Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 106292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Knowing there’s not a damn thing he can say to her right now that will change the outcome of her fate, I turn my attention to the cell before me. “Nik,” I say, trying to keep a level tone to not startle him from his sleep.
His eyes peel open, and he peers at me through the darkness. “That you, DeVil?”
“Yes.”
Nikolai clambers out of bed, sitting up and putting his feet on the cold ground, needing a moment to find his bearings before pushing up to his feet. “How’s my boy?”
“It’s not your boy you need to worry about,” I tell him. “Cara’s lucky she’s not in here sharing your cell. She’s been working with Hartley Scott to move against me.”
“What?” Nikolai spits, his eyes wide. “No, that couldn’t be right. Cara would never.”
“I suppose the apple never falls far from the tree,” I tell him. “We caught her red-handed.”
“Shit,” he mutters, starting to pace his cell, suddenly not so tired. “What has Sawyer been doing? I told him to look out for her, and now she’s gone and gotten herself into trouble. What’s going to happen to her?”
I shake my head, not having an answer for him. “She seems remorseful. It started out of necessity. She was given an impossible choice and she chose family over friendship. You should be proud.”
He narrows his gaze at me. “Why do I sense a but coming along?”
“She’s foolish, Nik. You raised her to be your pretty little princess, giving her the impression that this world can’t hurt her because you would always have her back. But what now? She directly betrayed the blood, and then she continued to do so after the threat had passed. I have no immediate plans to deal with her, but she will not escape this unpunished. There’s still so much else that requires my attention. However, despite how Sawyer feels about me right now, he’s one of my closest friends, and I can’t take his sister from him. Especially so soon after losing you. They will have each other to get them through this, but Cara needs to check herself. One wrong move and I won’t hesitate to eliminate her.”
Nikolai nods. “Thank you, Zade. I do not know how to repay you. Please speak with Sawyer. Make sure he knows to keep his sister in line.”
“I will,” I say, quickly glancing up at Oakley to see that she’s inched forward toward her father’s cell, her gaze locked on his, failing my test. “However, that is not the reason for my visit.”
“Oh?” Nikolai says, his brows furrowed.
I nod. “The night of my initiation, after I spoke my vows, you mentioned that at the time of my father’s ritual, he had sacrificed my mother.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“And you are certain about that?”
He looks at me as though I’ve lost my mind before gripping the bars and moving in closer. “What the hell is going on, Zade?” he demands, not liking being left in the dark.
“My father did not sacrifice my mother,” I inform him. “Because only two hours ago, she stood right before me with her gun trained between my eyes.”
Nikolai’s eyes go wide, falling back a step and releasing the bars. “No,” he breathes in horror. “No, that can’t be true. I saw it with my own eyes. I felt her fear as she screamed for mercy. She died right before my eyes, Zade.”
I shake my head. “Then my father fooled you.”
He stares at me in disbelief, falling back another step until he’s sitting on the edge of his dirty bed. “Sitting down here in this cell day in and day out, I’ve had a lot of time to think. The more I go over it, the more I realize what a fraud your father was. He didn’t just fool us, boy. He was fooling himself.”
Clenching my jaw, I nod, never having agreed more. “I don’t wish to rule like my father, Nikolai. I know you believe me to be too young and inexperienced. However, I can assure you I am ready.”
“I see that now, Zade. And I hope that one day, you will be able to find it within yourself to forgive my sins, against both you and Oakley Quinn.”
“Do you truly wish for me to rise in power?” I ask, my gaze shifting back up the corridor to where Oakley now stands almost directly in front of her father’s cell.
Nikolai nods and meets my heavy stare. “Of course I do.”
I shoot a pointed stare up toward Matthias’s cell before locking my stare back to Nikolai’s, my brow arching with accusation. Moving closer, I lower my tone, making sure I won’t be overheard. “Then perhaps it just slipped your mind to tell me that Matthias Quinn is still very much alive.”
His eyes widen just a fraction and he flies back to his feet, bracing his hands against the bars and locking onto my stare. “No, Zade. Surely you must know that had I known, I would have shared it with you. I am still trying to work out why your father would have spared him instead of burying him ten feet under. Matthias might have the blood and be the natural heir, but he is no leader. I didn’t know he lived until I was thrown in here myself.”