Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“There are boats that bring the prison guards to and from the island for their shifts. We’re responsible for the ones that fall into disrepair.”
“So, you fix them up?”
“And clean them out. Basically, we get them back into working order. I was a marine mechanic once upon a time, so they stuck me with this. Come on. Your first shift starts in a few minutes.”
He didn’t make a single comment on my beaten and bloodied appearance as he motioned for me to follow him. I briefly considered it might be a trap, but it seemed unlikely, so I limped my way behind him. If only those vampires hadn’t drained so much of my blood, my leg would’ve already been healed.
We reached the same steel door the guards had unceremoniously shoved me through yesterday. Several other inmates waited by the door, and to my dismay, they included Vasilios and Sven. I knew that was coming. Sergeant Davis had told me as much, but still, the prospect of working alongside those two didn’t exactly fill me with warm fuzzies. Neither of them looked at me when Baker and I joined the group, which also consisted of two elves and a witch. Baker went to converse with the witch while the two elves huddled close, chatting in hushed tones.
The elves eyed me as I stood alone, my body aching, scalp smarting. I’d never felt so shitty in my life, and all the while, I was aware of Vasilios standing just a few feet away, his presence heavy like dark clouds hovering in the sky above me.
It was obvious that he hated me. He didn’t have to look at me. I could sense it. Sergeant Davis had been dead wrong about him framing me as some twisted romantic gesture. As a way of bringing us together. What a joke. The framing had been purely malicious. He’d done it to make me suffer for betraying him, and now I bet he was silently revelling in his success. The very thought made me want to break something.
My mind went to that at Nic’s house. Vasilios used his vast magic to trap me in the house. Then he revealed his true identity and told me how he’d used a glamour to make me believe he was my friend Nic for months. My parents, Peter, and the Guard had been outside, trying to find a way past his magic, a way to get inside and rescue me.
And that was when I’d used Vasilios’s supposed feelings for me against him. I’d kissed him, distracting him long enough to break down the magic blocking the house. It hadn’t taken long, and before he’d realised I’d tricked him, the Guard had burst in and arrested him.
So, yeah, it was understandable that he hated me, but it didn’t negate the fact that he deserved to be there. He’d intended to murder my parents, alongside others he’d determined had a hand in his father’s death. He’d also had Mr. Williams killed, and now, Belinda.
I folded my arms and levelled my attention on the steel door. Clearly, we were waiting for guards to arrive and escort us to wherever the boat repairs were done. Oddly, my mind wandered as I stood there, and the crackly sound of leaves fluttering in the breeze whispered at the back of my mind. There was a flash of an image, ruby red branches, followed by a dreamy, seductive feeling. I wanted to know where those leaves were. Where was the tree? How could I find it?
I shook myself from the strange, invasive thoughts just as the steel doors creaked open. Two guards stood behind them, a stern-looking man and a tall woman with a no-nonsense expression.
“Right, you lot,” the woman said, “out you come. Single file, please.”
We shuffled out. I stood behind the two elves while the male guard took up the rear. The entire time Vasilios didn’t acknowledge me in any way. I found myself studying his shoulders and the back of his head, wondering at his lack of reaction to my being there. Surely, he should be gloating, rubbing it in my face that he managed to have me convicted and he didn’t even have to step foot outside the prison to do it.
We walked down the dark, musty corridor through several doorways that the guards had to unlock before arriving at a set of stone steps. They appeared to go down into some kind of basement. My legs ached going down the steps, and the guard behind me huffed with impatience.
“Move faster, new girl,” he grumped, and I did my best to bite my tongue. I wanted to snap back at him, but I resisted the urge. Besides, he had no clue I was undercover. To him, I was just another prisoner.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, the narrow space opened into a sort of underground harbour. The water was dark and murky. Several boats that looked like they’d seen better days were lined up along the dock. Again, it smelled damp but with an earthy, mossy undertone.