Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
The longer I grip it, the more it burns. Panicked, I try to shake my hands free, but they won’t move.
“Get off!” I shriek, trying to pull a hand free from the heavy spear. “What the hell!”
When I turn around, spear now dragging on the ground, I decide to try to get it on the concrete slab artifact, so I have leverage.
“I wouldn’t do that,” a male voice warns.
I drop the spear back onto the ground, hands still attached and glance at the door. Apep is standing there, arms crossed, staring at the spear with narrowed eyes. He’s in another three-piece suit, this one pure white, and he has a large gray overcoat laying over his shoulders and he’s wearing black leather gloves. He looks like he belongs in a Bond movie as the villain.
“Why?” I grunt out. “I think I’m stuck.”
“You think?” He cracks a smile. “Some of the artifacts clearly have a mind of their own. Allow me.” He walks up to me and presses a hand over mine. Immediately, the heat from the spear lessens until my hands finally break free, and the spear clamors to the ground, with an echo through the room.
I wince, I know it’s a replica but still. “I hope I didn’t hurt it.”
“It’s a replica and even if it was the real thing, I think it would most likely prefer to be damaged rather than be fixed.” His smile is warm and open. “Isn’t that the case so often with all things? You think you want a certain thing, but you’re so much happier when you’re broken because at least then you have something to complain about.”
“That’s very glass half full.”
“I’m a glass half full sort of guy. Makes disappointment so much easier to swallow.” He winks. “I was stopping by to see if you’d like to join me for lunch, I guess Cyrus could tag along as well.” He looks around the room. “Is he working today?”
“Oh, um…” I pick up the spear, careful not to touch the hilt, and put it on the table. “He’s on the island.”
“Ah.” Apep nods. “It must be getting close then.”
“What?” I ask.
He holds out his arm. I take it; it would be rude not to. “He always gets moody when an eclipse is close, it reminds him of things lost whereas for me—” He pats my arm. “It reminds me of all the things I’ve found.”
“And what have you found? What has he lost?”
“She wants a story, hmmm?”
“She likes distracting stories,” I quip back. “Especially when attached to an ancient artifact and having a nervous breakdown.”
We walk up the stairs together. “Never forget this, not even for a minute. Not everything you see is real, but not everything unseen is fake.”
“Well, that was confusing.”
“It’s my specialty.” He laughs.
We make our way through the house to the back where a sleek black Lamborghini is waiting. It’s beautiful and clearly expensive. It doesn’t even look like it’s been driven a lot. Apep escorts me to the passenger side then settles himself behind the wheel and off we go.
I didn’t even bring my purse. All I have is my phone in my back pocket. When I look out the window, I see Cyrus sitting in his boat at the island. He doesn’t seem to be doing anything.
“What does he do out there?” I ask Apep.
He turns up the heat and the music. “How the hell would I know? He’s a mystery. Half the time he’s barking orders at people, the other half he’s on the island or hunting down more…er, artifacts. The man needs a little fun in his life if you ask me.”
I turn my head and study Apep. His side profile is almost too perfect. His white hair is slicked back. “And you? Do you have fun?”
“Had an orgy last night,” he deadpans.
My jaw drops.
“I was kidding.” He laughs. “You should have seen your face.” The car turns left into a parking lot behind his pub. “Let’s get you some good food and wine.”
“I’d like that.” I unbuckle my seatbelt. “I’m starving.”
“Good.” He’s at my door, opening it before I’m able to do it myself. His place has a garage door that’s open on one side with heaters above every single outdoor seat. It’s modern and edgy with dark wood colors and black paint, and there are white accents at the bar in the middle of the pub. It looks like it belongs on a TV set, everything is immaculate and expensive looking right down to the red leather wingback chairs and black marble tables.
“It’s beautiful.” I beam up at him. “I like the feel of it.”
“Good.” His warm smile is the first thing that makes me feel relaxed in the last two days. I follow him to a corner seat where I can experience the outside and inside at the same time.