Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 150546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 753(@200wpm)___ 602(@250wpm)___ 502(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 753(@200wpm)___ 602(@250wpm)___ 502(@300wpm)
I straighten. “I can’t do anything to distract her.”
“You being around is enough, but we will do what we need to on our end as well. Madison is adamant on what she wants.” His brows pull together.
“And you?” The question is an obvious one.
He doesn’t hesitate, as if he’d recited his answer over and over again. “She may be my princess, but her crown is one of a King. She will deal with it. We will deal with it when the time comes.”
I’m not sure I will if it’s her.
Present
Satin sheets fall from my body as my legs swing over the bed. Fuck. I came in here last night with the full intention of fucking her to death, but I think it ended up being the other way around.
I drag my hand down the side of my cheek, turning over my shoulder to check on Halen. The spot where she was sprawled out on last night is empty.
I’m off the bed in an instant, adrenaline swallowing my fatigue. I check the bathroom.
Empty.
Closet, empty.
Shoving on my sweatpants and leaving everything but my phone behind, I make my way out the door and down the wing of their level, just as Priest is closing his bedroom.
“Where’s Halen?” The pounding of my heart doesn’t let up. I’d never felt panic to the full extent, and if it’s anything like the insistent tempo thrashing against my rib cage, I’m out.
He scans me up and down. “It appears I should be asking you that?”
“She wasn’t there when I woke.” Her door clicks shut.
After a minute of what I’m sure is him counting down from ten to not kill me, we both make our way down the stairs in silence. There’s an echoing void in my chest that makes me want to shove my fist inside and tear out.
“Nah, something’s wrong.” Even though the absence of her twists in my gut, I still search through every room she’d usually be in, settling on the family room where Stella’s laying out across the sofa.
Her face pales when her eyes land on me. “What’s wrong?” The spoon she’s fisting drops to her bowl.
“Halen wasn’t in bed when he woke up this morning and now he’s freaking out.” Priest’s tone may as well had come from a fucking corpse.
Color pumps back into her face. “We chilled at Evie’s last night. After you told River and I to leave you both alone, we crashed in the playroom.” She rolls her eyes. “So long as you didn’t say anything dumb like usual, she’ll be fine.”
“I didn’t.” I can’t be bothered with an argument, so I start scrolling through my phone with my thumb. “She wasn’t right in the head last night. Thinks she saw some blood on her hands or something. I fucked her back to sleep but I don’t know. Haven’t seen her do something weird like that since she was young.”
“Wait—what?” Stella leans forward and places her bowl on the table in front of her. I have her attention. Good. I think.
Priest watches me carefully from the other side of the room. The fact that he’s silent only means he’s processing everything.
“I don’t know!” I grind my teeth to stop myself from snapping at her. “There was this one time years ago where I once found her asleep in the middle of the field behind the church. She seemed fine but I still watched her for a little while after since this asshole didn’t.” I jerk my thumb at Priest.
“Careful…” Priest warns.
Stella’s shoulders fall as she releases a breath. “Okay. We need to go.”
“Hold up!” Priest lifts his hand. “What the fuck are both of you talking about? And where the fuck is my sister?” I take it the processing is done.
Stella tucks her long hair behind her ear. She’s nervous, which in turn doesn’t help my unease. Stella is hardly ever anything but confident.
She picks up her bowl and stands. “Call Vaden and River. We need to leave. Now.” Her shoulders brush mine in passing, but my hand flies out to stop her. “Stells.” I search the different colors of her eyes. The weakness of her smile tightens. “We don’t ask for much within our family. We trust each other enough to respect when the other is ready to talk, but you need to tell me this right now. Is she in danger? Because if she is, they can fucking wait.”
“I don’t know where she is. I believe it’s happened enough times for her to not be in any real danger, but—"
My grip releases from around her arm before I swing my eyes to Priest. “We’re leaving, now.”
Priest blinks back at me, the shadows around him darkening.
“If—” I step closer so no one else can hear but him and I. “—you can reach inside that dead little soul for your sister and help me figure out what the fuck is going on, you need to do so right now, before I shove my hand into that cold heart of yours and tear it out. The EKC is priority, I know, but Priest, she is the EKC.”