Total pages in book: 193
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
“Bane?” I gasp, and it feels like a blind reach in the dark for a way to understand him.
Zeke’s eyes are sad when he shakes his head. “A different kind of voice. The kind you and I both have.”
This time the sadness I sense is my own. It isn’t paranoia, resentment, or a broken heart telling Zeke that I’ll betray him. It’s intuition.
But no, that’s not quite right either. Zeke’s concern has never been for himself. This terror that kept him from loving or even accepting me is also for his brothers.
Tears threaten to spring free. “Oh, Zeke.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did. And I don’t think they would either.” He jerks his chin toward the bottom of the cliff where Khalil and Thorin are, and we watch them trade matching violent grins as they circle one another in the water. “If you’re going to hurt us, do it gently, princess,” Zeke begs. “If there’s any part of you that isn’t sure, if you’re just biding your time, tell me now.” Zeke’s green eyes grow darker when they swing my way, and it feels like a warm vise around my neck. “Because I’m losing, Aurelia. I don’t want to listen to that voice anymore.” I stop breathing when Zeke gently takes my hand and places it on his searing chest where his heart is pounding fast underneath. “I’d rather follow this if it means falling into you.”
“Zeke…”
“Tell me now,” he pleads again. “Once I’m cured of this fear keeping me from you, I won’t be able to turn away. No matter where you go or what you decide later, I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, princess. I’ll live only for you.” Quietly, he adds, “Even if you don’t want me to.”
I don’t know what to say to that, and since I have the feeling Zeke isn’t expecting a response to his—what even was that? A promise? A threat? A proclamation of love? Somehow, it feels like all of the above, and my stupid heart is eating it up.
Am I seriously going to let Ezekiel Cura win me over that easily?
Yes.
We sit on the cliff above the waterfall in comfortable silence, watching the sun set and only speaking to make fun of Thorin when he keeps tripping over the same rock.
“It’s getting dark,” Zeke says when my stomach growls loudly. It’s only then I remember that I never got to eat.
We both head down just as Khalil returns from taking a leak.
“I don’t know if I can walk back,” I say as I wiggle my aching toes. “I’m pooped.”
“Good. Because we’re not going back tonight,” Khalil says as he reaches inside the extra pack he brought and pulls out a tent. “We’re camping here.”
After dinner, the four of us find ourselves back in the water under the full moon, but this time we decide to skip the swimsuits after the guys goaded me into a striptease. The three of them are sipping on the warm beers they stowed away in their packs. I had a sip of Zeke’s, who surprisingly had been the first to tip his toward my lips when I mentioned wanting to try it. It was gross, so the guys grimacing after every sip is definitely warranted.
“I think we should kill my uncle,” I blurt as I stand in the water near the rocks. The waterfall behind me almost drowns out the words, but when the relaxed expressions of my mountain men morph into tight jaws and tense lips, I don’t have to question if they heard every word.
“And if he’s already left Hearth?” Thorin asks.
“Then we follow him back to the States. Kill him there.”
Khalil and Thorin glower at me. I can’t see Zeke’s face, but I feel and hear him push through the water to stand a little closer behind me. “You know we can’t do that,” Khalil says bitingly.
“We have to. My uncle will never stop, which means I can never stop. Next time, he won’t send more men. He’ll get more creative than that. My death was always meant to look like a tragic accident, and I’m not wild about all the ways he can make that happen. We need to go on the offensive.”
“It’s not safe for us to return home. Isaac could still be looking for Zeke.”
“So we kill Isaac first.” I shrug.
Khalil gives me a weird look before shaking his head and staring at the water. “Weed makes you bloodthirsty,” he grumbles. I bet he’s regretting talking me into trying it now. It took me an hour to stop giggling and another two before I was no longer convinced the woodland animals were rising up against me.
“I’ve actually been thinking about this since the death squad showed up on our doorstep,” I correct. “So that’s the plan then? We kill Zeke’s brother and then my uncle? Any more family members we should put on the chopping block?”