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)
“No!” She threw her arms upward, pulling the energy of the moon into her battered body. The lunar force ripped through her, surging into a vortex of energy that propelled Cerberus off of Adriel and slammed him into a tree.
Adriel disappeared in a blur of motion.
Juniper held the energy, plowing Cerberus’s body deeper into the woods until her entire body vibrated as if being electrocuted. The air cracked, and time screeched as her body convulsed.
Her bones screamed as her weight crumbled, her muscles giving out as she hung suspended in the air, wavering in the centrifugal force radiating around her, and then she dropped. Her wasted body smashed into the earth with lethal force and pain exploded through her back and skull as all went black.
CHAPTER 22
Juniper gasped and jackknifed upward, her arms bunching into a defensive stance as she prepared to defend her life.
“You’re safe! You’re safe!”
Breath sawed in and out of her lungs as she scanned the bedroom. Dane stared wide-eyed, his hands held out in a calming gesture.
She was in bed, in her room, at Ruth’s. Flecks of mud and debris still speckled her hands and arms. As memories rushed back, her panic spiked. “Where’s Adriel?”
Regret flashed in his eyes.
“Dane, where is she?”
“She’s in her room—wait.”
She threw off the covers. When she tried to stand, her balance betrayed her. He caught her by the arm, saving her from falling to her face.
“You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine.” That was a lie.
Her legs were barely stable, and her insides felt like they’d survived an exorcism. She gritted her teeth as she tried to find her bearings, gripping the bed and swatting Dane’s hands away.
“Damn it, Juniper, let me help you.” He caught her by the waist.
Resigned, she steadied herself on his shoulders and caught her breath.
“There you go,” he said, voice low and eyes creased with concern. “Now, take it slow.” His hands slid from her ribs to her arms, giving her space to move.
Sunlight filtered through the pea-green curtains. “How long have I been out?”
“Two days.”
“T-two days?” How could that be? What happened in the woods? How did she get back to the house? And if she’d been resting for two full days, why did she still feel this shitty? “I have to check on Adriel.”
“June, no.”
“Why won’t you let me see her?”
“She was adamant.”
“I don’t care. She almost died, Dane!”
“So did you!” His sharp response startled her and she stilled.
Dane paced to the window, his hands forking through his hair. Strands fell from the leather tie and hung around his face. Exhaustion showed around his eyes.
Seeing how stressed he was, she softly assured him, “I’m okay, Dane.”
He shook his head and rubbed his face. “Can you just…stay in bed until you’re a little stronger?”
Her body clearly needed rest and time to recover, but she couldn’t stay there. “I need to see her, Dane, with my own eyes.” The last time Juniper saw her… “He hurt her.”
“He hurt all of us.”
Dane didn’t know about Adriel’s stupid plan. He didn’t understand how close they came to losing her last night. Cerberus had her pinned down, his claws embedded in her flesh. If Adriel had a way to end her life in that moment, she would have.
Juniper’s head lowered. A mixture of relief and fear churned in her belly. “She almost died,” she whispered, her voice constricted by heavy emotions she didn’t want to name.
“But she didn’t, June. They can’t. Her body’s healed, and she just wants to be left alone now.”
That told her everything she needed to know. Cerberus had done more than claw at her.
“Just give her time. She’ll come around.”
She shook her head. “How could this happen to her? We were unprepared.”
“No good comes out of blame like that.”
She wasn’t fishing for forgiveness. She was taking accountability. This was her fault. She should have been more aware of their surroundings. “I should have protected her better.”
“Hey.” He sat next to her on the bed and rubbed a hand down her back. “She’ll be okay. She’s alive. We all are. That’s all that matters.
His words brought little comfort. Some things are worse than death. Rather than debate him on things he didn’t understand, she nodded and dropped her gaze to the floor. They sat in silence for a heavy moment.
When she glanced at him again, she frowned. “Your arm’s better.”
He quickly covered where a large gash had been, and his expression turned guilty. “Yeah. She insisted.”
Juniper gaped at him. “She was injured, Dane! You had no right to take her blood—”
“You took it too.”
“What? Why would you let her do that?”
“Let her? She’s a five-hundred-year-old immortal, June. No one lets her do anything. She does what she chooses.”
“She shouldn’t have done that.”
“Well, you needed something. She made sure you swallowed a few drops while you were sleeping. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”