Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Have you ever stopped to think that maybe we do have a choice?”
“Wishful thinking and reality are two separate things,” Liam answers, taking my hand. “But I hear what you’re saying.”
Liam ushers me out of the exam room, and the mood between us is unsettled and morose as we head in the direction of the library.
“Pax is going to hurt me.”
“He will if he gets the chance.”
I tighten my grasp on Liam’s arm, expecting him to enter the library and hand me off to a barbarian. Instead, he walks past the usual place of exchange.
“Where are we going?” The question ends on a squeak that gives away how close I am to crumbling.
“He’s waiting in the dungeon.”
The strength leaves my body, and I’m little more than deadweight as he catches me in his arms.
“I can’t do this,” I say, almost hyperventilating as an onslaught of terror hits me.
“Listen to me,” he says, steadying me on my feet.
“No! I’m done listening. You can’t do this.”
He cradles my face, his thumbs swiping away the moisture on my cheeks. “Calm down, my sweet girl.”
Something about his tone busts through the panic, and I blink until my vision clears. His caring gaze holds my own, deep brown eyes conveying the seriousness of what he’s about to say.
“Do you trust me?”
“I want to.” But not if he’s going to hand me over to a monster more frightening than my uncle.
“You have to know,” he pauses, voice cracking, “I’d never do anything to hurt you. Do you believe me?”
“Yes.” Any doubt I once harbored about his intentions are gone—not when every part of my soul screams that he loves me. Same as Sebastian. My gut tells me I can trust my life in either of their hands.
“Then I need you to walk down there with me and follow my lead, okay?”
“W-why?”
“I don’t have time to explain.” He caresses my cheek, and on some unconscious level, I lean into his touch. “Can you do this for me?”
Swallowing hard, I nod, and he entwines our hands before resuming the nerve-wracking journey to the darkest trenches of the tower. After opening the heavy iron gate to the dungeon, Liam pushes me forward.
Pax is waiting in the middle of the room, in the very spot where he tortured Sebastian five days ago. I can almost envision the drops of blood on the floor, though someone has since cleaned the area. His smile comes off as more sinister than usual, maybe because he’s standing naked from the waist up with his feet bare.
Likes he’s ready to play.
“Took you long enough,” he tells Liam.
The chancellor presses his hand on my back, forcing me closer. “Your month hasn’t even started yet, so I wouldn’t get worked up over a few minutes.”
Pax grabs me by the arm, and as he pushes me to my knees, my whole body quakes apart. As I watch the keeper of the dungeon remove a chained collar from a rack on the wall, my teeth chattering from terror, Liam settles a comforting hand on my head, his palm slowly smoothing down the back of my skull.
It’s a subtle reminder to have faith in him, and it’s enough that I’m able to catch my breath.
“You can leave now, Chancellor,” Pax says, his bare feet bringing him back to where I’m kneeling on the cold, hard floor. That collar captures my focus, stretched between his brutal hands.
Liam steps to the side, allowing Pax access to me. The monster leans over, his attention on fastening the collar around my neck, and that’s when everything changes. Liam reaches into his expensive suit pocket, and I spy a flash of a needle, followed by Pax’s huge gray eyes as he slumps to the floor in front of me.
“What the—?” He manages to cast a questioning glance at Liam before his eyes roll back in his head. A nudge of Liam’s shoe to the prone figure on the floor confirms what I already know.
Pax is out cold.
“Wh-what did…what did you do?” My voice is foreign to me in that moment, constricted by shock and confusion and a dizzying amount of fear as I meet Liam’s gaze.
Without answering, he pulls me to my feet, and the collar drops to the floor, Pax never having the chance to secure it around my neck. Liam drags me toward the back room where the summons took place.
“Wait, please!” I yank on his hold, trying to slow him down. “What’s going on?”
“There’s no time. The sedative will wear off in a few hours. We need to be far away when that happens.”
“What?” Digging in my heels, I finally force him into a reluctant halt. “Where are you taking me?”
“Out of here!”
“But they’ll take you out of the auction,” I shout back.
“I don’t care about the auction.” He grabs me by the nape and lowers his face until we’re breathing the same air. “I care about you.” A heavy beat passes. “We’re not coming back, Novalee.”