Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 99935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
My throat tightened—breaths coming in short rasps.
Tristan moved to the wardrobe and took out a pillowcase. Again, he was all shy smiles as he wrapped the ice for me.
“Who brought you directly to that ssscene of blood and horror?” Sabrina’s hisses slid into my ears, curdling my insides. “Who threatened you until you were forced to reveal your secret?”
Those beautiful, golden eyes filled mine as Tristan leaned over the mattress—trapping me between his body and arm—pressing the ice to my wound.
“Who now has the power to break the glamour and reveal your true identity to anyone, anywhere, and at any time he pleases?”
“I— I... uh...” My lips moved but nothing came out.
“And who now has you even more effectively trapped and at his mercy than your precious nestmate, Adora Hunter?” She rose high over his shoulder, meeting my wide gaze. “Consider, human, that you needn’t have found your nestmate’s captor.”
Tristan cupped the back of my neck—his large, powerful, ichor-stained hand encircling my bare, weak throat without strain. He tipped my head back, resting it against the ice, and propping the ice wrap on the headboard. Tristan didn’t move back or let go even though he could, and should have.
“Because he has already found you.”
CLASSES WERE CANCELED for the rest of the day. Naturally, there wasn’t some big announcement. I just had to wander the hall blindly for almost an hour until walking into empty room after empty lecture hall gave me the hint. But far from being annoyed, I used the time to sort through my jumbled thoughts.
Sabrina had a point. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the easiest. From what she told me. Tristan had bigger things than me to worry about, so why did he go out of his way to approach me? Why did he protect me from that fae, beat up Kazuya and those guys, and pledge to have my back? Why would he assume I was a homicidal witch just because I asked if he’d seen those guys around?
Was he just a gold medalist in jumping to conclusions, or did he purposely push me into revealing my true self? An act I fell for hook, line, and sinker.
I groaned, stopping dead in the middle of the hallway. With classes out, I was taking the chance to map out the school and orient myself. So far, I learned one thing about this place—it was horribly segregated.
So far, I came up on three massive doors. One had the beautiful visage of a wolf carved into the wood. And that wolf was the only thing that could be easily seen amid the locks, chains, and deadbolts keeping it shut tight. Since werewolves were vampires’ only source of blood in hell, I did understand the precautions. But what I didn’t understand was why when I knocked and asked if I could come in, a peephole slid open, the person took one look at my red eyes, and told me to fuck off back to the rest of my demon scum kind.
Very much shut down, I kept up my wandering and exited what I was calling the east wing, and made for the south wing. That is when I left hell... and found heaven.
“Beautiful,” I breathed, stepping out of the crimson-and-ebony-dipped hallway into a pearl-and-ivory-painted paradise.
Instead of skeletal hands holding weedy little dripping candles, the ivory holders on the walls carried huge, fiercely burning torches. Swirling damask wallpaper drew me in—literally. I drifted closer, running my fingers along the surface, and gasped.
If a cloud could properly be touched, I had no doubt that this is what it felt like. The pearl and ivory paper pressed back against me, enveloping my fingertips in tiny little hugs.
My feet carried me across the plush, cream carpet—bringing me out of the receiving room and further into the narrow hall. Large, colorful portraits took up space on both sides, each of them displaying the captured image of stunningly gorgeous fae with magnificent wings, jeweled crowns, and haughty—bordering on unfriendly—expressions.
I slowed down beside one portrait in particular. A handsome man with long, golden hair; brilliantly beautiful eyes; a frown dripping with distaste, and a pointed, upturned nose glared down at me, but that’s not what drew me. What stopped me were the words King Ravenscar written in curlicue letters on the bottom frame.
I reached the double doors at the end of the hallway. I didn’t need more of a clue that this was the fae wing, but I did need a clue on how to get in. There were no chains on the door, but also no doorknobs or keyholes. No single obvious way to get in. There also wasn’t a response when I knocked. Not even a shout for me to go away.
Leaving the south wing behind, I headed back out to the main room, and went past the part of the manor housing the demon’s mess hall. On that side of the mansion, all the lights disappeared.