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)
Either I died or survived, but even dead I didn’t stand a chance against her.
Looking away from the unconscious girl—the girl who’d been the key to unlocking the door—I fumbled in my pocket for the one thing that would hopefully let me walk through it.
Narrowing my eyes on the guards as they continued to squabble about how to safely take me back to the palace, I used my last remaining strength to slip my hand into my pocket and fumble with the silk pouch I’d taken from beneath the drawer when Rook drew my blood.
My teeth chattered violently as agony sent me closer to death. The grass beneath me felt impossibly cold. The rain too loud.
My fingers quaked as I withdrew a large silver pill.
Whisper looked down from where he guarded me, his eyes glowing bright as I slowly brought it to my mouth.
I didn’t care what the guards were doing or how much time I had before Marcus arrived. I just focused on staying the fuck alive as I placed the pill on my tongue and worked up enough saliva to swallow.
The pill tasted bitter and sour and was so big it was a choking hazard.
I winced as it went down unwillingly, then turned to look at Rook.
How was I supposed to get her to swallow one?
I’d stupidly given Rook one of these highly treasured painkillers when she first arrived at Cinderkeep. She didn’t know the value of what I’d given her. And who knew how many we’d need before today was through.
The guards threw me another worried look as they huddled in a group, going over the pros and cons of the situation, held at bay thanks to Whisper.
“You’re a good friend, you stupid beast,” I choked, wrapping my hand around Whisper’s leg. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He huffed as if telling me to save my thanks. Narrowing his gaze on the guards, another rumble echoed in his chest.
Leaving him to guard us, I shuffled closer to Rook.
My teeth almost severed my bottom lip, doing my best not to cry out from the pain. Black spots turned to black sheets, yanking me from the world of the living and straight to the world of the dead.
Not yet.
Not.
Yet.
Rook couldn’t swallow the pill in her current condition, and I couldn’t fucking do this without her, so...with shaking fingers, I scooped up the blood soaking my shirt instead.
Whisper huffed as if questioning my sanity as I gathered what I could then pushed my fingers into her parted mouth.
She frowned in her sleep, wincing as I painted her tongue with my blood.
I did it again. Fighting unconsciousness.
Gathering more crimson directly from my wound, I inserted as much as I could past her lips.
She coughed, her body’s natural reflex kicking in so she didn’t choke.
I didn’t know how much longer before she’d wake but I already felt the effects of the painkiller. Marcus never told me how he’d come across such a miraculous medicine as the Cryolyt pill. And I’d never dared take one—even on the days I’d screamed for the pain to stop—hoarding them for the day I escaped.
But now?
Now, I finally knew what they felt like.
Heartbeat by heartbeat, ice-water flowed through my veins, snuffing out the constant fire from the vitalsync core and removing the throbbing punch of being stabbed. As the numbing fog worked through me—steadying my breath and keeping me alive—a strange kind of strength unfurled beneath it. A strength that felt as if it came from my very bones—a power that hummed and thrummed, familiar but also foreign...mocking me as if it’d always been there just hidden.
The guards continued to bark into their walkie-talkies, throwing panicked looks at the gate as if praying Marcus would appear any second and take charge.
Shifting under Whisper’s towering bulk, I caught the cat’s eyes as my hand strayed to the dagger in my chest.
I’d wanted to keep it in for visual purposes. To make them panic and take me to the hospital. But these bastards were too well trained or too scared of repercussions, so...I would pivot.
Gritting my teeth, I wrapped my fingers around the hilt and tugged.
A flash of searing pain cut through the foggy numbness of the pill, but I ignored it.
I kept pulling, wincing at the sickening sensation of it coming free from my body. I groaned as I tugged it the final way.
The guards spun to face me, horror on their faces as fresh blood drenched my shirt, glossy and thick even on black fabric in the rain. “What the hell are you doing?! Stop it. You’re bleeding. Shit, it’s everywhere!” They rushed toward me but wheeled backward again as Whisper opened his jaws and roared.
“Don’t move, alright?” James panicked, raking a hand through his dripping hair. The fact that no one had shot Whisper was a testament to how afraid they were of me. How afraid they were of my blood...even if I was bleeding out before them.