Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 114936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
She smirks widely. “That’s our girl.” She gestures to the papers. “Sign all the boring shit, and when you’re ready to decorate, do so. I’ve left the interior designer details on your desk too. Use him. He’s great.” Delila kicks off the desk. “Today is an introduction. Tomorrow is when we will go through the first door.” My eyes find the doors down the hallway, when I realize there are three. One for each Father or Brother, I gather. With the office being the fourth. Shit.
“Yes, sweet one.” She slaps my cheek lightly, the wrinkles on the side of her eyes deepening. “You will need to be trained with each one.” I watch as she disappears down the hallway and find myself sitting on the plush chair, squeezing the leather arms. I don’t even know what each Brother does. Killian, the trickster and master manipulator. King, the boss—which I’m guessing is this office here. Keaton… death. Kyrin… more death, just the nerdy version—oh combat! In hindsight, it makes sense that I get this job, since all of them raised me. On top of that, I have to recruit. I think they misinterpreted my nickname the Ice Queen because even I don’t think I’ll be able to grow hard enough for that.
Fuck.
I have no one to talk to about this. Not even Nial—especially not Nial—everything has just taken a turn for the worse. Now I don’t want to tell anyone.
I pick up the pen that’s on my desk and start signing the papers Delila laid out without even looking. My mouth is dry and my stomach is grumbling by the time I sign the very last paper, collecting them and laying the stack tidily on the edge of the desk.
The blank computer screen stares back at me and I lean back in my chair, wondering if I’m allowed to turn it on.
I mean, surely…
A black screen lights up with a white space blinking. Weird. Okay.
I type out the first words that come to my head. What if I can’t hurt people?
Digging out my phone from my back pocket, I pause when movement on the screen catches my eyes. Welcome to The Castle, Ice Queen. How can we help you today?
I pause. My fingers glide over the keyboard just as there’s a distant knock on my office door.
“Cartier, would you like any refreshments?”
I lean to the side to see one of the men from earlier carrying a tray of deli meats, aged cheese, and crisp bread. “Yes. Please.”
He bows, moving farther into the room and placing the tray onto my desk. He has to be my age… “How old are you?” I ask while studying his features closely to gauge my guess. Warm brown eyes, blond hair, and smooth skin. Definitely my age.
“Seventeen.” He flashes me a wide smile. One that I’m sure would work on other girls, but not so much on this one.
“And you’re a recruit?”
“Correct.” He stands straight with his tight muscles on display. “Jordan and I are here to service you throughout your trials. If at the end you decide to let us go, we will go back to Kiznitch.”
“Hmmm, okay.”
“Was there anything else that you needed?”
I shake my head slowly. “Nope. Thanks…”
“Chris.” He turns and walks out the same way he came with long, wide steps. I wonder if King would’ve got a Jordan and a Chris.
I sure as fuck know Killian would have.
Shutting the front door of my apartment in the city, I drop my jacket onto the counter and move through to the lounge, flicking on the light.
I jump when I see Eli—I think his name is—sitting on the very same sofa I saw him on before. “Look, no offense or anything, and last time was great—and you’re hot—but I’m not in the mood right now.”
I fall onto the sofa opposite him, turning my head to the side and covering my eyes with my arm. My muscles ache and I didn’t even use them today. I’m so doomed this week. “Tell me a story.”
“You’re not what I expected. Should I start there?” he answers, and his tone makes me stiffen. He’s playful—good. I like playful because it’s unfamiliar.
“Hmmm.” I sigh. “And what did you expect?” I know in the back of my mind I should be asking who the fuck he is, what the fuck he wants, and how the fuck he continues to get into my apartment, but my feet throb, my eyes are being weighed down by lead, and I’m pretty sure that I’m a second away from closing my eyes for good.
Sleep.
Sweet sleep. It has nothing to do with work, since all I did today was paperwork and figured out how to use my computer—after getting rid of the creepy Red Queen on it, and more to do with the fact that the dark sky is about to ignite with a blazing nectar for a new day.