Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he looks away from me and stares at her. I see the way she is looking at him—it’s the way I look at Grim.
Something you want but you cannot have.
“I’m going to come back soon and bring a visitor. Aren’t you excited to have your first visitor?” the queen asks me.
I say nothing. I don’t trust her, and speaking would only spur her on. Plus, I’m currently lying in a puddle of my urine. She doesn’t care about me. She cares about only one thing—and that’s power.
People in power always win.
I heard that once, and I hope to God it’s not true.
I’m getting cold. It’s as if the air has become frigid since I woke up. My teeth are chattering from the shivering. The door creaks open again and I turn toward it. What else am I to do, stay where I am doing nothing? I’ve done enough of that.
Now, I’m getting angry, on top of being hungry and scared.
I want to see my sisters.
I can feel my power simmering below the surface, unable to come out but wanting to more than anything.
“A visitor, as I promised. Bronik is going to sit you in a chair. Remember, Talia, hands to yourself.” Bronik carries a chair over and places it behind me, breaks the hold on my wrists, and sits me in it. He grabs each hand and ties them behind my back before he walks back to the door. My feet are still tied, keeping me from being able to make a run for it. I look up again, unable to move, but glad for the change in position.
“Tanya.” The word echoes as it leaves my mouth. Tanya stands next to the queen, her head down, biting her lip. My eyes scan over her to make sure she is okay, and I see nothing wrong with her, not even a scratch. In fact, she is dressed well, her hair is done nicely, and her face is glowing. Even if she is hiding half of it from me.
“I see you are happy with your visitor.”
I say nothing. It could be an illusion for all I know. But my sister looks alive and well—better than well, actually.
She looks happy.
Apart from right now, where her head is down, and she won’t even spare a glance my way.
“Tanya was kind enough to tell us all about you,” the queen says, and my eyes fall to the queen, looking as happy as a schoolgirl on her first day, as she speaks. I want to tear her words from her throat and shove them back to make her choke on them. But that’s impossible in my current state, tied down and covered in urine.
To cut her and watch her bleed would be incredibly satisfying right now.
“You are glad to see your sister, are you not, Tanya? I know you have enjoyed your time here. Would you like to go back and be with your sisters?”
That gets Tanya’s attention, and she raises her head to the queen and shakes it, words spluttering from her mouth. “No. No, please, can I stay? I did as you asked.”
Tatiana would be so sad right now to witness this.
Me? Well, it simply makes me angry. Furious. Tanya has a good heart, and the queen has been using that to her advantage.
“Of course you can. Just tell your sister to give me what is mine, and you can stay here with me.”
I glare at the queen, her mouth a thin line as she glares back.
“I know you have to give it, I’m not stupid.”
The problem is, she is stupid. This power that I have isn’t mine to give. I take, borrow, but I cannot give power.
I hold my head high as I look directly into her eyes. “You must be, because if you were smart, you would know I cannot give it.”
She moves, and in an instant, she is standing in front of me. She is careful not to touch me as she leans in close. So close I can smell the mint on her breath.
“If you can take, you can always give. It only means we have to work out how. And believe me, trash, we will find a way for me to have what you have. Even if I have to make a deal with the devil. I’ve done it before, and I will do it again.”
Ignoring the queen, I see my sister staring at me. She looks down to the floor when my eyes meet hers.
“Tanya, Tatiana is waiting for you to come home.” Tanya’s eyes close and she squeezes them tight.
The queen steps back until she is next to her and places a hand on her arm. “But she is home, aren’t you, my dear?”
Tanya nods her head, not disagreeing with her.
Then the queen addresses me again, “But I do have someone else I thought I would maybe bring in to persuade you. I was hoping you would do so easily, knowing how I have looked after your sister so well. But you haven’t, so I guess we’ll have to try another way.” Her hands raise and she claps them once.