Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 119942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
He bit out a string of curses.
I can get out of here, don’t worry.
Don’t worry? You’re tied down!
You say that like it makes a difference. You know, you constantly underestimate me, and I’ve yet to figure out why. In truth, she was glad he wasn’t able to come straight to her. There was no doubt in her mind that she was being used as bait. After all, if her kidnappers had wanted to kill her, they would surely have done it by now; they would have taken advantage of her unconscious state. If they thought to lure Knox here, they had to also believe they had a way of containing him. She wouldn’t allow that. No fucking way.
Hearing voices approaching, Harper closed her eyes, feigning sleep. There was a loud yet smooth whirring sound…like some kind of machinery was being used. Was the door electronically locked or something? The whirring stopped and then footsteps descended the stairs, slowly making their way toward her. She counted four sets of footsteps.
“Odd that she’s still unconscious,” remarked a very well-spoken male.
I know you’re strong, Harper, but—
Shh, I’ve got company and I’m trying to listen.
“It means being anchored to him hasn’t made her as strong as we’d expected,” continued the eloquent voice. “Are you sure they formed the anchor bond?”
“Well, he calls her his anchor,” replied a coarse voice.
“Yes, Jacques, but that does not mean that they have formed a bond.”
“I figured they did,” defended Jacques.
“Yet, she remains unconscious.”
“That doesn’t have to mean anything, Alton,” said a female voice. Kendra – or whoever the hell she really was. “We don’t know enough about Isla’s bite to know how long a victim typically loses consciousness. We have nothing to measure it by.”
The bitch is here, Harper told Knox. Fake Kendra is here. She must have been hired by the practitioners, so it looks like my little theory was right.
How can you be smug? YOU’RE TIED TO A TABLE LIKE A DAMN SACRIFICE!
I don’t appreciate your tone.
“Alton, when do you want me to get a message to someone in his lair?” asked another male voice.
“Soon, Ezra. I need to be sure everything is ready before we give an anonymous tip with her location,” said Alton.
“Can I make her scream a little first?” ‘Kendra’ practically purred.
“Still sore that he chose her over you?” Jacques teased.
“It’s not about him. She should die for the agony she caused my soul.”
“Be honest, Jeanna, Knox choosing her was an ego blow. You treasure that ego.”
She huffed. “I’d already walked away from him by the time he met her, remember?”
“Yeah, but you thought he’d chase you. Instead, he pursued her. That has to have pissed you off, since you literally have the gift of seduction. Tell me honestly, did you try to seduce her, too?”
“Her?”
He chuckled. “Don’t give me that horrified look, Jeanna. Whenever a mated guy turns you down, you seduce his mate out of spite.”
“I don’t seduce them, I just make them want me so much that they beg for me to touch them…then I walk away.”
Wasn’t she just a precious little thing? Her inner demon wanted to crush her skull.
“Like that’s any better,” snorted Jacques. “Come on, tell me, did you try it on her?”
“Once. It didn’t work. She’s an awkward bitch.”
That could explain the warmth that had briefly bloomed through Harper when Jeanna grabbed her arm in the restrooms.
“Do you really think you can trap Knox Thorne?” Jacques asked.
“Any predator can be trapped with the right bait,” replied Alton.
“But can you keep the predator trapped? That’s the question.”
“Your part here is over, demons,” said Alton. “You’ve been paid, and you’ve been paid well.”
“I want to see it through,” said Jeanna.
Alton huffed. “I fail to understand why you believe you have any authority here. Ezra, please escort the demons to their vehicle while I check everything is in place.”
Someone in your lair will get a call with an anonymous tip on where I am, Harper told Knox as the voices gradually faded. It’s a trap—
I know it’s a fucking trap. His tone said he couldn’t give a shit. I’ll be there soon.
That meant she needed to get outside before the dumb motherfucker walked inside.
Once she was absolutely certain she was alone again, Harper opened her eyes and called hellfire to her hand. Then she twisted her hands enough to grip the table, infusing the hellfire into the wood. The flames burned away the rope, enabling her to free herself. Thankfully, she was impervious to any hellfire she conjured or she’d be in absolute agony right now.
Honestly, she was insulted that anyone thought rope was enough to secure her. No self-respecting Wallis would be unable to escape ties of any kind.
Harper smoothly slipped off the table. She stood still for a moment, testing the strength of her legs. Maybe it was the adrenalin or maybe it was that being anchored to Knox made her stronger, but her body was no longer physically weak. She knew that she still hadn’t psychically recovered from Isla’s bite, though.