Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 63709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
A gust of wind rushes past me, stirring the flowers. It whips the fallen petals into a mini tornado and spreads them out in front of me to form a long, black-red carpet leading to the side door.
All righty then.
“Magic isn’t real,” I mutter. The wind stirs the petals at my toes as if in rebuttal. But I catch a bigger whiff of the enticing cedar scent and can’t stop myself from hurrying forward, through the door and into the castle.
“Hello?” I'm in a vast space, a ballroom of some sort. There are gilt-framed portraits and shadowy shapes of furniture lining the walls. The scent here is stronger, more concentrated.
The further I venture into the ballroom, the brighter it gets. The light is emanating from the ceiling, where a thousand tiny points glow like stars. Beneath the cedar scent, the space smells clean. This isn’t a ruin at all.
A huge statue looms in the center of the room. It seems to depict two figures standing side by side, and one has a hand on a third, smaller figure between them. Two parents and their child? The statues’ heads have fallen off, and there's no sign of them.
Something moves in my peripheral vision, but when I turn, there’s nothing there. I grip my knife tighter and swallow past my suddenly parched throat.
“Is anyone there?” The wind picks up, tugging at my skirts.
At the end of the ballroom, what feels like miles away and up the stairs, a door slams.
That's not creepy at all. Goosebumps run up and down my legs and arms.
Why did I think this was a good idea? What did I think I was going to do? March up to the castle and find an information booth? Submit a petition?
“Hello? King?” I call. If I keep talking, I won’t have time to dwell on my fear. “Hey, King, your people need you.” I move past the statue, towards the stairs. Was that just a movement in the shadows on the second floor?
I clench the fist not holding the knife. If there’s someone here, they are damn well going to listen to me. “I don't mean to intrude… Actually, no… I do mean to intrude. If you're the king, you should do something. Your people are dying. They’re saying the curse has returned. The Red Death. It’s time to wake up and help them.” My voice echoes off the walls. Help them help them help them.
I’m gripping my knife so tightly, I can’t feel my fingers. Did it just get colder?
Another statue is lying at the foot of the staircase. This one is even bigger than the first—or it would be if it was upright. Someone must have tipped it over. It’s broken into several pieces, and chunks seem to be missing. Scratches score the sides like a giant beast ripped at the stone with titanium claws.
Well, fuck. I skirt the statue and chew my lip. Should I explore the second floor?
I take the first step, and a growl reverberates down the stairs. The sound should unhinge my spine, but instead, it releases a burst of heat through my body. My tummy flutters and I gasp, swaying. The cedar scent is so potent now, I can taste it. I can’t shake my sense of déjà-vu.
I clock another statue at the top of the stairs. But… it wasn’t there before.
I’m panting like I’ve run a marathon. But not in fear. A rush of liquid heat throbs through my core and my clit gives a languid thump.
What is happening to me?
The statue moves. The figure’s wearing a voluminous cloak and hood and looks humanoid but it’s huge, too big to be a regular person. If this is an Ulfarri Alpha, he’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen.
And, judging by the growl, he’s pissed. But instead of shrinking back, I take another step towards him. Something about his scent is drawing me in.
The heat emanating from my core spreads up my chest. I lick my lips, swaying up another step. The giant at the top is still. Since he’s wearing a cloak like mine, his hooded features are swallowed by shadow. I want to see him. I need to see him. My fingers flex, aching to touch…
I take a deep breath. “Are you the king?”
The figure draws back and lets forth a roar so loud, it brings tears to my eyes. The blood-curdling sound punches through the hypnotic spell of his scent like a bucket of icy water being dumped over my head. A sick, primal terror races down my spine and into my legs.
Without a second’s hesitation, I whirl around, and race back the way I came.
FOUR
Bestian
Someone was here. Someone managed to cross my impermeable barriers. And not just any someone…
A female.
I’ve been pacing my chamber ever since, the light from the moons casting a lilac glow over the flagstones. The distant roar of the waves crashing against the cliffs mocks me like an echo of my own shock at the slender stranger appearing in my ballroom like an apparition.