Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
“That’s still surprising,” Rowan muttered before looking at Ivor. “My family has nothing to do with me.”
“She seemed very worried.”
“But not my father, right?”
Ivor didn’t answer because he was still angry over the way the father had acted about his son. His silence must have clued Rowan in because sadness flitted briefly over his face.
“Good to know he wouldn’t even care if I died,” he said, bitterness deepening his voice.
“I got the distinct impression he is not a man you should ever grieve about.”
“That’s the right impression,” Rowan answered. “He cares only about how he’s perceived by the high society he’s a part of. Real things like love and family only exist for him as long as he deems them worthy. Though, I’m not sure he even knows how to feel love.” Rowan looked away and frowned. “I’m not even sure why I’m telling you all this.” He looked back at Ivor. “Again, I’m so thankful you guys are trying to help me.”
“It’s why we came to Canon Beach, Rowan. It’s why we stayed even after you disappeared on us.”
Emory jogged back to them. “Sorry it took me so long. Xavier called to make sure we’d found Rowan.”
“Are you guys ready to go?” Lake asked.
Ivor had completely forgotten he was standing there, his focus so hard on Rowan.
“What exactly did you mean when you said warp earlier?” Rowan asked. “Because I’m imagining that beaming stuff on that show, Star Trek, and yeah, I’m not so sure I want to do that. Being split into millions of tiny pieces does not sound fun.”
Lake smiled. “It’s more like when they reached warp speed in their ships. I have the ability to take us fast through space to wherever we need to go. Don’t worry, it’s quick. But it is disorienting for some.”
Rowan just blinked at him a moment before shaking his head. “I should be surprised but after an entire life knowing about you guys, I’m not. Though I didn’t even know that was a real thing. I just thought it was something in fiction.”
“A lot of things in fiction actually come from what’s real,” Ivor said. “You’ve always been able to see us?”
Rowan nodded. “And I’ve always kept it secret. Ever since I figured out other people don’t see you. The first person I saw who was different had wings a lot like Emory’s, only black.” He still looked at Ivor as he then asked, “So, how do we do this?”
Ivor smiled at him. “All you have to do is put your hand on Lake’s arm.”
Chapter Eight
Rowan
As he’d said, the only thing Rowan knew about warping was through television shows and books, so he was nervous as he reached out to touch the shorter man’s arm. Lake had sandy brown hair in a high fade and sharp facial features. But it was Ivor Rowan looked at right before he was sucked into space.
Colors whirled around him, and he slammed his eyes shut, only opening them when he felt something solid underneath his feat. He opened his eyes, then promptly shut them again as dizziness swamped him. He’d gotten a glimpse of the hallway outside his apartment though.
“That’s fucking wild,” he gasped out as he tried to look around again. His legs felt like gelatin, wobbly and unsteady. He took a lurching step toward his door and slammed his hand on the wall to keep from falling. His gut turned over, bile rising up in his throat, and he swallowed it back, desperate not to throw up in front of these supernatural men.
“Don’t worry, that fucked up feeling doesn’t last,” Ivor said from close beside him.
Rowan had the urge to lean on him, but he didn’t because that would be crazy. The need to soak up some of his strength was still there, though. He took a cautious step, finding his legs back in working order. Mostly. He did stop to lean on the door before he fumbled for his keys.
The absolute devastation inside the apartment shocked him even though he’d known it was coming. He’d only caught a glimpse before but seeing everything he owned ripped to shreds still sickened him. Everything, absolutely everything, had been destroyed. Couch in pieces, pages from books all over the floor. Even the vertical blinds that had covered the sliding glass doors had been yanked down.
“We need to move fast,” Ivor reminded him gently.
Debris crunched beneath Rowan’s feet as he hurried into the bedroom. It took a while for him to find his bag because everything had been pulled from his closet and dresser. He quickly gathered up jeans, shirts, socks, and underwear before running back out of the room to get some toiletries from his bathroom. But real devastation hit when he went back in his bedroom and frantically searched for his Kindle. He finally found it only to let out a small whine when he found it crushed, the screen shattered.