 by Alta Hensley.jpg)
Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
And even more dangerous enemies.
He’s the keeper of all his family’s secrets, the watcher of all.
He knows what I’ve done, what I’ve risked… the deadly choice I made.
The tangled vines of his mighty family tree are strangling me.
There is no escape.
I am locked away, captive to his twisted obsession and demands.
If I run, my hell will never end.
If I stay, he will devour me.
My only choice is to dare the monster to come out into the light,
before his darkness destroys us both.
Yes… he is the monster in hiding.
And he is the end of my beginning.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter
One
Ani
I don’t know what time it is. I’ve been sleeping more than I’ve been awake, and the darkness of the night has deepened. I am curiously removed from the world around me and wake slowly, disorientated, with soft sheets luxurious against my skin. A feeling of stillness hangs in the air, and the room is lit by a soft night light that is always kept on. Somewhere, in the distance, a clock is ticking, and I feel a faint chill.
I’ve been in this mansion for weeks—maybe even a month. Each day has blended with the next, and I feel as if I’m living in an odd purgatory between the hell I was once in and a potential future of better times ahead now that he’s gone.
Forever gone.
Gone.
My phone vibrates on the nightstand beside me, which makes me wonder if that is the sound that woke me. It’s my sister calling, so I answer quickly. If I don’t, she’ll start to panic.
“Hey.” I reach for the glass of water beside my bed. My voice is scratchy, and I don’t want Daphne to worry even more that I may be getting sick or something.
“Did I wake you?”
“I really need to start sleeping on a regular schedule. I’m losing all sense of time.”
“You’re healing. Your body went through a lot,” Daphne says, softly. “Your mind did, too.” This isn’t the first time she’s given me this reassurance. Every time I bring up how I should leave and get out of her hair, I receive this same lecture.
“I know, but I’m feeling better. The bruising is fading. Nothing I can’t hide with a little makeup.” I leave out the fact that I have the kind of makeup that covers the bruises back at my trailer and have done this multiple times.
“You aren’t ready to leave Olympus,” Daphne says, clearly reading my mind. “I don’t want you in that tin can any longer.”
“That tin can is my home.”
“It’s a piece-of-shit trailer, and it doesn’t need to be your home. I can help you—”
“I’m not taking your money,” I say.
“Ani…”
“I’m serious. You and Apollo have already done far more than I’m comfortable with.”
My sister and I have been having this argument ever since she married into the Godwin family. Just because she has access to money now doesn’t mean I do. I don’t take charity or handouts. Never have. Never will.
“Tell me about the house you visited today,” I say. “I’m assuming you’ve seen it by now.”
“It’s so pretty. Everything inside is what I imagined it would be. It’s perfect. Apollo said we can buy it. It has three bedrooms, so if you want to move—”
“I’m not moving in with you guys,” I say. “No way. Don’t even think that’s a possibility. It’s bad enough I’m staying in the infamous Godwin family estate. I’m sure I’m an uninvited guest.”
“I invited you. Apollo invited you. And both of us want you to remain there until we come up with a plan to get you in a better situation.”
“I need to come up with a plan. Not we. This is my problem. My messed-up life.”
She sighs heavily on the other end of the phone but doesn’t argue any further. Instead, she says, “Thank you for remembering this house and giving the information to Apollo. It was by far the most romantic thing I could have experienced. A true Cinderella story.”
“You deserve it,” I say, and she does. My older sister has always done whatever she could for me, and it’s time for her to put herself first.
“We’re going to stay in Seattle for a couple of days while Apollo does some work for Medusa Enterprises and also does what it takes to buy the house. Do you think you’ll be okay on the island without me?”
I suppress the urge to groan as I sit up all the way, peering into the darkness. I’ve spent way too much time in bed, and my body is shouting for me to get up and stop feeling sorry for myself. He did this to me. He put me in this dark space. But he’s gone now, and it’s up to me to bounce back and rebuild. I can’t be the victim any longer.
He’s gone. He’s gone.
It’s as if I’ve been in prison. Doing my time. And, though my accommodations have been nice—extremely nice—I’m finally free. It’s time I start acting like it. Yes, I’m in a mansion, but I can’t hide in this luxury forever.
My room’s furniture is opulent—a four-poster bed, a vanity, and a tall armoire all dominate the room. An ornate rug spreads out across the floor, and expensive tapestries hang on the walls. Despite the interior’s elegance, there is something vaguely menacing about it. The shadows seem to lurk in the corners, and the objects that decorate the room appear to be watching me.