Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
The vampires moved in on us, and Vasilios shouted, “Wait! Whatever punishment you have in mind for Darya, I’ll take it. Just let her go.”
I shot him a look that said, What the hell do you think you’re doing?!
“Don’t listen to him,” I said to Mack. “He’s not involved in this.”
“He is now,” she replied with a vicious gleam in her eyes, and seconds later, the vampires were grabbing us and hauling us up a narrow stairway.
“Why aren’t you using your magic?” I whisper-hissed at Vasilios. “Do something to stop them.”
“I can’t. There are too many,” he replied, and my heart sank.
I couldn’t tell how many flights of stairs we were dragged up before we were unceremoniously shoved inside a cold, windy room. Wait, how was it windy?
The question entered my head a second before I looked around. The floor was slanted downwards, and I didn’t immediately realise why until I fully took in the space. We were on one of the uppermost floors, and the room had no outer wall. It was wide open, not a single barrier between us and the sea below. The wind was strong, whipping at our faces. I tripped over something and fell forward, but Vasilios caught me just in time, pulling my body flush to his.
“What is this place?” I asked as the door we’d been shoved through slammed shut, and Mack cackled maniacally.
“I’ve heard of it, but I didn’t know if it was real,” Vasilios said, still holding me tight to his body as we struggled to catch our breaths. As I said, the room was dozens of floors up and opened to the sea. The floor was slanted and littered with sharp metal spikes stuck up like stalagmites, preventing us from sitting on the stone floor. Vasilios led me to the back wall, as far as possible from the edge.
“What kind of cell is this?” I asked, my throat closing over in fear. Mack had locked the door, and who knew when or if she planned on letting us out.
“The guards are said to place inmates here as a punishment sometimes, like a more extreme version of solitary confinement,” he explained.
What? My heart pounded in my chest. The room was a form of torture. It was impossible to sit down, and the slanted floor made it difficult to keep standing. My leg muscles already ached with the effort to stay upright.
A seagull cawed as it flew past, the fresh, salty sea air filling my lungs. Normally, I’d find it refreshing, but right then, falling in and drowning in the sea was far too real a possibility for me to appreciate the fresh air.
“Come here,” Vasilios said as he settled his back against the wall. “Let me hold you.”
I blinked because his statement sounded romantic even though it was purely practical. With him resting against the wall, he’d be able to hold me and take some pressure off my feet. I moved closer, glancing down to make sure I didn’t step on any of the protruding spikes. Vasilios smelled of soap after his shower. I hovered close to him, and he let out a sigh before securing his arms around my waist.
I shivered, and he noticed. “Just so you don’t fall again.”
“I know.” A pause. “God, I’m so sorry you got caught up in all of this.”
His look was inscrutable. “Do you think I’d rather they put you in here alone? At least this way, we can share body heat and avoid freezing.”
Why did that statement make me blush? I felt my cheeks reddening, and I knew he saw because he suppressed a smirk.
I scowled at him. “Quit it with that face.”
“What face?”
“You know what face.”
“I just find it interesting how you flushed just now.”
“I didn’t flush. You’re imagining things,” I snapped back, a blatant lie.
“I must have a very vivid imagination,” he replied, amused.
“How can you be so calm right now? We need to find a way out of here.”
“There is no way out unless you count diving into the sea,” he stated plainly.
“What about your magic?” I countered. “Can you unlock the door?”
“I already considered it, but there are at least three vampires standing guard out there. I can sense their presence. We won’t get very far. Besides, Sven will notice we’re missing sooner or later and come looking for us.”
“If you and I together aren’t enough to take on three vampires, then Sven on his own will hardly be able to manage it.”
“Don’t underestimate him. There’s very little Sven can’t handle,” Vasilios replied confidently. I remembered what he’d said about them becoming friends when they were boys in the mine. I knew Vasilios had been sent there after his mother died, but what about Sven?
“Does Sven have any family back in Oreylia?” I asked after a few minutes of quiet, secure in Vasilios’s arms, which had yet to slacken. I felt safe in his arms, and that was a startling thought. I hadn’t been here very long, but every day in his company, I found myself trusting him more and more.