Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Gareth’s cabin.
The quaint place is lit up, all the windows glowing with light, promising warmth inside. I’m not exactly eager to escape the snowy hell we’re in to seek haven in his home. He’s losing his cool and thinks me to be responsible for it.
We walk onto the porch and stop several feet before the window. Gareth, arms crossed over his muscular chest, stares into the cabin, an unreadable expression on his face. I follow his gaze, my heart sinking at what I see.
A young girl, no more than six or seven, sits cross-legged on the rug, playing with Barbie dolls. She wears a small smile as she pretends to make her Barbie walk to the pink plastic doll car.
“Who’s that?” I croak out, unable to tear my gaze from the girl with the bouncy golden curls and rosy, chubby cheeks.
“Kaitlyn. My daughter.”
I blink several times as I process this information. “And you leave her all alone while you harass poor women in the woods?”
“She has a nanny.”
A woman’s voice calls out, but it’s muffled, so I can’t make out what she says. Kaitlyn tenses and her smile fades into a tiny frown. This sends a ripple of anxiety down my spine.
“She doesn’t look happy,” I blurt out. “Maybe you should check on her.”
“Nah, she’s fine. She loves the nanny.”
She loves the nanny.
A full-bodied shudder makes its way through my body. I swivel around, unable to look at the child inside any longer. It makes me nauseous and worried. I have too much to worry about already.
Headlights bounce through the trees, distracting me. Thank God. Theo will find me soon. Before I can set out to meet him, Gareth stops me again, grabbing both my shoulders. I stifle a scream as he manhandles me around to face him. A manic gleam shines in his eyes.
“Family is everything to me. Dad saved me—saved all of us—from the hell we came from.” He nods toward the window. “And then I saved her. Our entire existence relies on the closeness of our family. I refuse to let some outsider wreck everything for me.”
He’s threatening me.
“What are you saying?” I demand, a challenging tone in my voice. It’s easier to be brave knowing Theo will rescue me. “That I’m going to somehow take your adopted daughter away from you?”
Although, if I ever get out of here, would it be so bad if I got the child out of here too? This family is shrouded in darkness. Nothing good can come of it for Kaitlyn, especially when they keep company with other monsters like the murdering Solomon Grayhawk.
Gareth doesn’t have to answer my question. The barely hidden rage on his features tells me everything I need to know. He’ll kill me if he thinks I’ll somehow mess up his family dynamic. Just like a territorial grizzly. No fear, no hesitation, no regrets.
“Sometimes the worst people are the ones you trust the most,” I spit out, jerking out of his hold. “I’m not the problem here.”
Thankfully, Theo has pulled up close to the porch. I hurry to the passenger side and climb into the vehicle. Gareth stares through the windshield at me, a promise of a future discussion where we continue this threatening talk.
Theo waves to Gareth and then starts driving back toward Caius’s house, glancing several times my way to check me over.
“You okay?” he asks, concern in his voice. “Did Gareth…” He trails off, leaving me to fill in the blanks.
“Hit me? No. Though I think he wanted to,” I spit out bitterly.
“But he didn’t, you know, do anything else?”
I’m momentarily confused until I realize he’s asking if he sexually assaulted me. This doesn’t cause fear in me but instead fear for his young daughter.
“No,” I say slowly. “Is that something I should be worried about?”
Theo shakes his head and flashes me a boyish grin. “Nah, just making sure.”
I’m reminded of the time Gareth took me to his bathroom at the lodge. Caius was irrationally pissed about that whole situation. Maybe he was afraid Gareth would take advantage of me. Again, Caius’s perceived nobility annoys me. Why does he have to be a protector in my eyes?
Theo pulls up to Caius’s house but doesn’t shut off the engine. He does reach into the back seat and retrieves a box that rattles in his grip. When he hands it to me, I grin stupidly.
“You got me a present.”
He laughs. “It’s just a puzzle.”
“No, it’s not,” I say quickly, inspecting the box. “It’s a thousand-piece Paris Locks of Love jigsaw puzzle. This will keep me busy for hours.” I can’t help but grin at him. “Thank you.”
I swear he blushes, unable to hide his own smile. “I tried to find a complicated one since you’re so good at them. It says the average person needs about five to twelve hours to complete it. But you’re not average, are you?”