Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
“Who are the other Regals?” Willow asks.
“Legend has it that Selah had two sisters who eventually stepped down to become Mythics after Selah created the Tethered. Their names were Hassha and Korah. There are rumors they’re still alive and blending in with the commoners. They have great power, and they know many things. It would be easier to signal to them and see if they can help with defeating Decius…if this con artist woman can even give us a link to them.”
“We’ll try.” Willow raises her chin. “We have to. We can’t let Decius win.”
“You’re right. And at this rate, I’ll do anything to kill him.”
“Jesus,” Faye whispers. “Is this normal for you? Just saying you’re going to kill someone?”
“What’s wrong with it?” I counter.
“We don’t exactly go around saying we’re going to kill people around here. At least, not literally,” Faye declares.
“Well, I mean it literally. I will kill him.”
“Okay.” Faye blows an exasperated breath then reaches for Willow’s hand, squeezing it. “Willow, can we talk? Alone?”
She looks from me to Faye, hesitant.
Willow swings her eyes to me as Faye marches to the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Chapter 19
WILLOW
As soon as I shut the door behind me, Faye asks, “He doesn’t know that Garrett was here last night, does he?”
“Shh!” I shake my head and grip her by the upper arms, moving away from the door, “No, and I’d prefer it to stay that way, Faye!”
“I know, I know! Sorry! Look, I know it’s the last thing you wanted to hear, but I had to tell you. I only met Garrett once the night when he came over for drinks, but last night really freaked me out. You should’ve seen him, Willow. He was just sitting in his car, looking at your apartment balcony, and he had this look on his face, like he was annoyed or angry or something.”
I pull my hands away from her to rub my temples. To say I’m stressed is putting it mildly. Last night, after my phone had charged and come back to life, I saw the text from Faye about Garrett. At that point, it was nearing midnight and I had to delete the text because I was so paranoid Caz would see it and wreak havoc. I tried ignoring it last night and even checked the parking lot this morning, pleased to see there was no sign of Garrett.
“I seriously do not need this shit right now,” I mutter. “If he shows up here, Faye, I can’t guarantee he won’t be murdered for it.”
A grin splits Faye’s face in half, and her eyes bounce around like she’s gathering a ton of impractical ideas. “Two guys fighting over you. Gotta say, that’s kinda hot.”
“No, Faye. You don’t understand. Garrett wasn’t supposed to be in the parking lot. In fact, he shouldn’t be anywhere near me because I literally never want to see him again.”
She straightens her back. “Wait…why not? What did he do?”
“He…put his hands on me.”
Her eyes stretch with shock as I rub my upper arm. “What the fuck? Why would he do that?”
“The day after I came back from Caz’s world, he…grabbed me. Like, really hard. And he called me a bitch because I said I didn’t want to be around him anymore. I haven’t wanted to be with him for a long time, and I finally called it off. Now, I’m assuming he’s pissed about it and is trying to find a way back in, but there is none. I’m done with him.”
Faye’s eyes are nearly bulging out of her head. “Does Caz know about Garrett? About you not wanting him around?”
“Yes. I told him when we were in Vakeeli.”
“Oh.” She swallows hard, smashing her lips together. “So, when you say you can’t guarantee he won’t be murdered for it, you really mean that?”
“Yes! It’ll be bad if Caz figures out who he is. We just need to figure this Tether thing out, and when it’s all said and done, I’ll call the cops, let them know…put up a fucking restraining order or something if I have to. I don’t know.” My eyes are hot and misty. I blink the unshed tears away and shift on my feet.
“Hey, it’ll be okay,” Faye coos, reeling me in for a hug. “Don’t even stress over that worthless hijo de puta.” She’s quiet a beat. “The fact that he put his hands on you…” She lets out an infuriated sigh. “Maybe Caz should know Garrett is hovering around. Any man who hits a woman is pathetic and worthless and doesn’t deserve to live.”
“No, Faye.” I pull away and stare at her with serious eyes. “We don’t need to be put into anymore chaos. Caz means well, sure, but he doesn’t realize our world isn’t like his. He could go to prison. I need him to keep a low profile if he wants to get back to Vakeeli.”