Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
“I could stop your heart from a thousand miles away, and trust me, I will. If you don’t do as I say, you’ll not survive the night.” She sat in silence as she pondered my words, and then the nod I was waiting for came. “What do you want me to do?”
“It’s just like I said. You will tell the world the truth, that’s all. Just tell them what you did for Janie Andrews and who all were involved.”
“You mean the church and Mary and Scott? You want me to name those guys? You might as well just kill me then because they sure as hell will.”
“There’s death, and then there’s death.” She knew my meaning well enough as she swallowed hard and looked away from the scorn in my eyes.
“You’d better pray that we find all those young girls they sold away. Or something worse than me will be here next.” Yes, indeed, Colton Lyon may not have the gift of sight, but what he has is just as powerful, and when he chooses, he can be as villainous as the dark.
Sometimes I wish I’d have taken him in when I was supposed to. Maybe then he would’ve gotten the guidance the organization had in place for him. But he was so young, so gifted, and so free in spirit that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And my dear friend Elena, his mother. It would’ve broken her heart to be separated from her son after losing her family like that.
And now there’s his daughter. Sweet little Catalina with the heart of gold and a mind that defies reason. Come to think of it; I’m not sure which of the two is worse. The father or the daughter. Which one would let her live, or who would offer up a less vicious way of dying?
“It’s time. Let’s go.”
“What? Right now?” I quirked my brow at her.
“Why? Do you have something better to do?” I called out for Jason, who was waiting outside. Another one with the gift, his, a little bit different from mine but just as powerful, just as fierce.
He didn’t spare her a look as he walked in. Tall, unnaturally handsome, and way too stoic for someone his age. “Are we ready?”
“Yes, they’re waiting. Everything must happen in order, don’t forget.”
“I won’t. Let’s go witch.” He knew what calling her that would do to her, but it was what she deserved.
We’re not all witches; we don’t all rely on spells and the dark forces; some of us were born with the gift, and some enforced that gift with other things that were not meant to be, like this one. A love spell is a dangerous and deceitful thing to do to an unsuspecting recipient. Especially when that recipient was part of a twin soul, and that twin was left to suffer.
***
*Elena*
I was on set all day, and when it was finally time to break, I was dead on my feet. I noticed all the missed calls, but that was nothing new. I’ll get to them tomorrow. Right now, I’m for a quick shower and my bed after my nightly call with Ryder, of course.
This has been fun and more exciting than I expected. At my age, I was finally having the teenage romance I had dreamed of. It wasn’t all bad the first time around, but I would be lying if I said this wasn’t much better.
Instead of angst and worry over every little thing that could go wrong in our relationship, it felt as if those worries had been swept away, and now I was free to enjoy being in love. After all, the worst had already happened.
What’s more, this was a new and improved Ryder. I had my reservations, of course, especially when I was away from him these last few days and was able to think. I wondered at my stupidity in forgiving him so easily after all the heartache.
But when I take into consideration all that had transpired, the things I didn’t know about and always questioned, and now knowing everything that had been said and done to bring about our breakup and that whole situation, I can’t in all good conscience hold him completely responsible.
I hadn’t known that my family’s distrust and dislike of him had had such a profound effect on him. And that he feared losing me as well. That was something we’d have to work on this go around, but apart from that, there was nothing standing in the way of our second chance.
A drug-free Ryder reminds me so much of the boy I’d first met, and though I will never forget the things he’d told me that had been done to him, my only wish is to help him heal.
Our sharing has built a bond between us that had been lacking before, and for this reason, I know and believe that nothing will ever come between us again. I can feel it.