Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“Let go of MY WIFE!” the enormous creature Slade had become demanded in an inhumanly deep voice. “Or you’re going to fucking DIE!”
“Fuck!” I heard the Brute who had grabbed me mutter. Then he dropped my wrist and stepped back. “Look, this is a misunderstanding! I didn’t know she was yours,” he protested, backing away with his hands up in a “don’t shoot” gesture.
Slade didn’t answer, he just rushed forward, sweeping like a monster of darkness towards the hapless Brute. In the swirling black mist-figure he had become I saw knife-like teeth, long and white and lethal.
Oh my Goddess—he’s going to bite him in half! I thought faintly.
My attacker must have thought the same thing. He didn’t stay to fight. Instead he spread his wings and launched himself at the wide opening in the side of the building where ships were flying in and out of the parking area.
Slade lunged after him but the other Brute had already taken flight. He jumped out of the side of the building, his bat-like wings spread wide to cup the air. With a few strong flaps he was soaring through the night sky and out of reach.
I was sure the thing Slade had become was going to go after him, but it didn’t. Instead, it turned to face me.
Terror washed over me as I saw the enormous figure with the long, dagger-like teeth moving towards me. Goddess, it was going to eat me—to kill me—I was sure of it!
Turning, I stumbled away from it. I still wasn’t as steady on my feet as I would have liked but I did my best, willing my legs to move faster, faster! I had to get away! I had to—
Suddenly I stumbled over a crack in the pavement and fell. I reached out my hands to catch myself and felt the sharp sting as the dirty asphalt erased the skin from my palms.
There was another pain too—a sharp stabbing in one of my knees. But I didn’t have time to pay attention to that. I started scrambling to get up, trying desperately to keep running, to get away from the monster behind me…
“Aurora? Princess? Wait—it’s me!” I heard a familiar voice saying.
Then, just as I finally got back on my feet, long, strong arms were wrapped around me as someone hugged me from behind.
“No!” I shrieked, kicking my legs and struggling wildly. “No, don’t touch me—leave me alone!”
“I’m telling you, it’s me. It’s Slade!” the deep voice in my ear insisted. Then he turned me around and I was looking up at his face again—his regular face. There was no menacing black mist or strange eyes or knife-like teeth. There was just Slade—my new husband—and his golden eyes looked worried.
Not the monster. Not the monster, I told myself over and over. But by now I was so upset and overwhelmed, it was difficult to calm down.
So much had happened today. I had found out my brother had gambled away the tribute money, sold myself to my enemy to save my people, had a bewildering Binding Ceremony that tied me to a male I knew I was supposed to hate, and just now I had been nearly kidnapped and then confronted by a terrifying monster that apparently lived inside my new husband’s body.
It was all just too much.
I felt a sob tear itself from my throat and then tears were running down my face as I collapsed in Slade’s arms.
“Hey, it’s all right Aurora—it’s all right, baby. You’re safe now—safe,” he rumbled. Picking me up, he cradled me to his broad chest. “Safe,” he murmured again and I felt him drop a gentle kiss on the top of my head.
I wanted to stop crying—I really did. But it took some time for the tears to slow down as Slade carried me through the parking area.
“Wh-where are we g-going?” I finally managed to get out.
“Away,” he said shortly. “I think you’ve had enough of Sin World for now.”
“B-but the restaurant…” I began.
“We’ll get room service if you’re hungry,” he told me. “But I think we both need some peace and quiet. Just relax, Princess—I’m taking you home.”
12
SLADE
The way she was shivering and trembling in my arms was breaking my fucking heart—she was clearly still scared out of her mind. Even worse, it was me she was terrified of. She’d seen me change—seen me let my Darkness out. I hadn’t intended for that to happen—I had wanted to take my time before I told her what I was—about the thing that lived inside me.
Fuck—so much for that. Now she knew it all and the way she was looking at me let me know it was going to take a while to earn her trust back—if I’d ever had it in the first place.
I carried her to my ship and tucked her into the passenger seat. She watched me with mistrustful eyes as I fastened her harness and went around to get in myself.