Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
She pressed her back against the wall, extending her legs and trying to warm them by kicking out. The chill from the stone had seeped deep into her bones, and her teeth chattered.
Metal hurt her wrists. She looked down to see shackles over each one, secured by a chain that attached to the wall above her head. The heavy links rested on her shoulder. At least there was enough slack to rest her hands in her lap.
Tugging, she tested the strength. The chain appeared new. Fucking great.
Movement flickered beyond the window. Her breath hitched. She went utterly still, holding herself motionless as a figure crossed the narrow hallway. The echo of footsteps on gravel and the rustle of fabric carried through the air.
A fluorescent light flickered to life overhead, casting harsh shadows against the stone. Blinking rapidly, Emily willed her vision to clear, heart pounding as she strained to make out the figures through the grimy glass.
Her breath caught. “Nadia,” she whispered.
Her sister’s profile came into view through the block windows, clear even in the dim light.
Betrayal cut so deep and sharp that Emily gasped, her breath hitching in her throat. Oh, God. Was her father okay? Had Nadia hurt him? How had Emily not sensed this? Her illness had been worse than she’d thought if she hadn’t known her sister was dangerous. She had thought what? That because Nadia was shorter, she was somehow adorable? Cute? Loving?
Everything hurt, from Emily’s toes to the top of her head, and the pulse hammering at the back of her skull promised a painful lump. Dried blood itched along her shoulders, but she could still feel fresh droplets trickling down her neck. Through the murky glass, she watched as Nadia walked along the corridor, a male whose head rose above the glass shadowing her. Broad shoulders. Wide frame.
Caidrik. It had to be.
Her breath caught as her pulse stuttered. The bulb above the window barely illuminated the hallway beyond, and the damn garlic still clogged her senses, muddling everything.
The door creaked as Nadia pushed it open, fumbling for the light switch. A fluorescent glare flooded the room, stark against the rock walls, making Emily squint as pain shot through her skull.
“Emily?” Nadia murmured, eyes wide with something Emily couldn’t read.
“What are you doing?” Emily rasped, her throat dry and raw. She shook her head, instantly regretting it as pain crashed from her skull down her neck. Bile surged in her throat, hot and sharp, and she doubled over with a retch, barely managing to hold back the vomit that threatened to choke her.
Footsteps clomped on the hard floor as the male stepped in behind Nadia. Blinking through the haze, Emily tried to focus.
Not Caidrik, but somebody just as large.
“Who the hell are you?” she slurred. Damn it, why was her voice so thick?
The male smiled, slow and easy, like someone at peace with the moment. His shoulders filled the doorway, and thick, brown hair framed a square jaw, his eyes a dark shade of brown that nearly blended into the shadows. “I’m just here for the money.”
Emily lifted her head, trying to smell him and pinpoint his pack, but the garlic burned through her sinuses, drowning everything out. All she could smell was blood and spice. “Nadia?” she whispered again, her gaze locking on her sister.
The male shifted his shoulder without warning, a quick, efficient motion.
Nadia gasped, her eyes going wide, her mouth falling open as she staggered forward. Emily stilled, her heart slamming against her ribs as her gaze dropped to the knife sticking out of her sister’s back. “Nadia.”
The metal caught the light as Nadia fell to her knees, shock on her face. She pitched forward onto her stomach, revealing the weapon.
Silver.
Emily’s pulse spiked as adrenaline surged. Her muscles tensed, and her breath hitched. She needed to move. But her body wouldn’t respond, her limbs cold and heavy with exhaustion.
Panic coiled in her chest as she stared at her sister, her mind spinning.
What was happening?
Nadia coughed and sputtered on the floor, her arm stretching toward Emily.
“Take that out,” Emily said urgently. “She’ll die.”
The massive guy shrugged. “Told her if she didn’t shut the hell up on the way here, I’d stab her. Should’ve listened.” He watched Nadia for another moment, his expression blank as she shuddered, tears streaking her cheeks.
“Who hired you?” Emily asked, her voice hoarse. Her muscles felt frozen, her body heavy and slow. What the hell was wrong with her?
“You’ll know soon enough.” He turned, shutting the door with a solid click.
Emily yanked at the restraints, her breath coming in short bursts. The chain holding her to the wall barely shifted. Her hands, manacled in front of her, strained as she tried to reach her sister. Pain pounded at the back of her skull, sharp and unrelenting. “Nadia, come here,” she urged, voice raw.