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)
Kali’s eyes slid back to hers. “No. Because now you have an extra tie to that realm.”
“Cain.”
Kali gave a slow, graceful nod. “Yes.”
“He was right,” Wynter realized. “You shaped me into a weapon so that I could do something for you.”
Kali’s smile became slightly more pronounced. “You have exceeded my expectations at every turn.”
No I’m sorry I pulled you into my personal shit. But then, Wynter was a mere Earth-bound creature while Kali, on the other hand, was a goddamn deity—of course She wasn’t sorry. They weren’t anything close to equals, in the deity’s opinion.
Knowing there was no sense in complaining when said objections would be dismissed as unimportant, Wynter instead asked, “What’s this purpose you have for me?”
Kali’s eyes sharpened with approval. She took an elegant step forward. “Let me tell you a story.”
Chapter Twelve
The sounds of voices arguing loudly greeted Wynter as she came to. Dying seriously sucked. It was hardly ever pain-free. Worse, some of the pain was often still there when her soul returned to her body, though said pain would quickly fade. More, she always felt weak and groggy.
Her wounds were no doubt closed, since they always were when her soul came back. Her death must have also neutralized and disintegrated any traces of iron in her system, because she wasn’t suffering any aftereffects.
She had no clue how long she’d been dead in this realm. Time wasn’t in sync with that of the netherworld. A minute here could be an hour there, or seconds or even months.
Her monster was writhing within her, somewhat pissed and eager to savage those who’d dare harm her. She sent it some telepathic images, communicating that she needed to fake ‘dead’ for a few moments while her body recovered—then it could do whatever it wanted. Still, that might not have been enough to stay its hand, given how utterly furious it was, if Kali wasn’t close and urging it to wait. The deity stroked Wynter’s hair like a cooling breeze.
Wynter didn’t need to open her eyes to sense that the vampires were stood only a few feet in front of her—and still arguing loud enough to scare any local wildlife.
She wouldn’t be able to give herself too much time to recover. The moment they lowered their voices, they’d likely hear her heartbeat—it was a little sluggish right now, but that would soon change.
God, she needed one of Anabel’s rejuvenating potions in a major way. A cup of Delilah’s energy teas wouldn’t go amiss either.
One side of her face burned in a telling way that told her Kali’s mark was now visible on her skin. Thankfully, it was nonetheless currently hidden from the vamps, since that side of her face was pressed against the ground.
Claud swore long and loud. “Stop yelling at me!”
“You just cost us a million fucking dollars!” spat Enzo, who she sensed was pacing, the dry grass crunching beneath his feet.
“I didn’t mean to shoot her in the head. She was moving so damn fast . . .”
“Maybe Adam will still want her body,” suggested another voice. Marvin.
“Why the fuck would he?” Enzo demanded. “He needs her to undo the curse. She can’t do that if she’s dead. Fuck.”
“Maybe she’ll come back to life,” said Marvin. “I mean, she’s a revenant.”
“Won’t happen,” said Claud. “Shelia was clear that a lethal shot from an iron bullet would be all it took to take her out for good.”
“I guess we could just leave her here or bury her somewhere,” said a fourth voice. Mickey.
“I say we take our chances and offer her up to the Aeons,” stated Claud. “They might still reward us. We’ve come this far. All they can say is no.”
Enzo growled. “Yeah, and they can also kill us for killing her—their one chance at undoing the curse!”
“Her death might have undone it,” said Marvin.
“If it would have been that simple to fix what she did, Adam wouldn’t have been so bothered about her being brought here,” Enzo pointed out. “He would have just made it clear that he wanted her dead.”
“Not if he was also set on torturing her for what she did to his land,” Claud shot back. “I say we take her to him.”
Her strength regained, Wynter signaled to her monster that it was almost time to lunge. The vampires seemed to be calming now, so they’d soon become aware of her heart beating in her chest.
“So do I,” said Marvin.
Enzo stopped pacing. “Well, I don’t.”
“Yeah, me neither,” said Mickey.
Her monster slinked to the surface of Wynter’s skin, and she sensed more than saw black little ribbons crisscrossing over her eyeballs. Claud still held the gun, but she didn’t worry about that—no bullet would take down the being she hosted.
“Then how do we settle this?” asked Marvin.
“Rock, paper, scissors?” Claud suggested.
Enzo growled again. “Are you for real?”