Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“It’s obvious they’re getting desperate,” Damien said. He had swapped the torn-up shirt he arrived in for a slightly oversized black T-shirt, already attracting Bambi’s hair like a magnet as she purred on his lap. “To attack our castle means they’re running out of options.”
“How many were there?” Xavier asked. He had changed into a white tank top and gray sweats, his arms crossed as he perched on the arm of the couch next to me.
“Ten of them,” Claire said. She’d been at the castle during the attack. “I took out three.” She brushed off invisible dirt from her shoulder.
“Good job, baby,” Dawn said, leaning in for a kiss.
“You’re the ones that had to deal with Shades,” she said. Her shoulders shook at the thought.
“But why would they attack the castle? Why were they so certain I was there?” Xavier asked.
“Good question,” Damien replied. “They have to be keeping tabs somehow.”
“Not great tabs, apparently,” Caleb said. He sipped on a steaming mug of green tea.
I looked to Cassius, who’d been awfully silent ever since he got here. We’d already shown him the photo of his dad and his uncle together. It had appeared to shake him quite a bit. He didn’t have an explanation as to why they’d be photographed together, especially with both of them looking so friendly. He was under the impression that they hadn’t spoken to each other in years.
Something wasn’t adding up.
Robby leaned forward. His smooth, poreless skin appeared to shine under the cool lights of the living room. “At least you guys came out of that house with some information. We’ve got blueprints to something—hopefully the lab—which means we might be able to launch a surprise attack. It could be a huge advantage in getting that dagger back.”
“Right, but now we have to find the lab,” I noted, slumping back into the couch. Exhaustion was beginning to creep up on me. I had stared death in the face only hours prior to this. The adrenaline from that encounter was long gone, bringing the pain and soreness in my body to the forefront. I stifled a yawn.
“With that picture we found, maybe we have someone to ask.” Warrick nudged his glasses higher up his nose. He looked to Cassius, who held his head up with a closed fist. “Are you okay with asking your dad about it? Maybe he’s communicated to Simon more than we know; maybe he’s let something slip.”
Cassius shifted his blank stare out the floor-to-ceiling glass that framed a peaceful desert landscape. I’d be nervous about being watched if Xavier hadn’t reassured me that the glass was one-way and bulletproof. “I feel like my dad’s hiding something from me.”
“How so?” I asked.
“He’s just acting weird. I called him, and he barely spoke to me for more than a minute. That’s not like him. Ever since my mom died, my dad and I turned to each other. I can tell when something isn’t right, and something isn’t right.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “Maybe he’s stressed. His job isn’t exactly the easiest.”
“Neither is your dad’s, and I’m sure nothing is off between you two.”
“No, it’s not…” I reached over and gave my best friend a shoulder squeeze. “Whatever’s going on, I’m sure there’s an explanation for.”
“Yeah, but what if I don’t like the explanation?” Cass dropped his head into his hands. He hadn’t eaten anything. He hadn’t shaved in a while either, and his hair was becoming as equally unruly as his beard. This wasn’t like him. He always took pride in his appearance, getting haircuts on a regular schedule and always inviting me to get facials with him. I declined, never liking people touching and squeezing on my face, but he seemed to enjoy it.
“I think I’m just going to go to bed,” he said, standing up, his gaze trained down at his bare feet. “I’ll try and call him again. If I find anything out, I’ll let you all know.”
He left the room without another word. Silence draped over us like an invisible blanket. It wasn’t a comfortable silence either. This was filled with a shared frustration. We were losing time, and we were hitting more and more walls. Not only that, but the Time Turners were growing more desperate, which put us all at risk.
“This is getting messy,” Warrick said. He drew random shapes on the blue velvet pillow he had on his lap. A tall fig tree stood next to him. It appeared as if the vibrant green leaves had all shifted in Warrick’s direction. I wondered if he did that on purpose or if nature just always reacted like that when he was around.
Damien sighed. “I just want to know how they seemed to find where Xavier is every other time they’ve attacked, but not this most recent time. What changed?”