Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
I can feel Ares stare at me for a long moment until my skin begins to crawl, then his low and deadly voice fills the air as he says, “I have something special for you. With love from Adeth, of course.”
Before today, Ares has hardly spoken a word to me. My eyes dart to him, and I see a bottle and knife in his hands.
Oh shit.
He stalks closer, and when he grabs hold of my hair, my right arm darts up, and I grip his wrist.
He starts to drag my broken body across the floor, and I’m unable to suppress a cry.
The moment he lets go of me, I try to stand up, but I have zero strength and can only lie in a pathetic heap.
When Ares grabs hold of my ankle, I’m confused, but then he drags me into the air, and realizing what he plans to do, I try to kick at him.
“No,” I growl, a hopeless feeling gripping my chest tightly because, in the end, there’s nothing I can do to protect myself from this monster.
Blood rushes to my head, and I feel nauseous from the slight swinging motion, as he hangs me in the air by my feet, tying the rope tightly around my ankles.
“You’re a coward,” I spit through clenched teeth, trembles racking through my body. “Fucking asshole.”
Ares comes to crouch in front of me and holds the bottle and knife in front of my face. “Which one should I use first?”
I don’t know what’s in the bottle. It’s plain white.
Locking eyes with him, I use every ounce of meager strength I have to say, “Fuck. You.”
He raises to his full height, and when he moves in behind me, my heart beats wildly in my chest. My body bucks as I try to see what he’s doing.
Suddenly, the blade of the knife stabs into the back of my thigh, and the sharp pain has me screaming.
Once I’m able to breathe through the pain, I yell, “Mother fucking son of a bitch!”
He yanks the knife out of me, the pain threatening to rob me of my sanity.
I feel something cold drip on my back, and I instinctively try to swing away, but a second later, fire starts to lick at the raw lashes.
It’s not as bad as the time Ares choked me. Whatever is in the bottle smells like vinegar. He turns the whole bottle on me, and I take my words back.
It feels like he lit a match to my torn-up back, and I can only sob and whimper as I writhe in pure agony.
I have no idea how much time passes, and when my body goes limp, I can’t even make a sound.
Ares unfastens the rope around my ankles, and somewhere between all the pain, it sinks in that he’s being gentle with me as he lays me down on the floor.
Prying my eyes open, I’m shocked to see a hint of emotion flash briefly in his eyes.
Was it sadness? Guilt?
That’s not possible.
For a moment, he just stares at me, then his arm moves, and I try to brace myself for the punch, but instead, he brushes my tangled hair away from my cheek.
The tender touch makes me feel sick to my stomach. I would’ve preferred a punch.
“Forgive me, Alchera,” he whispers. His features tense, and his eyes begin to change from black to light gray. The dark aura always surrounding him fades, and for a second, he doesn’t look as threatening.
I lose my ability to breathe as I watch him transform from monster to man.
“Ares?” I whisper, stunned by what’s happening, but before I can say anything else, he disappears from the shack again.
I have no idea whether I’ve been here a couple of days, a week, or a month.
It rained earlier and the sound of the drops pelting the shack’s roof sounded so beautiful I almost cried.
I haven’t seen Ares since he asked my forgiveness, which is something I’ll never give.
I’m listening to the leaves rustling outside the door, welcoming any noise to break the silence hanging heavy around me.
Jason. I have to survive so I can save Jason.
I pry my eyes open and let out a groan.
I hear twigs snap and lift my head off the floor. Ares never uses the door.
I see a shadow pass by the inch-sized space beneath the door, and a moment later, it returns.
It stills for a breathless moment, and then I hear the wood rattle as someone tries to open it.
Oh my God.
“Hello?” I croak, the word barely audible.
Suddenly, the door shudders open with a bang, leaving it hanging on one hinge, and a man I’ve never seen before stands tall in the doorway.
“Help,” I whimper, not sure whether I should get my hopes up or not.
“Son, she’s here,” he says.
The second Raighne appears behind the man, I can’t hold the sobs back, and they rack through my chest. “You found me.”