Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 150546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 753(@200wpm)___ 602(@250wpm)___ 502(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 753(@200wpm)___ 602(@250wpm)___ 502(@300wpm)
A hand squeezes my arm as River chokes on her laugh, pulling me back slightly. “Let’s go.” She studies Katsia, her head tilting to the side as she sweeps her whole body.
When she’s back on Katsia’s face, River looks her dead in the eyes. “You’d have a better chance of me fucking you than my brother touching you.”
“He already has.” Katsia’s eyes glisten with pride, and it’s the first time since really meeting her that I’ve seen her say, or do, something her age. “Multiple times. Four? Five?” She starts counting with her fingers. “And you can’t forget the Prince Albert…”
My mouth snaps shut, and I hate that she knows something so personal about War. Again, ridiculous since he and I haven’t had any relationship above flirting, hatred, and more recently, touching. As much as he was my world growing up, he did just that.
Grew up. Grew out of me. I couldn’t even get him to fuck me once, and this bitch has fucked him multiple times. What does she have that I don’t?
I keep my face straight. “See if he fucks you again, now that he knows what it feels like being inside of me.” I meant his finger, but she doesn’t need to know that.
River stiffens, and Stella ignores it.
Katsia snorts, but falls back on the stump, her hand coming up to one of the Lost Boys. I find his eyes as they stay locked on me. I never know what to think of the Lost Boys. I’d heard different kinds of stories. There were what we were told, and then there were the stories my mom told. More of which about my uncle Daemon, who was my mom’s twin brother. A conversation I don’t touch often, especially since it’s one of the limited topics that can make my mom cry.
I turn for the clearing I saw the boys bolt through, River and Stella not far behind.
We hadn’t even hit it when River speaks first. “Are we going to talk about the fact that you and my brother are fucking?”
“We’re not fucking.” I brush her off in hopes that she’ll drop it.
“But you just—”
“We’re messing around, Riv. Don’t stress.”
She sighs. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”
Stella’s laugh is laced with mania. “I’m just surprised it lasted this long with you guys not going near each other.”
“The promise he gave to Priest.”
I stop walking, my hands coming out to stop them. “Shh.” They both pause. “It’s too quiet.”
There’s not a single sound. Not a cricket, not a bird, no rustling, no—nothing. The wind clips my ankles as I try to adjust my eyes to the sable night. Every time I blink, I see the outline of a shadow, but when I adjust again, it’s gone. Riverside is what’s comfortable. It’s familiar. I know what to expect there, but Perdita is free game.
The smell of copper travels through the wind and clings to the back of my throat. It’s warm. A pungent scent of iron. “We’re close.”
“This is game two, right? There’s still a third. Do you smell that?” River rasps.
I take another step, heading straight between two thick redwood trees nestled between shrubs. We must continue for a couple of minutes before we break through.
I stop walking and someone crashes into my back from behind.
“What—”
Flames crackle behind eight wooden stakes that stick out of the ground, as the pledges kneel in front of each one.
War sits on a stray tree trunk toward the front, his legs spread wide and his elbows resting on his thighs. He finds me instantly. Movement catches my eye behind him when Priest and Vaden shift.
“What is this?” I ask, gesturing to the scene in front of us. “It’s all very original, what with the forest setting.” I circle War. “Daddies would be proud.”
Silence. Just when I think none of them are going to answer, the corner of War’s mouth curves upward.
“What do you think we do here, Halen?” When I don’t answer, he looks behind me. “Riv? Stella?”
None of us answer. I think I start holding my breath because as much as I play a big game that us three have been training and that we hold secrets, I know that they’re the main characters here. Sure, the Fathers wanted to be more inclusive with us after my mother pulled the plug on the murderous misogyny from our history. But I’ll never get it twisted. These three are the beginning and the end.
“I don’t know. That’s why we’re here, War.” Even as scenarios filter through my mind, none of them would scratch the surface of what they do.
War holds my stare. “Come.”
One of the girls stands to her full height, her head bowed as tears streak down her puffy cheeks. She’s slim and has a tiny tattoo on her hip. She turns to face War, displaying her entire back. A clean new cut starts from the nape of her neck, tracing her spine.