Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
When we left the dining hall, Sven went to visit the woman with whom he was exchanging sexual favours for blood while Vasilios and I headed for his cell. It was fully dark out now, which meant Mack and her vampires would be prowling about, possibly searching for me.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Vasilios said, motioning in the direction of the secret room he’d discovered in an off-limits part of the prison.
“Oh,” I replied. “Right. Okay. Your magic is still working?”
He nodded. “It’s like a constant low hum now, not powerful enough to do any real damage, but it isn’t flickering in and out anymore.”
“I see. Well, can I still hide in your cell while you’re gone? Just in case Mack comes looking for me.”
“Why don’t you just come with me?” he suggested. “It won’t take long.”
“No, I’ll be fine. You go,” I replied because, although I was wary of being alone, there was no way I was sitting in that room while Vasilios showered a few feet away. It had been bad enough when I was the one showering, and I’d only gone through with it out of desperation.
“Okay, I’ll be back as fast as I can.” He sent me a meaningful look before he went, and I continued to the cell. When I got there, I remembered the toothbrush and toothpaste Sven had gifted me and savoured the simple act of brushing my teeth. It was glorious. A real birthday treat. Seriously, I wasn’t even being sarcastic.
When I was done, I rinsed my mouth out, then went and sat on the floor in the far corner of the cell where it was darkest and I was less likely to be noticed. Only a few minutes passed before Belinda suddenly materialised. I was shocked to see her since I’d almost started believing she’d moved on to whatever afterlife awaited her. But no, there she was, arms folded, a not very pleased to be there look on her face.
“Um, hi,” I said, my eyebrows rising at her prolonged silence.
She huffed a sigh then unfolded her arms. “Just so you know, I’m only here because your parents insisted and I felt bad for them.”
“You’ve been talking to my parents?” I asked in surprise.
“Your mother, specifically. She’s the only one who can see me.”
“Ah, right.” I waited for her to continue but she just stood there, glaring at me. “So, do you have a message for me or…”
“I’m still working through a lot of anger,” Belinda stated, ignoring my question. “A part of me knows my death isn’t technically your fault, but I can’t help hating you for it anyway.”
I swallowed thickly, guilt nipping at me. “That’s understandable.”
A few seconds of awkward silence ensued, then, “I went to your mother because you mentioned she sees ghosts. She’s also a sorceress so I’ve asked her to help me move on to the next stage of whatever this is.”
“And did she agree to help you?” I asked, feeling hopeful. If anyone could figure out why Belinda was stuck in her current liminal form it was my mother.
“She did, in exchange for me passing on a message.”
I sat up straight, eager to hear it. “Which is?”
She paced from one end of the cell to the other. “Apparently the arrangement that was made with the warden of the prison to have you sent here has become strained.”
I frowned at this. “Strained how?”
“Ever since I visited your mother and filled her in on the whole Red Armand theory, your parents have been trying to get you out of here, but the warden is refusing to let you go until they pay him an obscene sum of money. They thought they could trust him because he’d acquiesced so readily in the beginning, but as soon as you entered the prison he became far less helpful.”
Well, that explained why no one ever intervened during any of the horrible crap I’d endured, and why the warden, who was supposed to be keeping watch over me, hadn’t bothered to check in with me once since I arrived. My parents must’ve been driving themselves mad with worry. I met Belinda’s eyes. “Surely, they aren’t going to give in to his demands?”
“If you believe that then you underestimate how much they care for you. All the arrangements are being made as we speak and they’ll be here to collect you at some point tomorrow afternoon.” She glanced around. “So, you’ll be out of this hell hole soon enough. Something to look forward to, eh?”
My stomach twisted, not only because I hated the idea of my parents being blackmailed out of money, but also because I still hadn’t figured out how Red Armand was planning to recapture Vasilios and Sven. I no longer felt the same about those two, and it didn’t sit well with me just abandoning them there, especially if the warden really was as much of a prick as he sounded. Ugh, this was so much more complicated than I ever expected it would be.