Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
I wouldn’t.
I pulled back, digging my heels into the ground. "I’m not going!" I yelled, the words tearing from my throat with more force than I expected. Nicolette glanced back at me, her expression unreadable in the torrential rain, but William was quicker. His hand clamped down on my arm, yanking me forward so hard I nearly lost my footing.
"You are going!" he shouted, his grip bruising. "We don’t have time for this!"
My heart pounded, the fear gripping me more tightly than ever. The fight inside me surged up. I wasn’t running. Not now. Not like this. Through the downpour, I could hear what sounded like shouting, muffled by the storm. The wind howled, and a deafening clap of thunder shook the ground beneath my feet. I struggled against William, his grip on my arm tightening as I fought to break free.
“Let go of me!” I screamed, wrenching my arm free, and shoving him with all the strength I could muster.
My boots slipped in the mud, and I fell backward, landing hard on my ass. Pain shot up my spine, and my hand sliced open on a jagged rock as I hit the ground. I gasped, looking down at the blood pooling in my palm. I heard a scream—Nicolette’s drowned out by the storm.
I blinked through the rain, peering toward the edge of the embankment, where William had disappeared. I crawled forward, wincing at the pain in my hand, my fingers trembling as I dragged myself closer to the edge. Peering down, I saw him lying twisted and broken, one leg bent at an unnatural angle, his torso contorted grotesquely. Bones jutted out from his flesh, jagged and white against the darkness of the storm. He was alive—barely—but the agony in his eyes was something I couldn’t comprehend. The sight made my stomach turn.
"Shit," I breathed, my heart racing. I hadn’t meant for that to happen. I hadn’t wanted this.
Nicolette, her voice filled with rage, called me a name, but her words were lost in the storm. She kept moving, determined, heading down the embankment toward the boat at the bottom.
I turned back, glancing up. The wind and rain lashed at my face, stinging my eyes, but I knew that heading toward Nicolette was not an option. She wasn’t a safer choice. In fact, she felt more dangerous now than ever.
I kicked off my boots, the cold mud squishing between my toes, and shoved my wet hair out of my face. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself and began to climb, each step upward a battle against the slick rocks and the pull of gravity. I needed to get away, to find safety—away from Nicolette, away and whatever madness she was suffering from.
I froze, straining to hear over the relentless storm the sound of men's voices. Shouting. And then—dogs barking. My heart leapt into my throat. Glancing down, I paused to catch my breath, blinking against the rain as a flurry of movement unfolded below.
Masked and unmasked disciples scattered across the ground, surrounding Nicolette as she tried to make a desperate run for the boat. Before she could reach it, a blur of black shot out from the shadows—a dog. It leapt, fast and fierce, tackling her to the ground. My stomach twisted as I watched her go down, her screams swallowed by the storm.
Swallowing hard, I turned and forced myself to keep climbing, slipping on the wet rocks. My breath came in choppy bursts, my fingers aching, blood still dripping from my cut hand. I was almost there—almost to the top—when a hand suddenly clamped down around my arm. I screamed, panic overtaking me, but then a voice broke through the storm.
“It’s me, Lolita.”
I looked up, my vision blurred by rain and tears.
“It’s alright, deliciae.” His touch, firm yet careful, guided me the rest of the way up the steep hill, never letting go. "Easy."
At the top, I barely had time to catch my breath before he lifted me effortlessly into his arms. His clothes were soaked, just like mine, and yet all I could do was press my head against his chest, the warmth of him grounding me against the cold chaos of the storm. His heartbeat was steady beneath my cheek. He carried me through the woods, moving with purpose, the storm raging around us but distant now.
Finally, I was placed in the back of a car. Disciples hovered nearby, masked and ready. I could see more vehicles blocking off this part of the Isle altogether. I sat there, soaked to the bone, my body trembling as Alexander gently closed the door behind me. The world outside the car was a blur of rain and shadows, the storm still raging.
Inside, there was only the sound of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears, and the question that gnawed at my mind.