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)
“Yet he beat you.”
“Like I said, Cerberus has an incredible tolerance for pain.”
“Men do not beat those they love.”
A sad smile curved her lips. “Even as a girl of only four and ten, I was never fanciful enough to believe he loved me. I was a possession to him. An object to use and abuse.” Her finger traced a knot in the surface of the table. “They say a mortal marriage cannot compare to the bond mates share. But I disagree. Love—actual unconditional, selfless love—is the strongest bond of all. Neither marriage or mating guarantees such a thing.”
Sympathy bloomed in her chest. Like Dane, she understood what it was to want something she would never have. Adriel had given up any hope of love a long time ago.
She reached for Juniper’s hand. “We must be patient with Dane. He loves someone who refuses to love him back. And despite her rejection, he will continue to protect her, even when it costs him. Do not make him choose. We must learn to work through our trauma, search deep inside ourselves, and find forgiveness.”
“Why does she refuse to love him?”
“Because Dane is a hybrid, and hybrids cannot be called. Grace is saving herself for her true mate.”
“How long will she wait?”
Adriel shrugged. “It could be tomorrow, or it could be centuries from now.”
“So, Dane might not even be alive when it happens?”
“We don’t know how long hybrids live. Proper nutrition plays a role, but so does lifestyle. He’s trying very hard to accept that Grace will never be his, but I fear he’s on a destructive course. We need to be very gentle with him right now. He’s lost everyone. The best way we can support him is to love him. We must show him he’s still deserving of that.”
“Fine.” She sat back in her seat. “I’ll make a deal with you, Adriel. I’ll give up my vendetta with Jonas if you give up this idea about taking your own life.”
The breath in her lungs chilled. “That’s not fair.”
“Why not? You’re the only person I have left. Like Dane, I’ve lost everyone. I can’t lose you too.”
“This is my choice—”
“Make another one.”
“There is no other. I’ve thought of every other option. I cannot go back to the way things were. I won’t.”
“Then we figure out a way to end him before it comes to you taking your own life. It has to happen. Cerberus has to die.”
CHAPTER 17
It made no sense that Juniper was this messed up over a woman she barely knew. But there was something worth saving in Adriel. Despite her five hundred-year existence, she barely lived.
Juniper needed to hone her magic. She needed to access all the hidden power inside of her. That was the only way they were going to beat Cerberus. It was the only way to save her friend.
However, that would mean actually acknowledging her vampire roots and…
Juniper swallowed, her insides souring at the thought. There was only one foolproof way to access that side of her genetics, but she wasn’t sure if she could stomach it—literally.
Ugh, the thought of drinking blood…
She couldn’t. She just couldn’t.
On top of feeling nauseous, her insides were twisted up in knots. She didn’t want to face that part of herself, but she also didn’t want to lose Adriel.
But what if this Cerberus guy was really as scary as Adriel made him sound? She was his mate, and Dane was his son, but that didn’t even matter. It took a special kind of sick fuck to be that cruel to family.
If they decided to go after him, they were all at risk. Juniper couldn’t bear any more remorse.
That meant they had to beat him. They needed a strong plan. Plus magick. They would need lots of fucking magick.
She chucked a rotten tomato into the bushes for the rabbits to eat.
“Hey.” Dane stood at the gate.
“H-hey.”
“Is it safe to enter, or are you going to pummel me with tomatoes?”
She glanced at the insane vegetation crowding the steps. “There are enough for me to do real damage.”
He dropped his gaze and softly laughed. Unlatching the gate, he approached the back steps. “I, uh…I’m sorry I flipped out. I don’t even know what I said—”
“It’s cool.”
“No, it’s not. I know more than anyone what it’s like to want revenge. My mom…”
“I know. Adriel told me.” She pushed the basket aside and brushed away the dead leaves and dirt so she could sit on the step. “She also explained the, um, Gracie thing.”
He frowned. “What did she say?”
Juniper shrugged. “That you care about her.”
Hands buried in his pockets, he shuffled closer and sat beside her on the step. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry that didn’t work out.”
“Which part?”
“All of it. Your mom, your sister, not being able to help you with Isaiah.”
“You tried.”
She had tried, but she knew very little about magick, and she’d been weak and depleted. She wished she could have done more. Maybe then his sister wouldn’t be gone, too.