Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 125179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
The others grinned and snickered. Wynter ignored them all. It wasn’t hard. They were a bunch of dicks.
Jude, who was basically a leaner and shorter version of Adam, rubbed at his bristly jaw. “I wouldn’t have thought that Cain would ever claim anyone as his own.”
“I would not have believed it of him either,” said Adam. “I certainly would not have thought that any woman would allow him to claim her.” He narrowed his eyes on Wynter. “You do know what he is, don’t you? Noah believes you must.”
Again, she said nothing. She kept meeting his gaze steadily.
A bright white sphere flew out of his palm and crashed into her chest with the force of a punch. Motherfucker. It was like a mini explosion went off inside her chest and someone poured acid into the wound. She would have cried out if her breath wasn’t trapped in her throat.
Dragging in air through her nose, she gritted her teeth and clenched her hands tight. That rat bastard was gonna pay for that. Dearly.
“Your pain tolerance is impressive,” Emmanuel told her. Broader than both his brothers yet roughly the same height as the eldest, he was all brawn with some brain.
Adam nodded. “It is indeed. I am rather pleased about that. It will make it so much more satisfying when I break her during our upcoming sessions.”
Okay, she had to snort at that.
His brow lifted. “You do not believe that I can?”
“Kali won’t even let you try.” The deity was currently pissed—Wynter could feel it.
“If She cares so much, where is She?”
Wynter only smiled.
“You know, I still have a difficult time believing that you are a revenant. Even with the mark on your face. Noah assures me that it is true, however. And it is telling that the liquid iron has proven effective.”
Wynter’s head snapped up as the land far above them seemed to vibrate and rumble. She let her lips curve. “Ah, they’re here.”
Adam’s expression hardened. “They will not penetrate the shields that protect the entrance.”
She flicked up a taunting brow. “You sure about that? Personally, I wouldn’t be. But then, I’m not quite as arrogant as you are.”
“If I were you, I’d watch your mouth,” Noah said to her.
Continuing to blank him, she spoke again to Adam. “I mean, they broke out of a prison you constructed. Why wouldn’t they be able to pierce a shield?”
Adam gave an arrogant flick of his hand. “They had the aid of Aeons, then. This time, they do not.” He said it as though the Ancients were nothing when not backed by his own kind.
She snickered. “You people believe you’re so damn special and superior. I cannot think why. Hell, you couldn’t even get rid of a little rot.”
His nostrils flared. “You will do that for us.”
“I will do shit.” She choked on a breath as power streamed from his fingertips and slammed into her stomach, making it feel like she’d been impaled on four roasting hot swords. God, it hurt, it burned, it made her fucking pissed.
He briefly looked upward as yet more vibrations ran along the city’s surface. “Wrong, witch. You will do whatever I tell you when I tell you.”
She shot him a daring smile. “You’d have to take the collar off first, and I don’t think you have the guts to do it.”
More white-hot stabbing pain rammed into her, sinking straight into her shoulders. She locked her teeth, refusing to make a single sound of pain.
Inside Wynter, her monster pressed forward and merged with her soul before she had the chance to stop it. Power punched into her, but it didn’t surge through her body this time or whip through her like lightning. It trickled, slowly filling up every corner and extremity . . . as if a foreign force had taken a slow, languid stretch inside her and fitted perfectly into her very being.
Even so, the power was too much to bear. She couldn’t hold back the moan as her eyes prickled, her blood bubbled, her teeth rattled, and her head swam.
Distantly, she heard the deep chuckles of males who no doubt thought she was buckling under the brunt of Adam’s petty strike.
A breeze, cool and otherworldly, danced over her face—reassuring, soothing, distracting.
And then everything began to settle as the discomfort faded. She flexed her fingers, feeling charged and restless. Her senses had sharpened. Her nerve-endings were all fired up.
Her monster gently withdrew . . . and she realized then that the pain from before was gone. Just the same, she no longer felt weak, sore, or stiff.
The monster’s power had evidently neutralized the liquid iron. And now she felt hyper-awake and energized—which was hard to hide, but there was no need for the Aeons here to know about it.
“Finished making unwise remarks?” asked Noah.
Again, Wynter pointedly ignored him. Hearing yet more rumblings from up above, she slowly reached up and tugged at the collar. “It’s only a matter of time before they get in here,” she told Adam.