Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 40057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Wizard nudged a rolling chair toward me. “Sit. You do what you do, and I’ll match your reconstructions to the syndicate database I’ve been building.”
I swallowed, forcing down the anxiety and pulling my sketchbook and tablet from my bag. This was my chance to fix my mess. Even if my hands shook a little, I couldn’t afford to back down.
I opened to a clean page and began sorting the fragments Wizard handed me. As the first lines formed beneath my pencil, the familiar rush of structure settled into place and calmed the frantic beat of my heart.
Overwhelmed or not, I knew how to do this. And I wasn’t about to let Jareth use my mind against me ever again. Instead, I’d turn it against him with the help of the Hounds of Hellfire MC.
Wizard handed me the first set of partial photos and blurred screenshots that meant nothing to most people. But the moment I looked at them, the familiar pressure pricked at the back of my eyes.
I started with a half-formed symbol carved into steel. My pencil moved before I fully understood what I was filling in, the structure revealing itself beneath my fingers.
Wizard leaned over my shoulder. “You don’t even hesitate.”
“I don’t need to,” I murmured, sketching the missing diagonal and a thinner connecting line. “It only fits one way.”
I flipped to the next page, sorting symbols into three groups without thinking. I only realized I’d done it automatically when Wizard whistled under his breath.
“Good work,” he muttered, typing furiously on one of his keyboards.
As we moved to a new set, my anger grew. Every stroke of my pencil peeled back another lie Jareth had wrapped in praise. He’d given me exercises that felt like challenges meant to improve my technique. But all along, he’d been training me to break down and rebuild these symbols without ever letting me see what I was actually doing. It was manipulation disguised as mentorship.
My jaw tightened, and I pressed harder on the next pencil stroke.
Wizard kept pace, assigning every variation I reconstructed to a criminal organization. But I felt no pride in what we were accomplishing.
Hours passed in a blur of lines and Wizard’s muttered curses. My hand flew across the page faster with each symbol.
The only times I snapped out of it were when Reeve came to check on me. He made sure I ate and stayed hydrated. His presence steadied the chaos swirling inside me. He didn’t say much, just squeezed my shoulder before moving behind Wizard to glare at the screens like he wanted to break something.
When he returned to check if my hand was cramping, the pressure building inside me finally boiled over.
“He marked me,” I choked out. “Like I was his.”
Reeve’s hand froze over mine, and the muscle in his jaw flexed so hard I thought it might crack.
I kept going. “Jareth used me. He shaped my brain as it belonged to him.” My breath hitched as my throat tightened. “He took advantage of the one thing that made me…me.”
Reeve’s breathing turned harsh, controlled only by sheer force of will.
Wizard pretended to be deeply engrossed in his monitors, but even he seemed to shrink a little at the tension pouring off Reeve.
I swiped at my cheek, furious when my fingers came away damp. “I hate the tattoo on my calf. That I walked around for months not knowing I’d been branded like property.”
Reeve moved before I could take another breath. He stepped between me and the desk, blocking everything else out. Then he leaned in, his eyes burning with something lethal. “You think he owns you?”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head quickly. “I’m not his.”
“Damn straight you’re not.” He braced one hand on the desk beside my hip, the other curling lightly around the back of my neck. His touch was unmistakably possessive. “Because you’re mine.”
I swallowed hard, my voice barely audible. “Reeve.”
His thumb stroked the side of my throat, feeling my pulse hammer against it. His voice was strained like he was one second away from losing control. “You’re done here for tonight. Let’s go.”
Reeve didn’t say anything else as he scooped me up like I weighed nothing, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist while his big hands gripped my butt to hold me tightly against him. My heart hammered as he carried me through the clubhouse and upstairs to his room, using his hip to shut the door behind us.
He set me on my feet just long enough for me to kick off my shoes and him to get his boots off. Then he fisted my hair gently and tipped my head back. When I licked my lips, he groaned low in his throat.
“Been dying to taste you again, baby,” he rasped before his mouth crashed against mine.
His tongue demanded entry, sweeping in deep to claim every inch. I melted against him, my fingers clutching his cut as I kissed him back just as desperately.