Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
As Vero stepped in, the male’s purple eyes fluttered open. They were bloodshot, his pupils dilated. He tried to shift his body but winced, groaning through gritted teeth. “Back for more?” he croaked, his voice ragged.
“Save your energy.” Vero dragged the metal chair from the corner of the cell. The scraping sound echoed, setting Vero’s nerves on edge. He dropped into the chair, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I don’t want to hurt you again—unless I have to.”
The male let out a wheezy laugh. “That’s what they all say.”
Vero pulled out the paper again, unfolding it deliberately. He held it up for the prisoner to see. “Tell me about this.”
The prisoner blinked, his gaze sharpening for a fraction of a second before he looked away. “Never seen it before.”
Vero’s patience wore thin. He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a growl. “Don’t waste my time. This symbol was cut into the victims and branded onto you and your dead buddies. You expect me to believe you don’t know what it means?”
The prisoner coughed, spitting blood onto the floor. “I don’t expect you to believe anything. But if you’re looking for answers, you’re asking the wrong questions.”
Vero frowned. “Then enlighten me.”
The prisoner chuckled, a wet, gurgling sound. “It’s not about the symbol. It’s about what it represents. You think you’re fighting rebels? Traitors? No. You’re fighting ghosts.”
Vero’s hand shot out, grabbing the jerk by the front of his torn shirt and yanking him forward. “What the hell does that mean?”
The male grimaced, but defiance bloomed in his bloodshot eyes. “You’re too young to remember, Prince, but not everything in your world was built to last. Old alliances crumble. Old sins come home to roost. You’re digging into things better left buried.”
Vero tightened his grip. “Who sent you?”
The prisoner smiled faintly, his teeth stained red. “You will never know.”
The words sent a chill down Vero’s spine. He shoved the male back against the wall and stood, pacing the small cell as he fought to piece the puzzle together. The symbol, the dead girls, the attack on Paxton and attack on Vero—it all felt connected, but how?
He turned back to the prisoner, who was watching him now with a mix of wariness and smug satisfaction. “Who do you work for?” Vero demanded. “The Realm? The humans? Someone else?”
The prisoner shook his head, his smile widening. “Kurjans always think it’s about you. Always think the world revolves around petty Kurjan squabbles. It’s bigger than that, you traitor. Much bigger.”
“Why did you attack me?” Maybe the why would lead him to the who. Vero’s headache turned into a full-blown migraine. He took a step closer, fists clenched. “Start talking. Now. Or I’ll make you wish you hadn’t survived the attempt on my life.”
The prisoner’s smile faded, replaced by a resigned expression. “You’re out of your depth. By the time you figure it out, it’ll be too late.”
The words hit Vero harder than he expected. If he tortured this jackass any more right now, he’d kill him sooner rather than later. So he turned and exited the cell, slamming the door behind him. The sound reverberated down the hall, a fitting punctuation to his boiling frustration.
Outside, he leaned against the cold stone wall, trying to calm the storm inside him. Silas’s words about trust and instincts rang in his ears. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something—someone—was playing them all like chess pieces on a board. And the worst part? He didn’t know their next move.
For now, he’d follow the trail, no matter how twisted it became. But he couldn’t shake the nagging thought that the answers he sought might be worse than the questions haunting him. Taking a break, he looked down at his right hand.
At the perfect mating brand of a demon.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Darkness pressed in when Lyrica hurried outside, bundled up in her puffer jacket. The cold stung her cheeks as she hustled through the billowing snow and hopped inside the already warmed-up utility terrain vehicle waiting near the main lodge. She sighed, sinking into the heated leather seat of the UTV.
Lukas shut her door.
She smiled at Jonathan in the driver’s seat. “This is definitely the way to go.” Most of her activities took place between the lodge and nearby buildings, so she hadn’t had much occasion in the last three weeks to venture out into the territory.
It struck her how Vero had made sure that everybody visited her in the nice, warm, safe lodge for their meetings. She shook her head to dislodge the thought, since it spun with too many distractions already and she needed to focus on the job at hand.
Her pleasantly sore body kept distracting her.
Jonathan snorted. “These things are a lot of fun. You should take one out and drive up the river for a while. You’d see beautiful wildlife. You wouldn’t believe the size of the moose we have here.”