Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Helios growled her name and sucked on her neck hard as he came, his seed exploding inside her powerfully enough to make his hips shake.
“I love you, MJ,” Helios whispered when he recovered.
No answer.
When he lifted his head to check on her, MJ was red-faced, a sheepish smile on her face.
“MJ?”
I lost my voice, she mouthed at him.
His eyes widened.
Her eyes narrowed. Don’t you dare laugh—
But he was already laughing. “We should go back down now, sweetheart. I think I want to share this with the others.”
Don’t you dare—
MJ COULDN’T HELP BUT smile and roll her eyes at the same time as she made her way out of the club’s headquarters, feeling Helios’ arrogant and possessive gaze following her all the way. Oh, the man was insufferable now, forcing her into situations where she had to talk but couldn’t and he had to explain why.
Making her way to the lab, she was working on unlocking the back exit when she heard the cock of a gun behind her.
And then a familiar voice—
“What took you so long, you damn kid?”
Before she could even think of struggling, something hard and heavy hit the back of her head and she felt herself going down. As she started to lose consciousness, she caught sight of other figures moving in the shadows. The scent of fire hit her. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the lab catching fire. She tried to shout, but her voice didn’t come back to her miraculously.
The last thing she saw was her father’s smiling face, and it was a smile that made her want to puke.
Swish.
Part Three: Click
Prologue
DANK FLOORS, PITCH-black darkness, and the stench of days-old urine mingling with the odor of sweat and human waste. Things like that made it easier, safer, to just go crazy, especially when I thought of the fact that it was my pee...my waste...I was sitting next to.
A shudder ran through me, and I fought hard against the insidious urge to take the plunge and just end it.
Breathe. Relax. Keep your eyes open.
I repeated the words to myself silently in my mind while I rotated my ankles and wrists. All of them were chained, but I wanted to keep my limbs moving. Skin scraped against skin as I stirred on the ground. Somewhere along the way, someone had torn off my pants, leaving me in my shirt and panties.
Stay focused. Breathe. Be ready for anything.
Usually, those words were enough. But right now, I was feeling more than a little hopeless, forcing myself to seek comfort in make-believe.
Helios?
You should have called for me sooner, brat. His voice was a loving growl, just like the real Helios’. The voice came from the back of my mind, like Helios was standing behind me...but not letting me see him. He sounded so close it made me want to cry.
I want to see you. Please.
No.
You’re so selfish.
You still can’t see me.
Why?
Because I don’t want to spoil you too much. You need to be stronger right now, not weaker. I’ll let you see me naked—
I just want to see you, not “see” you like that!
Silence—
Are you sure? Helios’ voice was both a taunt and a teasing purr. It made my stomach twist for a reason other than fear, which lately was all that I had been feeling.
Shut up.
Silence again—
No. That’s what I would never do right now. I’ll always be here for you, brat. I’ll keep you company while we wait until I find the bastard who took you and—
“Are you awake?” A hoarse voice, followed by the sound of rattling chains.
Helios’ voice disappeared like I had never heard it. Like it was just a figment of my imagination, which it was, but I was trying my best to ignore that fact.
“MJ?”
His name was No. Or at least that was what they told him, he said. We were both sure it wasn’t true. The man who held us captive, the gender of his victims didn’t matter to him. What he cared about was how much fight you put up. He paid highly for those who resisted and killed those who dared bring him something weak.
No knew all about this because he had been around the longest, he told me proudly. He resisted every time.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him how wrong it was that he sounded so proud of doing what the man wanted, couldn’t let him know that I had a feeling he had already given up even if he thought he was still fighting.
“Yeah.” My voice was hoarse and knife thin. One word, and it felt like I had sliced my parched throat open. I wished I knew how many hours it took to feel this thirsty, but since James hadn’t ever thought of torturing me this way, I had no previous experience to rely on.