Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Honestly, her questions were endless, which only further proved there was something wrong with her. After years at the mercy of the so-called “good ones,” only an idiot would voluntarily hang out with an immortal. Yet here she was.
Maybe she should leave. What if teaming up with Adriel was a terrible mistake?
Uncertainty played like a tennis match in her head, each little consideration amplifying her trust issues. Three problems kept her here—fear, poverty, and utter exhaustion. Also, she didn’t want to abandon Adriel because part of her was starting to really like her, aside from the whole vampire thing. But who was she to throw stones at glass coffins?
Once she rested, she’d think more clearly. Then, she could figure out a plan to make some money. She was never going to feel safe until she found her own independence and her own place to stay, a place free of bloodsuckers and far removed from the drama that now consumed her life.
Was such an existence even possible anymore? She needed to learn as much as she could about vampires while she had access to one—damn it! Immortals! Why couldn’t she get that straight?
Setting the brush on the dresser, she gasped and spun, certain she saw something move, but nothing was there. Her eyes played tricks on her as trees cast shadows on the windows reflected in the mirror. It was enough to chase her out of the attic for a while.
She found Adriel and Ruth on the first floor in the front room with the wide bow window. Ruth’s chair sat alone on a braided rug facing an old television. The wood floors had three deep grooves where a grand piano might have once stood.
Juniper stepped into the den but lingered by the door, measuring the room's energy. It felt safe and oddly warm, as if they were actually welcomed here. That glamour trick had some horsepower.
Adriel turned from the window and silently studied her for a moment. “Are you feeling better?”
Juniper hated that she had witnessed such a weak moment. She nodded. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing of importance.” Adriel moved to the chair beside Ruth’s, but her gaze never drifted to the television. Juniper supposed such modern technologies would be foreign to someone who spent centuries living on an Amish farm.
She glanced at the older woman. “Is she okay?”
“She’s comfortable. You can talk to her.”
Juniper looked at Ruth but said nothing. It had been so long since she’d interacted with anyone normally. She forgot how to make small talk, so she formed a fake smile and turned her attention back to Adriel.
“You should rest.”
Were immortals nocturnal? Did they sleep? Despite how cozy they seemed, Juniper didn’t like the idea of leaving her here alone with Ruth.
“I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I tried. But you should rest.”
She was exhausted, but sleep would leave her vulnerable. “We both should. We don’t know what will happen next, and we need to be ready for anything. That means rested and strong—both of us.”
Adriel touched Ruth’s hand and whispered something to the woman. The little old lady’s eyes glazed.
Adriel stood. “My head has a strange ache.”
“You mean a headache?”
“Immortals do not suffer such things. But it does pound.” She glanced at the plaster wall where a dated electrical switch hung. “I’m not used to this buzzing. My senses are overwhelmed, and I feel…drained.” Her head cocked. “Are those Ruth’s clothes?”
“I guess. I found some stuff in the attic.” Juniper leaned into the thick wooden molding. “Pretty vintage, huh?”
“Vintage?”
“Yeah, you know…old.” Recalling Adriel’s age, she cleared her throat and clarified, “Classic.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
Juniper frowned. “I guess you Amish don’t follow fashion the way the rest of the world does.”
“No.”
When the silence stretched between them, Juniper gestured to Ruth. “Can she hear us?”
“She’s not listening.”
“Then maybe this is a good time for us to talk. I need to know everything you can tell me about who we’re running from and why.”
Discomfort clouded Adriel’s expression as she paced to the window, ensuring that the drapes were drawn and no one could see in. “We are not running from anyone. I’m running. You’re welcome to leave at any time.”
Back to this. Juniper was glad not to be a prisoner, but she needed some time to find her bearings. “You’re always trying to get rid of me. I can help you—”
“This isn’t about your value to me, Juniper.” Adriel studied her for a long moment and frowned. “You’re young. It’s not too late to start over. You can do whatever you want now.”
“Not without a place to live or money. Regular people don’t know how to live off the land and build barns in a day.”
“Don’t you want to move on and find happiness?”
“Happiness?” She laughed at such a notion. “How am I supposed to move on when I have absolutely nothing?”