Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 158635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 793(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 793(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
While she didn’t have any sleep paralysis, she shivered while she slept in my arms and tears clung to her lids. That’s part of the reason why I couldn’t bring myself to leave until she fell into quality sleep.
Jeremy: I know everything about you.
I’m about to tuck away my phone, expecting her to be too busy preparing for school, but her reply comes immediately.
Cecily: Is that how you managed to find me at the club? You had Ilya watch me, didn’t you? Wait a minute. Was Ilya doing the job for you all those weeks when you disappeared?
This little fox is too smart for her own good.
Jeremy: He was there in case you needed protection.
Cecily: More like, he was a pseudo-stalker. Seriously, the one I need protection from the most is you.
Jeremy: Too bad no one can protect you from me.
Cecily: Don’t be so sure. I can stand up for myself.
I’m beginning to see that, considering everything she’s demanded and how she put her foot down last night, and I’m not sure if I like that side of her.
Fuck it. I do. Just not when she’s using it to get away from me.
Jeremy: You can stand up to me all you like, but there are nonnegotiable things, such as your safety.
Cecily: Oh, please. You have a tyrant’s mentality and think everything is nonnegotiable. But don’t even think I’ll sit there and take it. That’s simply not going to happen. Anyway, thanks for the waffles. Ava and I will enjoy them.
Jeremy: I sent them to you, not Ava.
Cecily: Sharing is caring.
Jeremy: I don’t share. Everything about you is mine.
Besides, I don’t like the way Ava was all over her when they danced at the club. Or how Cecily takes care of her with nauseating affection. Something she doesn’t even do with me.
I’m so tempted to eliminate Ava completely, but that might make me lose Cecily for good.
So I shove that thought to the back of my mind.
For now.
Cecily: Are you seriously jealous of my best friend? Who’s also a girl?
Jeremy: You give her too much of your attention.
Cecily: Okay, Mr. Caveman. Have a nice day, and please try not to hurt anyone *sparkling heart emoji*
I keep staring at that emoji longer than I did the first one.
“Is something wrong?” Ilya asks from his position behind the steering wheel.
“What does a sparkling heart emoji mean?”
Ilya stares at me for a beat, looking stunned for the first time ever, before he focuses back on the road. “Uh, don’t all the heart emojis mean love and affection?”
“But it has sparkles around it. They should mean something else.”
“I’m not sure.”
I’m not sure why I’m focusing on this either. I’m used to Annika sending a newspaper of emojis stickers and GIFs in her texts. And they’re often filled with all sorts of hearts, primarily purple and white ones.
But Cecily rarely talks in emojis. She’s too straightforward for that.
Still, I want to know exactly what she meant by sending it.
“Boss.”
“Hmm?” I answer Ilya absentmindedly, still staring at her text.
“What are your plans regarding Miss Volkov and the guy she’s seeing?”
I turn off my phone’s screen at the reminder of my sister and her unwanted crush.
I’ve let it slide all this time to give her more freedom, but it has recently come to my attention that Creighton King, the guy Annika has chosen to like, is plotting something with Landon.
And while I didn’t give a fuck at the beginning that they’re cousins, mainly because Creighton stays out of anything related to the Elites, Nikolai found out that’s not the case lately.
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I allow that rotten family, especially Landon, to get close to my sister.
So I have to stop it before it’s too late.
Even if I have to hurt her in the process.
28
CECILY
“Who got you smiling like that?”
I have no idea how I manage not to flinch and then calmly place the phone on the table.
We’re in the kitchen that’s filled with purple and pink chairs, utensils, and curtains. Even the fridge wrapper and dishes have some of those colors, thanks to the two girly fashionistas Glyn and I share a space with.
Ava sits across from me, waffle in hand while she licks the syrup that’s managed to escape from her fingers.
She finally woke up when I announced I got us waffles. Her hair is gathered in a messy bun, and she has a white de-puffing mask on. Add that to the constant groaning and moaning about last night and it’s like I’m in the company of a whiny ghost.
I busy myself with cutting a piece of waffle to avoid meeting her gaze. “Oh, nothing. Just some meme.”
Please don’t let it show on my face that I’m giddier than usual this morning.
“Uh-huh. Didn’t know memes made you look like you’re in love.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I pour some orange juice and slide it in her direction. “Eat up or you’ll be late to school.”