Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33526 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33526 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“Don’t you think you’re getting too big for such antics?” Mother asks, hiding the venom in her voice with an overdose of sweetness.
Charles laughs. “She’ll never be too old to give her dad a hug, will you, Princess?”
“Never, Daddy.”
My dick jerks at her words, letting them wrap around my shaft like a wet cunt.
Mother's sinister smile splits her sweet stepmother persona as she turns toward the three of us.
River steps forward first—shocker. He’ll fuck anything with a hole. I’m sure he’s already picturing Ella on her knees with tears streaking down her face while her mouth is busy worshipping his dick.
“Hi,” he greets in a chipper voice, “I’m River. I’m charmed to make your acquaintance.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ella murmurs, her sweet smile causing my heart to beat erratically. She bypasses River and steps toward Asher. “And you are?”
Asher smirks as he steps forward. He leans in and places a kiss by her ear, whispering low enough for only the three of us to hear. “Your worst nightmare.”
I smack the back of his head, and Asher growls as he glares at me. Fine by me. Better me than her. Besides, I did him a favor. Can’t have him scaring the little thing before Mother puts her plan into action. Asher would be in a world of pain. Then again, he’d enjoy every ounce of torture I could muster up for him. My gaze roams to the vicious marks along his arm, and my conscience rears its ugly head, reminding me that they’re my fault.
I smile. “Don’t listen to my brother. He’s an idiot.”
Ella’s pretty green eyes land on me, and the ground under me splits open, sending me plummeting into the unknown. If I believed in the almighty, I’d be forgiven for thinking she was an angel sent down to ordain me as a prophet. Her lips turn up and her smile widens as if beckoning me to the heavens. I shake my head to clear my brain of her hypnotic spell.
Extending my hand, I reciprocate her warmth. “Hi. I’m Alaric.”
Mother clears her throat as Ella places her soft hand in mine, forcing me to add quickly, “Your big brother.”
Ella blushes at my emphasis on “big.” What other parts of her body can I cause to blush so prettily?
River inches closer to her, blocking my view. He wraps his arms around her waist, hoisting her in the air before he twirls her around. Her laugh tinkles like melodic wind chimes. She seems so innocent and carefree. Part of me is envious—I never had the option of being carefree.
It’s too bad I’m about to destroy her dreams and drown her in nightmares.
Chapter One
Ella (Three Months Later)
The ambiance of the house has shifted. The peace ordaining the walls has distorted into something else, something ominous. The joy I possessed is gone—destroyed and void of happiness.
My father is dead. His virile body now composts in the dirt with vermin while strangers surround me in the space that held his love.
Three months ago, my dad arrived with a strange woman and three men, introducing me to my new family. I worried about what those changes meant before chalking it up to my anxiety at sharing my refuge with virtual strangers. I did it for my father’s happiness.
Now my father is gone, and I’m alone.
I enter the formal dining room and see my new family seated around the dinner table that only held my father and me three months ago. If he were still here, it wouldn’t feel like a vise was clamping my throat, obstructing my words.
My stepmother sits at the head of the table. His place. She appears regal and aloof, a statue to be revered with darkness lurking beneath the surface. Her three sons surround her—a queen with her royal advisors and generals.
For the past three months, I’ve remained in the shadows, making myself small and unseen to ensure I don’t disturb the balance of my new family. My father deserved to be happy, and his new wife had achieved that if the way he’d gazed at her was to be believed.
“So nice for you to join us, dear. We were getting worried about you,” Celeste coos.
My father’s body is barely in the ground, yet there she sits, wearing a bright red shirt with her face perfectly made up. Her eyes are like lasers as she looks at me over the rim of her wine glass and tips the merlot to her lips. To a casual observer, she would seem uncomfortably giddy about the death of a man she declared her undying love for not a month ago.
“Sorry I’m late,” I whisper.
Cool hands drape over mine as I pull back my chair, sending a shock wave through my body. I turn to my left and fall into Alaric’s steel-blue eyes.
My heart is in my throat as he seats me. He bends forward, his warm breath prickling my neck and sending chills through my body. “Ladies don’t pull out their own chairs.”