that?”
Pax blinked through this frustration. “I can’t believe that these bare specks of information about how we’ve come to be is it. I mean, fuck, we go to sleep and end up somewhere else to fight against all evils in the world? And we’re just supposed to believe we were randomly chosen to do it? I have never been able to wrap my mind around it.”
“Yeah, I’ve thought about it many times, too. It’s always felt like a bad dream—all except for the scars I wake up with.”
His nod was measured, and he took a bite of his eggs, chewing slowly before he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Don’t you find it strange that there’s never any mention of us in society? That there’s no history here? That no one has noticed and talked about us? Written about us? Even if it was chalked up to mythology?”
We knew from teachings that we weren’t completely rare. There were many other Laven families like ours. Each drawn together to their own sanctuaries and descending into Faydor in their given times.
Awareness sat heavy on my chest. “It’s because we’ve been sworn to secrecy. Told to never speak of it to humans.”
Except I’d done it. Many times over. Unable to keep the truth of who I was from bursting out of me.
“I have a hard time believing no Laven in all of history didn’t break that law,” Pax challenged.
“Like I did . . . with my parents.”
“Yeah,” he said.
“There has to be something out there. Something that could help us,” he added.
I realized I hadn’t told him my experience when Ellis had led me to the stream. “Ellis took me to the stream to seek Valeen.”
Surprise flashed through his expression. “Did you hear her? See her?”