Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 62128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
“Where is my mate?”
I repeat the question for what might be the last time. I do not have the patience to keep asking it.
“Why was your mate alone in a jail cell, executioner?” He returns to the same set of questions he already asked. He is going to try to evade telling me the truth, but I know how to get it out of him.
“None of your business. Where is she?”
“She ran, executioner. She ran and she did not look back. Seems like a mistake on your part.”
“She was caught. Snatched up. And I think you either know who did it or can find out. I think you’re going to get her back for me.”
He leans in, his eyes gleaming with tactical malice. That horn of his is damn close to my head.
“And I think you will owe me once I do.”
I am yet to decide if he is going to survive this encounter. My instincts are telling me to kill him and every single one of his unfortunate organization until I find Raine. I feel a cold fury and intense rage that does not allow for anything else in my mind or heart.
For this reason, I follow my instincts. I have nothing else to follow.
“I could make an example out of you, Wrath. I could hang you from the roof of the Hall, cut you open from gizzard to gut, and leave you to rot for all to see.”
Wrath’s heavy brows rise. “These humans have to be more addictive than saurjuice. You’re acting more like a criminal than I ever did. False imprisonment and violent threats. You’ve got some real nerve.”
I stare death at him.
“I am not executioner because the role was assigned to me and I had no choice. I am executioner because I am one of the few of Thorn’s allies who can enjoy killing when it is done for a righteous reason. Killing you would be righteous.”
“Then do it.”
I grab Wrath’s horn with both hands, twist and drop my weight hard, throwing him to the ground. I am atop him in an instant, pinning him beneath me. He reaches up for my wings and tries to grapple me, but my wings have a lot of give in them. They are designed to navigate massive gusts of air. His stumpy hands will not do damage.
I drag Wrath out of the cell, out of the hall, and out of the jail entirely. His people and mine look on, stunned to see the two of us locked in a physical combat. Wrath’s big fists are working my body, punching hard and fast, pummeling me because he’s trying to avoid what’s coming next. He even starts to throw his head around in the attempt to gore me.
“I will destroy you, executioner,” he promises. “You will suffer until the very end, I promise you that.”
His threats mean absolutely nothing to me. I am determined to get the truth out of him, and so I beat my wings and I draw the both of us up and into the sky. At first he tries to struggle free, but we quickly reach a point at which his falling would be his death — and at that point, he grabs on tight.
It is not easy to fly with his massive weight attached to me. It would be easier to drop him. But I won’t be doing that until I get what I need. I soar high above Grave City, until the ancient primal’s skeleton looks like a child’s toy and the city around it seems like it is a city for the smallest of insects.
Wrath is clinging to me for dear life. If he was to fall now, he would be absolutely obliterated.
“If I let you go, you would be scattered across the city when you landed. Every building, vehicle, and pedestrian would be coated in a fine spray of you,” I tell Wrath. I am holding him face up toward me, though I let him turn his head enough to appreciate just how far above the ground he is.”
“By the primal!” he curses. “Avel, you’ve lost your mind!”
“No,” I snarl. “I lost my mate.”
“I don’t have anything to do with that!”
“She came out of the jail with a slip of paper and she put it in one of your drop boxes. What was that for?”
“To see if she’d do it. I wanted to see how useful humans can be.”
“Why?”
“Because when the alpha has something, I want it. Avel! Put me down! I swear I’ll make it worth your while.”
He’s trying to bargain, but there’s only one thing I want. I want Raine back. She’s somewhere down in that tiny city below us. One of those tiny buildings hides her, and I want to know which one. From this height, it seems so easy. But I know once I descend, the world will become large again, and Raine could be forever lost.