Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
The door remained open, and someone else was shoved inside.
A man with a bloody face. Tall. Muscular. In the armor of Delacroix. He barely caught himself before he hit the floor, and he gave a groan when he did it, like he had three broken ribs and a broken knee.
The guard shut the door, and the lock turned.
The blonde kneeled at the man’s side and tried to help him to his feet.
He shoved her off then slowly stood upright, too proud to accept assistance. His left eye was black and swollen, he had a nasty cut on the opposite cheek, and his lips were swollen from the kiss of a fist.
But I recognized him. “Ryker…?”
His entire body went still, and his eyes focused on me. All his aggravation disappeared as he stared me down, his eyes shifting back and forth slightly, his swollen pupil barely visible beneath the inflammation of the tissues.
The blonde looked back and forth between us. “Ivory?”
My eyes remained on his. My heart had never beat like this before. It was like drums at the Harvest Parade. It had taken me all night to feel normal again, and even then, I hadn’t felt quite right. But now, I felt stronger than I ever had.
He stepped forward, disbelief on his messed-up features. I hadn’t changed since my journey had begun, other than my hair being a little longer, my eyes being a little dimmer. He knew it was me, but it was too good to be true.
Words failed him, and he embraced me instead. His powerful arms wrapped around me and yanked me into his chest, immediately squeezing me tight with his strength. His chest rose with the deep breath he took, and his body gave a little shake when it came back out.
I clung to him just as hard and felt my eyes moisten. He felt the same. He smelled the same. Home was in my arms. “I can’t believe you’re here…”
“Thank the gods you are.” He released me and stepped away.
The blonde watched us before she dismissed herself and moved to the other side of the room to give us privacy.
His eyes stayed on me. “It was the Teeth that took you?”
I shook my head. “It’s a long story. Did Father send you?” That meant the cavalry was nearby, that they would attack the Crags and free us both.
His eyes dimmed. “No. Just me.”
“You came down here by yourself to find me?” I asked, my voice breaking.
He gave a subtle shake of his head. “I looked for you everywhere in the Kingdoms—twice. No one provided any leads. No one had seen you or Mastodon. I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you…by the way.”
He was already forgiven. “It’s okay, Ryker.”
“He’s one of the Teeth, then. How did we not notice?”
“Because he’s not. He’s a Rune.”
“Then how did you end up here?”
“Long story…but Queen Rolfe turned me over to stop a war.” I didn’t have to explain who the Teeth and Runes were, so he obviously knew everything about this place, had known about the cruelty long before I did. “You didn’t answer my question.”
His eyes immediately shifted to the blonde across the room. His stare lingered for a second before it returned to me. “I came across Effie in my travels across the Kingdoms. She was alone, and some of my men wanted to do what men do best. I returned her to Delacroix, and one thing led to another…”
I had no idea where this tale was headed.
“I discovered that her family had won the lottery. I tried to stop it, but it was too late.”
The lottery. It wasn’t a saving grace. It was a damnation. And people prayed they would be chosen for that damnation.
“The men discovered the tunnel that leads down here. I took it and found her, but not before the Teeth did. There were too many of them. I couldn’t prevail, not on my own anyway. I’m surprised they didn’t kill me.”
“Because you’re no use to them dead.”
His eyes narrowed.
“They’ll feed off us.” I looked down to my bandaged thigh.
Ryker stared at it then quickly looked away, disgusted.
“We’ll find a way out of here. It was stupid to bunk us together.”
He returned his gaze to my face, his features still pained.
I watched him for a while. “What?”
“Everything is different now.”
Unsure of his meaning, I felt my eyebrows strain as I waited for more.
“Between us.”
I continued to stare.
“Because now you know that I know…that I’ve always known.”
I was too happy to see him to feel that way. If I’d discovered the truth in the safety of our castle, my reaction would have been different. But not now, not when we had to survive. “Nothing has changed.”
“You look at me differently,” he said. “You’re doing it now.”
I averted my gaze because I couldn’t meet his. “You said you tried to stop the lottery… How?”