 by Dani Rene.jpg)
Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
You may think you’re hiding something, but I’ll find it. I dig deep into the dark web when I come across her. She’s no stranger. Once upon a time, I loved her. But she walked away and I believed it was my fault.
Now I know it was all a lie she spun to keep me out of the sights of monsters.
She’s in danger, and come Christmas Day, she’s going to meet her maker.
I don’t believe in holiday miracles, but I plan to save her and take back what she stole from me. And this time, she’s not walking away.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PROLOGUE
TYE
Seventeen Years Old
The sun sets on another short, autumn day in Ballycastle. The sky has darkened already when I make my way down to the beach. Livin’ this far north of Belfast has its perks. I’ve grown up in the small town, and I know everyone. But that’s where its drawbacks seem to come alive as well.
My da is a shopkeeper in the high street, and if I fuck up, he hears about it from the gossipin’ ol’ biddies who spy from their lounge windows. When we pass by, we can see the curtains shift ever so slightly. I’m a bit of a troublemaker when it comes down to it. But Da can be thankful I don’t do drugs and shite like that.
“Tye,” the soft voice of my best friend calls my name as she nears me.
Einin has been in my life for so long, since I was a wee one, and I’ve never known a world without her. Those eyes, golden and shimmerin’, always looked at me as if I were her hero. And while I wanted to be, I don’t believe I’m good enough for her.
We’re all meant to be deciding what we want to do with our lives, but we’re not even out of our feckin’ teens yet. She smiles, and it’s as if the world spins on its axis. When I turned sixteen, I started noticin’ her more. I knew I shouldn’t because we were mates. But I couldn’t help it. As she blossomed, somethin’ inside me clicked.
“Are ye ready for this?” I ask her as I take her hand. It’s not the first time we’ve come out here, but it’s the last time we will for a wee while.
“Aye.” She nods while liftin’ her chin in defiance.
One thing about my wee bird is that she’s strong. Her personality shines through in her soulful expression. It makes me smile whenever I look at her. When there’s somethin’ dangerous to do, she’s always the first to step up and take the risk.
I lead her out onto the basalt. Legend has it that Finn McCool, a giant who lived here eons ago, created them. I’d rather believe that, than accept they were merely the result of volcanic eruptions. Einin giggles when we reach the water as we watch the small waves hit the black rock.
Reachin’ into my pocket, I pull out my pocketknife and flick the blade.
“Do ye think Finn would be angry at us doing this?” Einin asks me, innocent intrigue clear in her voice.
“Naw.” I shake my head and grin down at her. “He’ll think we’re all right,” I tell her. “You’ll be safe with me.” My words make her smile—a wide, cheerful grin that lightens her expression and makes her eyes sparkle like gold in the sunlight.
This far north, the weather can be unpredictable, but today, it’s been grand. I drop to a crouch. Einin follows suit and settles beside me. The gentle breeze along the ocean wafts her perfume into my nostrils. Takin’ a deep inhale, I smile as I start carvin’ into the rock. Perhaps we shouldn’t deface the stone, but many have done it, and deep down, I want proof that Einin existed in my life.
“I can’t believe I have to go,” she tells me then. It has been a sore subject since I first found out her ma was sendin’ her away. “And just before the fair.”
I glance over my shoulder at her. Those pink lips purse into a pout, and I’m tempted to lean in and kiss her. I’ve wanted to for a couple of years now, but I’ve always bottled it. The fear of her rejectin’ me in that way has kept me at a distance. My feelings, at least.
“I want you to stay,” I tell her before turnin’ to finish up etchin’ my name and then hers in the rock. The black basalt will forever hold our names. At least until the water eats away at it. But I’m pretty sure it will be a few hundred years before that happens. We’ll both be long gone.
“Aye, but ye know Ma is not going ta listen ta me. Even though I can finish my final year at school in Antrim. Da has poisoned her mind against the school here, and now she’s on about it being shite.” She shakes her head, her gaze lookin’ out over the water, and she focuses on the horizon, but I can’t take my eyes off her.