Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 140780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
“They were Sovereign Retrieval, and yes, they did tell me because Rook has a lifetime account and when I noticed she’d been kidnapped by a man who also had access to their services, they were obviously a little concerned. They refused to tell me anything about who took her but agreed to give the last location where Rook had been seen. And...here I am.”
Silence settled like a bomb waiting to go off.
Lucien glanced at me tucked under his arm, questions in his eyes. “Did you know you had an account with them?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Why does she have an account with them?” he asked Dillon.
“Because she’s the heiress to Snowflake Corp. Because she’s the prized daughter of the Snowdons. Because...” He swallowed hard.
“Because?” I asked, my heart pinching.
“Because...” He shrugged as if he’d been carrying a heavy weight for years. “You’re...special.”
“Special?” I wrinkled my nose. “Special how?”
His gaze shot to Lucien’s. They had a staring competition before Dillon said, “I think you know why she’s so special and if you do...then, I really need that fucking drink.”
The air temperature in the courtyard turned hotter than the tropics. Whisper looked like he’d happily commit murder and my heart raced so hard it hurt.
But then Lucien just nodded and waved at the open-air corridor leading into darkness. “Fine. After you.”
Dillon scowled. “Does your hospitality include a promise that I’ll still be alive come morning?”
Lucien smiled. “Time will tell, won’t it?”
Dillon looked at me and the depth of secrets in his eyes undid me.
So there was something he’d been keeping from me.
He knew I was different all along, and he’d watched me suffer headache after headache, catching me so many times as my own system knocked me unconscious.
Bitter betrayal flooded my mouth as I stalked toward him and stabbed a finger into his powerful, muscular chest. “Tell me. Right now.”
But he merely grabbed my hand in his calloused one and squeezed. “I think we both need a drink for that conversation, little flight-risk. Shall we?”
I didn’t have time to answer before he dragged me back to Lucien, let me go when Whisper roared, and marched into Ashfall Cliff like he was headed to the gallows.
Chapter Fifty-Three
“WHAT IS THIS PLACE?” I ASKED as Lucien slammed open the double doors, leading into a pavilion. Outside, it looked like a shrine with neatly tended magnolia trees and two empty rocking chairs. Inside, it was lived-in and homely.
Letting me go, Lucien flicked a switch, flooding the space with soft light. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves kept watch over a large rosewood desk. A maroon silk rug rested on the floor, while a tan leather couch and two matching chairs waited by one of the large circular windows.
“This is my father’s study,” Lucien said quietly, guiding me toward the couch and sitting hard as if his knees suddenly gave out. I went to sit next to him, but he jerked me down, placing me on his lap.
My arm automatically looped around his neck for balance. “Eh, what are you doing?”
He locked his arm around me as I tried to scramble off. He rested his other hand possessively on my thigh. “Don’t let go of me,” he murmured into my ear as Dillon stepped into the office, his eyes darting everywhere, no doubt seeking exits and weapons. “I’m doing my best to stay in control but...with you close, I have a much better chance of not killing him.”
My eyes whipped to Lucien’s as he pulled back.
The bond between us flared bright.
His arm tightened around me as if he knew I could feel him, his forehead pressing to mine as he sagged into me.
I couldn’t stop it.
Couldn’t hide it even as Dillon took the chair next to the couch and sucked in a breath as my hair froze with crystals and my skin turned pale, pale blue. The frigid temperature of my blood sank into the scorching burn of Lucien, cooling him, soothing him, blaring all my secrets.
The padding of heavy paws announced Whisper’s arrival. His whiskers flared as he snarled at Dillon, prowled like a liquid shadow to the couch, then sat proudly at Lucien’s feet.
Tension rippled down Lucien’s thighs as he snapped, “Go on then. Speak.”
“About that drink?” Dillon never looked away.
“You’ll get one when you’ve explained. So...explain.”
“I think I should be saying that to you.” He waved at us, arching his eyebrow at me sitting on Lucien’s lap.
I tried to slip off and sit on the couch like an adult, but Lucien just held me tighter. “We owe you nothing and you’ll get nothing.”
Dillon didn’t speak for a long moment. “Fine. But first...I need a few answers from you, Rook. Just to put my mind at rest. Then I’ll submit to whatever inquisition you have in mind.”
Lucien’s grip tightened. A wisp of his jealousy bled through the bond.
“Alright,” I said softly. “What...what do you want to know?”