Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
“They’re discussing it now.” Veronica stares at Vince’s hand and continues running the tips of her fingers along his wrist as she speaks. “They’re planning on taking them back.” Her words send a jolt of anxiousness through me. I can’t go back. I belong here, with Devin. Everything in me knows I’m meant to be with him. Even if we are struggling to find stable and common ground. I’ve barely been given a chance.
“Well, the Authority can go fuck themselves.” Dom’s seething baritone voice startles me, making me flinch. Devin’s arm wraps around my waist and pulls me closer to him.
“There’s no need to be hostile. I’m sure once they see Grace and Liz, they’ll leave in peace.”
“It might not be your intention, but it will end up being hostile.” Veronica’s eyes are still fixed on her playful touch. If she wasn’t consistently speaking, I wouldn’t think she was listening.
I dare to ask her, “Why’s that?” I’m not leaving. The thought of never seeing Devin again makes my chest feel hollow. I won’t let it happen.
Her dark eyes find mine and she gives me a small smile with her fangs digging into her full bottom lip. “Natalia’s a bitch.”
“How do you know Natalia?” Vince asks with curiosity. I fucking loathe that everyone knows everyone else except for me. With my complete attention, I glance between the two of them, determined to find my place and the confidence I used to have.
“She’s the one who trained me.” Her smile falls slightly.
“Trained you for what?”
“To kill werewolves.” Devin’s serious response, answering for Veronica, makes my blood run cold, causing goosebumps to run down my arms. I stare with wide eyes down the end of the table. She kills werewolves?
My breath leaves me and I feel light-headed.
“Times were much different back then.” Her lips tilt down into a small frown before she schools her expression. “I don’t participate in the sport anymore.”
Vince’s eyes smile with humor at the knowledge; he has no fear of his mate. He doesn’t seem affected at all. He relaxes into his seat and takes her hand in his before sweetly kissing her knuckles. “Ain’t fate a bitch.” A soft smile plays at her lips, but her large eyes are full of pain and torture.
“You had your reasons.” Devin’s words are spoken with compassion and it eases my discomfort marginally. She nods slightly at Devin as a loud, melodic chime echoes in the room.
Devin inclines his head in silence and remains seated. At his nod, Jude stands up to answer the door. I watch as Dom positions Lizzie on his lap and Caleb angles his body so he’s directly in front of her with his chest toward the entrance after giving her a small kiss on the cheek. He’s still smiling faintly, but his silver eyes have a lethal look to them. Their defensive act puts me on edge. Devin pulls my chair closer to him and kisses my forehead before nuzzling his nose in my hair. “Everything is fine, sweetheart. They will not touch you.”
“Promise me.”
“Everything I tell you is a promise. My entire existence is a promise to you,” he tells me and his confession is a balm, a drug. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed.
I close my eyes, enjoying his tender touch and when I open them the Authority, comprised of three foreboding figures, is staring back at me. My body tenses and my lungs still. The bit of soothing from Devin is powerless when I take in the intimidating trio.
There are two men and a woman, all three in black cloaks like the ones from the offering. The woman is obviously a vampire. She radiates seduction and power just as Veronica does. But her eyes are a shade darker than bloodred and there’s no hint of the mischievousness that twinkles in Veronica’s brown eyes. Only wickedness exists in her gaze. Her thin lips curl up at one end, revealing a sharp fang. Her pale skin and sunken cheeks make her appear older than Veronica. Much, much older. The sight of her sends an unwanted chill down my spine.
The men are both large, similar to Devin, but not as bulky or muscular. The man on the right, carrying a large black duffle bag, has silver eyes and the crooked smile of a man not to be trusted. The one on the left is devilishly handsome with a smile that seems charming and inviting, plus the lightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. The skin around his eyes wrinkles when he smiles, giving away his older age. But his dimples pull you in with a boyish charm. His presence is instantly calming, negating the fear the other two instill.
“Good afternoon.” Devin is short, but cordial. His hard voice snaps me out of my daze.
“I suppose the blood on the driveway doesn’t belong to your mates?” The silver-eyed man speaks first.