Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 48827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
My heart says I can…but my mind?
It’s a mess—a tangled, anxious mess.
I hurry into my own chambers, slipping into my fighting leathers and grabbing my weapons bag, needing to get the hell out of this residence if only to clear my mind.
I need to hunt.
I need to drink in the fresh night air and sort out my chaotic thoughts.
I know I accepted this bond with my love for him. Know we’re tied again, fate giving us a second chance to get this right.
But are either of us really in a position to do this properly this time?
The question plagues me as I grab a motorcycle from the well-stocked garage in the king's residence, silently thanking whoever owns it as I speed through the gates, heading down the night-drenched street with no real hunting destination in mind.
I just have to get away.
I need to be somewhere I don’t have a chance of running into Zachariah and risk him seeing the mark without my mind fully clear. I need to remember the huntress I am and to figure out how to be both the female I've grown into and the mate I can be to him.
I can be both, right? We can get it right this time, can’t we? We just have to communicate better. I need him to assure me he won’t keep me in the dark anymore, and he needs my assurance that I won’t shut him out because of what he'd done to me in the past.
We need to start anew, but how am I supposed to do that with my mind as chaotic as it is right now?
No, I need time.
Just a night or two. That's all I needed. And maybe a good hunt. A couple nights away would do me wonders, allowing me to set my priorities straight—
Zachariah materializes in the middle of the street, and I slam on my brakes, the smell of burnt rubber smoking around me as I come to a halt just an inch before him.
His hands hit the handlebars, and he reaches over, killing the ignition as I flip out the kickstand and dismount.
I take off the helmet, resting it on the seat as I look up at him, anger and confusion grounding me in the present moment. “Zachariah,” I chide him. “I just need some time—”
“I don't have to do anything,” he says, his voice cold and more callous than I've ever heard it before. “And you have such little time left, Talia.”
I tilt my head at the way he said my name, so familiar but—
Something hot and sharp spears into my left side. I glance down in shock at the dagger sunk to the hilt, Zachariah’s fingers closed around it.
“Why?” The word is a broken whisper, my heart racing, the pain blinding and searing as blood spills from the wound.
I drop to my knees, glancing up at Zachariah, his image going fuzzy around the edges before his skin starts to ripple over his face, his features shifting into Conrad’s.
“Nifty trick, right?” he says, crouching down to be eye level with me. “You'd be surprised what powers can emerge from your arsenal when you stop feeding like you're on a diet.” He grabs the dagger and yanks it from my side, more blood gushing from the wound.
A whimper escapes my throat and my body trembles as I cover the open gash. My hands are immediately soaked in blood.
“Relax,” he says, shaking his head at me. “I’ll have you healed in a few minutes. I just want to talk.”
“About what?” I gasp, anger sweeping away the pain for a few blissful seconds. I grapple for my power, only gathering wisps of it here and there, thanks to the wound he delivered. If I could cling to it, I could turn that dagger in his hand on himself—
“Trouble with your powers, Talia?” he asks, looking at the blood-soaked blade. “Night Thistle is such a wonderful thing,” he says, looking at the blade lovingly. “Though you should be grateful I only put a small dose on this. Can't have you using those pretty powers of yours against me. Not until you've heard me out, at least.”
I furrow my brow, trembling on the cold asphalt.
“As much as I’ve enjoyed our game of cat and mouse, I think it's time we stopped playing with each other. I told you that night at the auction I wanted you, and that still stands.”
“What?”
His features shift again, shaping into a handsome face that I recognize from the night Zachariah and I had set a trap for him at the silent auction at the museum. He was the stranger that had hit on me, the harmless human I thought simply had a boatload of confidence in order to approach me.
His features shift back to his normal self, a malicious smile shaping his face. “I understood why you turned me down then, with your little flock of hunters following you around like lost puppies, especially the one you’ve always doted on.” He rolls his eyes. “It's the reason I haven't been able to approach you lately. You haven't been alone, except for tonight. And I think the sooner you realize that you were running toward me instead of chasing after me, the better off you'll be.”