Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Read Online Books/Novels: | Truth (Betrothed #10) |
|---|---|
Author/Writer of Book/Novel: | Penelope Sky |
| Language: | English |
| ISBN/ ASIN: | B086W5HV75 |
| Book Information: | |
I had no idea she was going to tell Damien. If I did, I would have stopped her. I would have told her the truth myself. Now I'm afraid I'm going to lose her...and there's nothing I can do about it. | |
| Books in Series: | Betrothed Series by Penelope Sky |
| Books by Author: | Penelope Sky |
One
Heath
The first week was a blur because I purposely blocked it out.
I felt like shit—worse than shit.
At week two, I still felt like a bag of broken bones, but there was major improvement from the week before. I could get through the night without waking up in pain. I could walk without wincing. I could carry myself like a man, make myself a sandwich without relying on Catalina to do it for me.
But I still had a long road ahead of me.
I walked into the living room a few weeks after coming home and saw Balto sitting there, his elbows on his knees as he watched the TV.
“You just come and go as you please now?” I didn’t walk at my usual pace, taking my time getting from one spot to the next, feeling the ache of my broken ribs on my right side. I made jokes to Catalina about the whole thing, but I’ve never been in so much pain…and I would never tell her.
Balto looked up at me, his eyes narrowed. “Now you know how it feels.”
I opened the cabinet and grabbed the bottle of vodka.
“Catalina isn’t here, is she?”
I poured it into a glass. “No. She’s out.”
“Just because she’s not here doesn’t mean you’re going to get away with that.”
I looked at him over my shoulder.
He nodded. “Put it back, Heath.”
“Come on. One glass—”
“Put it back, or I’ll tell her.”
I rolled my eyes and did as he asked. “Fucking tattletale…” I shoved everything back into the cabinet and grabbed a glass of water instead. “I’d offer you something, but if I can’t drink, neither can you.”
“That’s fine with me.”
I lowered myself to the other couch, groaning with the movement.
“How do you feel?”
“Better.” I rested my cheek against my curled knuckles, looking at the TV in front of me. I was used to being shirtless all the time, but since I looked so terrible, I tried to hide it from Catalina. My face was better, starting to resemble my old features. “So, how’s the office?”
“You made Vox a blood traitor?” he asked.
“Oh yeah.” I dragged my fingers across my jawline, feeling the shadow of hair because I hadn’t shaved in weeks. My skin burned slightly at the touch. “Forgot about that.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve got a lot more on my mind—”
“No. Why did you mark him as a traitor?”
“Because he organized a coup with Damien.”
Balto never told me how to run the Skull Kings or lead. He bowed out and let me have the reins without question. But judging by the expression on his face, he didn’t agree with that at all. “You should have killed him, Heath. That’s a killable offense.”
“I know. But I’d just shot one of the guys…wasn’t popular at the time. I thought that would redeem me—and it did.”
Balto didn’t agree. “He’s going to keep coming after you—”
“The reason he’s difficult is because he wants the throne for himself. Now that he can’t possibly have that—ever—there’s not much point anymore.”
“Or he’s going to kill you for taking away the one thing he actually cares about.”
I shrugged. “Balto, it’s done. Nothing we can do about it now.”
He shook his head slightly as he rubbed his palms together.
“No one has figured out it’s you and not me?”
“No.”
“Wow. I’m not sure if that’s flattering or insulting.”
He watched the TV for a while. “Your ban on slavery is unpopular, even though it seems to be transitioning as well as it possibly could. But you stopped taking money from Damien, and they’re starting to ask questions. Are you going to resume that?” He turned back to me.
“No.”
His eyes narrowed again.
“I’m not sure where we stand right now, but I’m not going to undo all the work I did by pissing him off again.”
“And how will you explain that to the men?”
“Why do I have to explain anything at all?” I snapped.
He rubbed his palms together again. “A good leader rules with respect, not fear.”
“I’m not threatening them. I just don’t need to explain this.”
“Do they know about Catalina?”
“Only Steel does.”
“Well, if they ever figure out you made all these changes because of a woman…” He bowed his head and looked at the floor. “That’ll be bad news. They pull the throne out from underneath you.”