Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“Yes. Here we are.” She swallowed, gazed at my mouth for a few brief seconds, and then her eyes flickered away like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t.
I ignored my own racing pulse right along with the fact that for some insane reason, I wanted to pull off my gloves and cup her face, hold her close and feel her pulse beneath her skin.
Shaking with rage that she would try to conjure that out of me, I spat, “What useless thing were you doing before they locked you up?”
She frowned. “I’m only twenty-one.”
“I know.”
“I was in school.”
I grinned. “Eagle Elite?”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “They pulled me out.”
“Because they wanted to keep you alive,” I said plainly. “And we all know who runs the University.”
“My family used to.”
“Your fucking family is lucky to still be breathing, parasites, every single one of them.”
“Better a parasite than a rapist and murderer,” she snapped back at me.
I grabbed her by the throat and shoved her back against the wall. “I’m not the rapist.” I released her throat and adjusted my jacket. “Get some sleep. I’ll take care of everything.”
“Everything?”
“Are you seriously going to question everything I do to keep you safe? Now I have to keep you entertained? I liked you better when you were afraid.”
“I’m petrified!” she yelled. “But I’m out of options! I don’t think I have anything left to lose!”
At that, I sighed. “Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea how much you have left to lose, not yet, and hopefully for you, not ever. I’d say a prayer tonight if I were you. Because the minute you were brought into this club, your clock started ticking, and one day time will run out. I’d pray for a miracle because even I can’t protect you from them if they find out and decide to shoot.”
She was silent then.
And for reasons I refused to contemplate, I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “Be ready by eight.”
She put a hand to her cheek and then dropped it.
My smile was smug as she jerked open the door to her bedroom and then slammed it in my face.
“Goodnight to you too,” I said into the darkness, and then I went into my own fortress and stupidly stayed up too late wondering how I could make it so she was here a bit longer.
If only to aggravate me to death until I tried killing myself next year.
So much anger in those eyes.
So much life.
Huh, that’s what it looked like.
Being human.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Alice
I didn’t sleep.
I was too confused.
Too hurt.
Upset.
I had no life anymore, not that I’d had one before, I just didn’t know how to navigate not only Andrei’s mood swings but the fact that I knew if I pushed him too far he wouldn’t hesitate in shooting me or torturing me. He gave off this vibe that humanity meant nothing to him, and looking at what he ran, I understood it, finally understood why he called himself a monster.
I shivered under the covers and finally threw them over and got up. I’d slept in the stupid dress because I didn’t have anything else to sleep in, and I didn’t want to piss him off again by asking to borrow a shirt.
I was just about ready to walk across the hall to the bathroom when I noticed a note on my closet door.
“Open.”
That’s all it said, “open.”
Creepy. Was he in there last night? Watching me sleep like Twilight gone bad? I shivered again then walked over to the closet door and swung it open. Immediately, a light turned on.
I gasped.
Tons of jeans, leggings, shirts, sweaters, dresses, enough clothing that it would have taken someone at least an hour or two to hang everything.
How had he done it in the middle of the night?
I walked into the closet and did a small circle. Heels, Nikes, sandals. Did that mean I was staying longer than a few days? Did that mean he was going to give me a job or something to do?
I didn’t have time to think beyond that, because there was a knock on my door and then Andrei was letting himself in.
“Good, you found clothes.” He sounded bored.
I put my hands on my hips and then realized I probably looked like I’d been run over by a truck, dark circles under my eyes and messy hair, wearing last night’s tight dress.
Perfect.
He stared at my toes then slowly made his way up, his expression somber, and then a small smile. “Trouble sleeping?”
“You could say that,” I said through clenched teeth.
“I have a doctor in the family. I’ll grab you something to help you sleep.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Would I wake up?”
“Depends.” He leaned against the closet door. “Would you want to?”
I scowled, irritated that he always had to make everything about death and darkness and couldn’t just have a normal conversation.