Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 114551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“Not as far as you’re hoping,” I tell him. “He’s still planning on going through with the ritual, but now it means it’s just going to be that much harder for him to see it through. He’s going to need you guys even more afterward. I know he’s strong, probably the strongest man I know, but doing this . . . it’s going to kill him.”
“It’s not going to get that far,” Sawyer promises, his hand falling to my foot and giving a firm squeeze. “We still have two days to figure something out, and I’m not giving up until it’s already too late.”
“Thanks,” I say, giving him a warm smile before turning my attention back to the bylaws, not wanting to tell him how much his faith in his ability to find a solution kills me, because let’s be honest, if we haven’t found anything yet, then it’s never going to happen.
I start flicking through the pages and quickly get lost in the ancient text, trying to learn the old phrases and chants. I get stuck on the page that details the ritual. It’s not exactly one of the bylaws, but more of a guideline of how the ritual will be performed, and it sends chills down my spine.
I find myself looking over it for at least an hour, taking in every little part, learning the chants and meanings behind each step of the ritual when Zade emerges from his room, looking as though he’s slept better than he has in weeks.
His gaze immediately lifts to mine, looking over me in his big shirt, a million messages passing between us. He doesn’t say a word, but it’s clear what’s on his mind. Though I can’t tell if he’s thinking about doing it again or ready to explode with regret. He’s always been impossible to read.
He makes his way into the kitchen, and my gaze drops back to the ancient text, unable to get past it. I scan over it again and again when I finally figure it out. “Hey, I think I’ve found something,” I say, a little unsure. “Maybe a loophole. I’m not sure.”
All heads snap toward me as Zade stops motionless in the kitchen, not a single sound, not even a breath to be heard. “What is it?” Zade rushes out, his eyes slightly widening as he snaps back into it, striding toward me and walking around the table until he’s hovering over my shoulder, staring at the pages he’s probably studied a million times before.
“I . . . I don’t think it’s moral,” I warn him as the guys seem to hang off my words.
“These people want me to carve your still-beating heart right out of your fucking chest and you want to worry about what’s moral?”
“Right,” I say, shaking off the thought and going for it, pointing out the section of the ritual I’m referring to. “This here says the ritual will commence at exactly midnight on the night of the sixtieth moon where The Circle will bear witness. All twelve members must be present to perform their part of the ritual, but . . . hypothetically . . . what happens if just one of those Circle members just happened to fall and accidentally slit their throat? They obviously wouldn’t be there for the ritual, and it won’t be able to commence. I wouldn’t be sacrificed.”
“Correct, you wouldn’t be sacrificed,” Zade says with a heavy sigh, disappointment heavy in his tone. “But it also means that I can’t complete the ritual, despite being there and present. I’d forfeit my claim and everything that I’ve worked toward, which isn’t an option for me. And more so, it means your father will gain control of Empire.”
My shoulders slump, not having considered that. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I didn’t mean to give you false hope. I just thought I was onto something.”
“You were,” Zade says, his hand falling to my shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze. “Trust me, you have no idea how many times I’ve considered that very thing just to save you, but in reality, if you somehow survive the sixtieth moon, you’re still not home safe. Your father will continue to hunt you. We can’t be wasting time searching for a temporary fix. We need something permanent. Something that ensures we each get what we need.”
“I—” I cut myself off, my brows furrowed as I twist to glance up at Zade. “How sure are you that if you fail the ritual, you won’t take the leadership?”
“Positive,” he says as Easton glances at me, probably remembering the same conversation I had with Priscilla DeVil while she played the most fucked-up version of Russian roulette I’d ever seen.
“Are you sure?” I push, twisting in my seat to face him better. “Last night in that underground compound, before you guys came in, I was asking your mom about your father’s ritual because I’ve never been able to work out how she survived, and it turns out, your father failed. He didn’t use some decoy, he sacrificed your mother. She showed me her scar. He tore open her chest, but when it came time to take her heart out, he couldn’t do it. He failed, and without a suitable replacement and the fear of a brewing war, they turned a blind eye. The Circle still allowed your father to rise in power. Who’s to say they won’t do the same for you?”