Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Any means necessary?”
“No more killing.”
“Believe it or not, I’m not a bloodthirsty psychopath. I just think these fucking assholes only understand brutality.”
“Do what you have to do, but no more killing.” I start the engine and gesture for a few guards to come with me. “I’m heading back home to speak with Aunt Sona. Hopefully now she’ll understand there’s no winning this war and she’ll talk sense into Garen.”
“Good luck, brother.”
I leave Tigran on the sidewalk. The sound of bullets thudding into Narek keeps playing through my head. The crunch of Levon’s windpipe echoes up my leg.
More men I grew up with. More corpses in my wake.
This family won’t stop until it tears itself to pieces.
Chapter 38
Lena
Itake a big step back.
That’s how I’m thinking of it. Whatever’s growing between me and Arsen isn’t dead, but I do need a break. It’s all been too much, too fast, and now I have to process.
Corpses. Secrets. Stalking. Violence. It swirls all around this house and infects everything.
I’m afraid it’ll shape the way our baby grows up.
Most days, I act like everything’s normal. I’m not going out of my way to see Arsen, but I’m also not running away when he comes into the room. Things are civil. It’s painful, but it’s for the best. I need to find myself first before I get caught up in him. That’s partially why I start sleeping in a guest room.
But also so that I can explore the passages at night.
Sona got in my head. I hate it, but I can’t help myself. Her story and her little challenge are bothering the hell out of me.
Each night, I sneak out into the library, slip into the secret passages, and search.
I have no clue which room was Sona’s when she was growing up. That makes this a real challenge. I don’t want to ask Arsen because that’ll give away what I’m doing, and I don’t trust anyone else in the house to keep this secret from him.
I’m stuck going at it the long way.
Each night I cover more ground. I need to get some sleep, and I don’t want Arsen to notice that my routine’s totally changed, so I only give myself an hour. That’s enough time to get in, check out a room or two, and get out.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of rooms in this place.
One positive benefit of crawling around in the walls is I get a lot of time to think. And as I think, I start to process my feelings and all this weirdness.
I’m sure of two things. First, Arsen cares about me. He genuinely wants to build a family with me. Everything he’s doing, he’s doing out of a place of love. Even if his love is creepy and fucking crazy.
It’s still the best love he can give.
And second, I want that family too.
I ache every time I try to picture my life without Arsen. I despise the idea of raising this baby without him actively in the picture. I’m lonely at night in my lumpy, empty bed, and I’m itching to put all this stupid shit behind us.
But the distance is good.
I have a chance to discover what I really want—and to crawl around in the darkness.
“Shit, fuck, asshole,” I mutter as I squeeze myself between two wooden joists. “Mother dick cock fuck ass tits—” I pop out the other side and fall on my face. Dust claps up around me and I get a mouthful of cobweb. “Damn it.” I spit it out and sit back, breathing hard.
There’s barely any light. I hold up my phone and let it shine on the path. My clothes are covered in dirt and ripped in a couple of spots where old, rusty nails caught on the edges.
I fidget with my eyebrow bar. I lick my lips and wait for some sound. Nobody’s caught me yet, but it’s only a matter of time. I haven’t exactly been stealthy.
But nobody shows up.
“One more room,” I whisper, pushing myself to my feet. This is the final bedroom in this section of the house. If this isn’t it, that means I have to search one more entire wing, and who knows how long that’ll take? I already want to go back to Arsen’s room. I miss the way he looks at me, his hands on my body, his mouth on mine.
But I have to finish this first.
I shimmy onwards, cursing softly the whole way. There’s nothing on the path, no sign of life, no hint that someone might’ve come down this way. I’m starting to think this is another dead end when I reach a right turn and come to a halt.
There’s something up ahead.
“What the heck?” I whisper to myself, heart picking up. Sweat prickles my back. I lower my phone light and stare at a pile of blankets pressed up against a dead end.