Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
His gaze met mine, sharp and unwavering. "What you just saw. The Isle has a way of making its point known. Rejecting a new life is unfortunately one of its more temperamental attributes. Yet another reason we needed you here."
I swallowed, the weight of his words settling in my chest. "Me? What do I have to do with what just happened?"
His hand tightened on my thigh, a possessive reminder of the claim he held. "You are my Diaboli. You will soon be bound to the Isle itself. Together, we will give Stygian what it needs. I can do many things, Lolita, but I cannot fulfill the role meant for you."
"If what you're saying is true," I began, my voice shaky but determined, "wouldn't that baby have lived?"
His gaze darkened, his fingers pressing a little harder against my thigh, though his tone remained eerily calm. "That child was conceived before you ever set foot here, as were the others she lost before it. Nothing will be righted until we’ve had our final Rite, and you are carrying my heir. Or vice versa."
He paused, his eyes gleaming with certainty. "Both will tie you deeper to our home."
I didn’t respond. What could I say? His words were like the chains tightening around me, pulling me deeper into this twisted fate he so easily spoke of. I turned my head, staring out the window as the car carried us closer to the estate. The trees blurred into dark shadows, the evening light casting shadows across the winding road.
My thoughts churned, but they couldn’t settle. Carrying his heir? It wasn’t just the physical act that unsettled me—it was the deeper meaning behind it. How much more could I be tied to him?
The estate grew closer, its dark silhouette looming. The car’s smooth hum was a backdrop to the chaos in my head, and I fought to keep my breath steady.
Like a crack in the suffocating fog around me, I remembered why I had wanted to leave the house in the first place.
The book. The genealogies. Erebus.
The tangled web that linked us in ways I hadn’t fully processed yet. I wanted to confront him about it, demand answers for how deeply this went but now, I was being swept into something even darker. The overwhelming truth was there, lurking just beneath the surface.
I couldn’t hide from it any longer.
CHAPTER TEN
We arrived home.
The thought slipped in so naturally, so quietly, that I barely registered it. Home.
How had I come to think of this place, this dark, sprawling estate where every shadow held a secret—as home? Alexander kept an arm firmly around me as we stepped inside, his briefcase swinging lightly in his other hand. It occurred to me belatedly that he had come straight from his work, making no detours, just to get me. He was always so composed, so controlled. There was something about that, that unsettled me.
He had left whatever business he was managing, driven across the Isle, just to ensure I wasn’t alone. Once inside, he set the briefcase down with a practiced, effortless motion, then turned to me, his arms snaking around my waist. His presence was overwhelming, as always. There was nowhere to go but closer, to sink further into him.
"I’ve missed you," he murmured, his lips brushing against mine.
For a moment, I froze. His touch was familiar, his scent even more so, but something inside me hesitated. My mind was too clouded, my body too drained. I barely knew how to respond, how to navigate the emotional tangle tightening around me. The kiss felt both real and distant, like it was happening to someone else.
I didn’t kiss him back.
He pulled away, his gaze narrowing as he stared down at me.
There was no anger in his expression, just quiet observation like he was measuring me, trying to read the mess inside my head.
"I…" I trailed off, not even knowing where to begin. My mind was a whirlwind of questions, and I was exhausted, not from lack of sleep, but from the weight of everything bearing down on me.
Alexander cupped my face, his touch gentle but firm, forcing me to look up at him. "You’re handling all of this extremely well," he said quietly, his tone carrying a hint of approval, "for someone who’s been cut off from the Isle for so long."
His words were the push I needed. This was my chance. My in. My heart raced as I swallowed, gathering the courage to ask one of the questions that had been gnawing at me. "How do you know my boss?" My words came out more hesitant than I’d intended, my voice betraying how fragile I felt.
His lips curled into a grin, slow and deliberate, like he’d been waiting for this. "If I hadn’t already seen you reading that book," he teased, "I’d be upset that you didn’t kiss me and say you missed me too—because of another man."