Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "I can't just forget about them. They're my best friends, Ky."
His grip relaxed slightly, and he let out a heavy sigh. "I know they're important to you, but right now, you need to focus on yourself.”
“If I do that, will you explain how all of this came about? Because I only have fragmented details and none of them are positive.”
His expression hardened as he processed my request. After a moment of tense silence, he finally spoke, his voice low and measured. "There are things you're not ready to hear yet, Sunshine. Just know everything was to protect you, to keep you safe."
"Protect me from what?"
"From a truth that’s going to shatter everything."
I felt a surge of frustration at his cryptic words. “Do you understand I’m not sure if I can trust my own mind?”
“You can trust me.”
I wanted to believe him I truly did, but the uncertainty gnawed at me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. I pushed myself away from him, needing some physical distance to clear my thoughts. His hand shot out and grabbed my throat, pulling me back to face him. "You can feel however you want," he growled, "even if it means hating me. But I won't let you walk away--not now, not ever." His eyes bore into mine with such raw emotion that it was almost suffocating.
“Have I ever?” The words escaped my mouth without any thought or conscious effort. I felt the sudden urge to cry, and I had no idea why. It was as if a different part of me was watching this unfold, and she despised it with every fiber of her being.
It wasn't the way he spoke or how he held me that made her heart ache, but she could tell he was in pain. Everyone was hurting in their own way.
Without warning, the lights flickered and disappeared, leaving us in pitch-black darkness. As we waited for the power to return, a red glow bathed our surroundings. In the distance, a siren blared once again, signaling the end of our brief reprieve. It was time to go back into the Devil's Playground.
Ky pressed his forehead against mine before letting go and stepping away. "Time to get moving, gorgeous." He turned and headed towards the exit of the bathroom.
My hand instinctively shot out and grabbed onto his shirt, my fear of being trapped in this small space while chaos raged outside taking hold. Doors tended to open and close without any logic in this place; it was almost as if they had a mind of their own.
He immediately understood my silent plea, not resisting or questioning my hold on him. Instead, he moved with purpose, his body language exuding a readiness to face whatever awaited us beyond the door.
CHAPTER THREE
My Sunshine, so sweet and trusting.
As her delicate fingers latched onto my shirt, a twisted satisfaction surged through me. She was placing her faith in a monster and I fucking reveled in it. It was as intoxicating as her very presence.
There was nothing in this entire fucking city she had to fear. I needed her to know—to remember—that I would protect her with every fiber of my being. Not out of any noble sentiment, but because she belonged to me just as much as I belonged to her.
It was primal. Instinctual.
I had already made the grave mistake of allowing her to be taken from me once. It would never happen again.
Leaving the syringe behind was a calculated move, a message to 'them.' Whoever they thought they were dealing with, whatever power they thought they had over us, I was determined to show them just how wrong and delusional they were. Their days of playing God were numbered, and I would make sure they begged for death soon enough.
Without a word exchanged, Grace and I made our way out the door. Her presence a constant weight on my mind, reminding me of what I stood to lose.
"What's happening? Have we been discovered?" She shouted over the blaring siren, looking up at me questioningly.
“A final commencement.” I reached out and thumbed a strand of her silky hair. It cascaded over her shoulders in messy waves, a blend of sunlit blonde and golden hues that framed her pretty face perfectly.
Her furrowed brow. "What does that mean?"
It was a ruthless culling of the weak and a fierce initiation into an eagerly anticipated bloodbath. In other words, my kind of fun. But she had no need to concern herself with such details. Liliana and Mel’s approach was perfectly timed, their sharp eyes assessing the proximity between myself and their friend. They were one of the few variables in Sunshine's orbit that I allowed to exist. If either of them was to be taken away, Gracelynn would lose some of her light.