Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
"I think there's a lot more to this, I think we're only just scratchin' the surface," Mykel murmurs, more to himself than the rest of the group.
"You're probably right about that, brother, but for now, at least we've got what we need. Everything else can wait a bit."
I'm not makin' mistakes this time.
I want the entire empire to fall.
I want Dax and whatever evil he's working for to crumble.
No more girls deserve to go through what I've seen Merleigh and Cova go through.
No more girls deserve to fear a monster that they've been sold to.
I'll find a way to the end of this road, no fuckin' doubt about it.
And when I get there, they're going to wish they never met me.
Or my club.
26
BRIELLA
"How do you feel?" I ask Merleigh as she dries herself off with a towel and rubs it in her dripping hair.
She has a little color back in her cheeks, which is a step up from what she looked like earlier. Her skin was pale, her eyes sunken, her body trembling uncontrollably. She looked a lot like she was going to just fall down and not wake up, but now she looks like she's breathing a little clearer again. Even if it is only temporary.
"That was incredible," she sighs. "I can't remember the last time I swam or..."
"You should try surfin'," Bohdi says.
He's sitting with us, and he too joined us for a swim. I'm not going to lie, watching that gorgeous man strut around with no shirt one was something I'm not sad I was witness to. He is absolute perfection, and I know Merleigh appreciated the view, even if she wasn't sure how to take it.
Now, she looks to Bohdi and narrows her eyes. "I've never been to the ocean. The whole thing seems scary to me."
"You've never been in the ocean?" he asks her, shocked.
"No, never. I've lived a very...sheltered life. I guess that comes with being captive for a good portion of it."
Bohdi's face darkens, just a little. "Know that we'll get vengeance for you on that topic. Nobody should go through that kind of hell."
Merleigh's cheeks get a touch pinker. It could be that she's cold, or maybe it's that Bohdi is so damned nice to her. It's tough not to see how appealing that man is.
"Thank you," Merleigh says softly. "I guess I have a lot to experience now that I have a choice."
"Oh honey, you have so much to experience. I'll make sure of it," I tell her with a smile.
Bohdi glances at her, and I can see the warmth in his eyes that I haven't seen before. Since I've known him, he's kept to himself and showed minimal reactions to anything. Nothing seems to scare him, nothing bothers him, and even in the most heated times, he keeps it together. He's seen a lot. Bohdi has a past that's terrifying. You can see it in his almost numb gaze. But when he's looking at Merleigh, he's looking at her with a kind of warmth that is saved for someone you care about.
He can relate to her somehow.
That's nice.
She needs people around her who understand.
"Have you and Alarick been together long?" she asks me, looking away from Bohdi and wrapping the towel around herself tighter.
"We've known each other since I was just ten, but only together a little while. It has been...complicated."
Merleigh nods.
"We better get back," she says, her voice a little shaky. "I'm feeling a little unwell."
She's open when it comes to how she's feeling, and I adore her for that. She's not scared to tell me she needs to lie down or to lock her door, or that she's going to be sick. It takes a lot of guts to be so brave.
"For what it's worth," Bohdi says, standing and extending his hand to her. "It won't feel like this for much longer. You'll have bad days and good days, but this constant horror is going to be a distant memory if you stick with it just a little while."
Merleigh looks up at him, and for a moment, I feel like I'm intruding on something pretty damned special.
She reaches out and takes his hand. His fingers curl around hers, and he lifts her to her feet. With a warm smile, she thanks him and then rushes off to the car.
"Bohdi?" I call, when he starts walking towards the car, too.
He looks back at me.
"Thank you for being so nice to her."
"Don't have a reason not to be."
With that, he's gone.
But I can't wipe the smile from my face.
I feel like, for the first time, everything might just be okay.
Just maybe.
"I'M NOT GOING TO FORCE you to eat, but I will leave this here," I say to Cova, putting a plate of food down for her, on the desk that she hasn't yet upturned in a rage.