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)
He steps over a body, directing us toward the door when his mask catches my eye in the sea of blood.
I bend down, swiping it up with my other hand.
“That was a little terrifying, Luna. Not gonna lie…” Vaden jokes when we pass him. He tugs on the chain that’s wrapped around Corbin’s throat. “Good boy.”
Chapter Forty-Three
luna
Ifollow behind Priest the entire way, ducking behind his forearm.
“It’s quiet,” I say, breaking the silence between the dragging of chains.
Corbin laughs.
I stop as Priest turns back to me.
“You’re such a bunch of stupid fucks. Who do you think I answer to, hmmm?” The light above us flickers, as Corbin lifts his head from between his shoulders. “I gotta say, I’m sure they scare me a hell of a lot more than you do. And that’s saying something since I’m sure it’s painfully obvious how terrifying you are.”
“Question.” I take the first step forward. “You keep talking about this entity.” Corbin’s smirk doesn’t fall.
I lean into his ear. “But who is left if I already killed Danny Dale, Moses Dale, and Jeremiah?”
Vaden chuckles when Corbin’s smile finally disappears.
I stand. “Now who’s the stupid fuck?”
Priest is still staring at me.
“Unless…” Everything slides back into place like a perfectly formed puzzle. I take one step. “Where was Darling when she wasn’t free, running around?”
Priest doesn’t move.
Another step. He’s directly in front of me now, and up this close, and with any other person, I know he’d just use the machete in his hand to take my head clean off.
His jaw bounces, but he doesn’t move. “What, Madness? Wanna ask something, fucking ask it.”
“I’d suggest not,” Vaden pipes up from behind. “I’d suggest you wait until we carry this sack of cum into the hole he crawled out of.”
“Walk. Now.”
When we reach the end, we climb the stairs that spiral upward. He pushes up at the manhole until the sun blinds us.
Grabbing on to his hand, he hauls me out, and I fall back onto my ass with a thud. I stop. The encasement of fuchsia pink roses vine and twist together in a sea of greenery. A perfect circle lines the grass, where small bench seats curve as if looking down. It smells of honey and musk.
“Where are we?”
Vaden lands with a thud. “The roses not give it away?”
I guess not.
“Took long enough…” The voice filters through the other side of the garden. He’s dressed in a black suit with the buttons undone.
He’s confusing. His face is masculine yet pretty, but the scar that cuts right across his throat tells a tale of torment. With wide-stretched shoulders, a height rivaling Priest and Vaden, and eyes that seem bright against his darker skin, I’m almost certain this man could have been a King with the rest of them.
“Yeah, we ran into a problem.” Priest ignores the wailing man at Vaden’s feet.
The man in the suit finds me and as soon as his eyes are on mine, I regret ever wondering what he looks like. Not because he’s scary, because I know scary. I’ve looked a monster straight in the eyes and begged it to love me.
Stupid.
“Luna Nox Rebellis…”
I retreat at the sound of my name leaving his lips. He holds my stare, and when I don’t answer, a wall of bare muscle blocks my view and my whole thoughts change. I don’t know if it’s because this is the first time I’ve seen it all in daylight or because I’m simply as stupid as I thought, but the intricate and fine line artwork tattooed over Priest’s back reminds me of—
I take a step closer, desperate to see more.
“Now what? You gonna stash him in your dark room and tell him he’s a pretty girl?” The suited man raises a smug brow at Priest from behind his beer.
“Fuck you, Thorn.”
He laughs, and I do the math in my head. Archer Thorn, heir of Thornhill—Thornhill. Holy fucking days. I’m in Thornhill! This place has never been on my radar, mainly because I wasn’t sure if it was a myth. I mean, how many times do you have to hear about a town and not visit before wondering if it’s fiction.
“You sure you don’t wanna make the reception?” He gestures down to Corbin. “He’s already dressed to theme.”
Vaden laughs, tugging on the chain and nudging his head behind me. “Luna, love, we need to get you home.”
I land back on Priest, even though Vaden’s grip is tight around my arm and he’s practically dragging me backward.
Priest’s head shakes side to side before he turns back to Archer, who is still watching me.
“He’s creepy…” I finally turn around and copy Vaden’s footsteps.
“Yeah, keep it that way. We know what you’re like with the creepy ones…”
I shove Vaden in the shoulder and my chest warms. It almost feels as it used to be with him, before our lives changed. Once we hit the Bentley, he slams the trunk closed and rounds the end of the car. Vaden pulls out a cigarette, following my eyes and landing on Priest.