Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 114551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“Because it’s your duty. Whether they’re holding a gun to your head or not, you have an obligation to Empire to see this through, and you vowed to do just that during your initiation.”
“FUCK.”
“Quit panicking,” I mutter. “That’s exactly why we’re here so early. If an assassin was waiting in these woods, he would arrive an hour or two before we were expected to arrive. This way, we beat them to the punch. No one is taking you out tonight, at least not on my watch.”
“Thank you,” she says, reaching out to me.
I scoff, flinching away from her touch. “Don’t thank me,” I tell her. “Do not fool my intentions for loyalty or because I care for you in any kind of way. I don’t. I’m not doing this for you. If you weren’t Sawyer’s twin sister, if you were just another member of The Circle, you’d be left out here alone to navigate this shit by yourself, and I can guarantee that you would already be dead and buried in a shallow grave by now.”
Cara’s gaze falls away, and we walk the rest of the way to the tomb in peace, though I can practically hear her thoughts screaming at the back of my head. Stepping up to the opening of the old tomb, I slip my key into the old lock, having to wiggle it to get it in.
The lock opens, and I step right up to the heavy stone entrance and push it back, sucking in a breath as the lingering smell of my father’s charred flesh hits us both in the face. His ashes have been locked down here for almost two months, but time has done nothing to erase the impact of the depraved ritual that took place here.
“Ugghhh,” Cara groans, holding her nose. “What the hell is that smell?”
“Trust me,” I mutter, stepping through the entrance and lighting one of the old oil lanterns sitting on a nearby table. “You don’t want to know.”
Cara moves into the tomb, and I close the door behind her before locking it, not wanting to allow access to any uninvited guests. She takes an oil lantern of her own before snatching the lighter out of my hand and lighting it.
With just enough lighting, we start our trek down into the below tomb, following the old stone steps right down into the clearing below. “Shit,” Cara says as we reach the bottom, holding her lantern out to take it in properly. “So this is where you’re going to perform the ritual?”
“Uh-huh,” I say, making my way around the sacred space and lighting all of the oil lanterns that hang off each of the thirteen pillars. Once the open chamber floods with light, all the intricate details of the great tomb are finally visible.
“This is fucked up. You know that, right?” Cara says, taking it all in and scanning over the sacred gravesites of those who have ruled before me.
“What? You think I enjoy this?”
“Hard to tell,” she throws back at me.
Cara finally falls silent as my gaze locks onto the pillar in the center of the tomb, the place where Oakley’s heart will rest for the entirety of my rule, and fuck, seeing it like this, being up close and personal is really fucking with me. I’ve always known that’s what was going to happen, and I’ve been okay with that, but now that I know Oakley, know what makes her tick, know what puts the most brilliant smile across her face, the idea of plunging my hand inside of her chest and slaughtering her like an animal is killing me.
Completing this ritual was never supposed to be easy. It was designed specifically to test the loyalty of Empire’s future ruler, to challenge him and push him to his limits, because any man who fails in this challenge is not worthy of ruling over Empire. And fuck, I’ve worked too hard for this.
Cara moves in beside me, staring up at the pillar that will hold Oakley’s perfectly preserved heart. “That’s where—”
“Yeah,” I say, cutting her off, not wanting to hear the end of her question.
“Shit,” she mutters. “This all just became a little too real.”
Damn straight it did.
Hours pass, and when I hear the familiar sound of the tomb entrance opening, Cara jumps and shrinks back into the shadows, not even a little prepared for what’s going to happen here tonight. “Take a cloak and stand in front of your pillar,” I tell her, indicating across the room. “There’s to be silence in this tomb, not a word until you are expected to recite the chants.”
Cara swallows hard, and I watch as she hastily crosses the tomb before placing herself in front of her pillar, the very one her father once stood so proudly in front of.
The old stone entrance closes, and we listen as the newcomer makes his way down the stairs. As he reaches the bottom, I narrow my gaze, not surprised to find that Hartley Scott is the first to arrive, and well over an hour early. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were responsible for leading assassins right to the tomb entrance.