Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 160578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 642(@250wpm)___ 535(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 642(@250wpm)___ 535(@300wpm)
“I don’t much like that answer. What about you, War?” Vaden teases, turning his grin to War.
Having them both near is a reminder of what it truly means to hold this gavel. I’ve played house out in the open, did the things I knew I had to do with The Echelon, but this…this is different. The events that take part within our society as a whole are the parts that will take up more of my time. I feel that now.
War kicks out his leg and leans back in his chair as his arm skims mine. “Nup. Me either.”
The muscles in my neck turn rigid. “Continue, Lilith. Why is it that you think my father—”I shift to him, where he sits quietly opposite me on the other end of the table.
Shadows darken around his eyes, keeping his mouth in a flat line. This isn’t my father right now, this is Bishop Vincent Hayes, since he knows how to be both. Not a luxury I’ll ever have the burden of carrying.
“—Was insistent with taking Luna?” I continue, allowing the lies to be told instead of ripping them from their throat with my bare hands. “Why do you think the Kings wanted her so bad that they knew from the first time they saw her?”
Lilith’s shoulders tense as her fire stirs back to life. She opens her mouth to argue, but stops at the last minute.
I look down to where Eli’s hand rests on top of hers. Judging by the way her jaw tenses, I’m gonna go ahead and assume that she didn’t like that much, yet she remains poised. Smart. She knows that if you’re with a King, you can’t be fragile or easily triggered.
Something Halen needs to fucking learn.
An invisible filter falls over her mouth. “Because of the Rebellis line, Priest. Which I’m sure you already know.”
My lip twitches. “True. The dis-trac-tor…” I break the syllables down, my focus waning. “You were ever so good with that during your time, am I right, Dad?”
Bishop finally drags his eyes off me and onto Eli. “Yes. He was, but that’s beside the point. Son…” He lowers his tone. Now he’s my father and not Bishop Vincent Hayes. “Where is she, and how long ago did she switch?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk…. “The invasion of her in this conversation tightens the already unstable atmosphere. “That’s always the question, isn’t it? Why is that the times I visit…” She slides up onto the boardroom table, popping a cigarette between her lips and crossing her legs. “People always want to know the timeline of when I arrived?”
Lilith’s hands balls into fists as she pushes up from her chair. “Luna, baby, let’s go. I should have taken you to Uncle Killian.”
I pause. Lilith’s words caving in around me. Check-fucking-mate.
Luna’s head snaps in the direction of her mother. “I don’t like you much.”
Vaden’s gaze burns the side of my face. He’s thinking the same as me. It’s no surprise, since he’s the only one in this room who knows as much as I do when it comes to her.
The pain of—her—words spread over Lilith’s face. From that of a concerned mother to confusion.
“Luna, sit…” Dad doesn’t so much as look at her when he gestures to the empty chairs around the table.
She ignores him, her eyes zeroed onto her mother.
“Luna.” One simple name. One that wasn’t hers, but enough to make her feel important.
She turns to me and the finger that’s playing with my upper lip pauses.
I hold her stare. “Sit.”
She steps backward, falling onto the first empty chair.
Silence.
Dad’s mouth twitches, but he hides his smile behind the glass he’s holding before his attention is back on her. “Nice work on the entrance.” He tilts his head. “Do you make a habit of being so unhinged?”
“Can’t help it.” She shrugs, and my fingers flex beneath the table. I’d been lost in my thoughts very few times, mainly because I don’t like it there. They’re too cluttered. An array of portraits of her.
“Continue with your story of Luna, Lilith.” I don’t care who she is or was, or how terrifyingly unhinged she had been in her day. Not a single person at this table scares me.
Only the one who answers to Madness.
Her and Eli share a silent conversation, before she shakes her head. “Not with Luna here.”
Whiskey burns its way down my throat. “Aw, I’m sure she won’t mind.” I hold her stare. “Go on.”
“Well, I don’t remember much. To be truthful—”
“—if you’re anything but truthful, I’m sure I don’t have to warn you…”
She grinds her teeth. Working Lilith up isn’t half as fun as working up her daughter. Shame. I’ll miss that.
“I don’t remember much.” Lilith sinks back into the high-winged chair, and Eli turns his focus onto me. No one sees my answers or questions as any form of disrespect but Lilith.“There was an issue with my sister. She took me, locked me up until I was at term.”