Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
But not just the wings.
Him.
Himself.
And then I am on my feet. And I am walking towards him. And I am reaching out like I will touch him—
But he puts up a hand. Actually, he wags a finger at me. “No, no, no, sweet Pie. You can look, but please do not touch.”
“OK.” My voice is weak, and breathy, and stupid.
“It’s not that I don’t like you. You’re a sweet thing, aren’t you? But I don’t like winning by default, honey.”
“Right.” Still weak. Still breathy. Still stupid. And the weird thing is, my mind understands this. I totally get that I’m acting like an idiot and that this is all due to the eros part of him. But I can’t stop it. It’s like my brain and my body are two different people.
“I like a challenge.”
“I can challenge you.”
“I’m sure you could.” He smiles at me, unleashing a dimple in the middle of that scratchy cheek of his, his eyes flashing the way Pell’s bloodhorn shimmers like lava.
And I swear, my body almost goes limp. Like I’m swooning and about to faint.
“Now listen to me, Pie. Because I have your friend.”
“My friend?” I’m confused.
“By the way, thank you so much for guiding her here.”
“Guiding who?” This actually comes out of my mouth before I realize he’s talking about Jacqueline. I want to bonk myself on the head. How did I forget about Jacqueline? She’s the reason I’m here!
“She was going to find me, regardless. But you definitely simplified things.”
I swivel my hips, raising a shoulder and tilting my head, like I’m shy. Internally I roll my eyes at my ridiculous flirting. But on the outside, I’m batting my lashes at him.
“Are you listening?”
“Oh, I’m listening.”
“Good. I need you to run an errand for me, OK?”
“Anything. Just tell me what I need to do.”
“Excellent. I need you to bring Tarq to me.”
“Tarq?” My head is empty and airy, the word not making sense.
“The tall fellow with the giant black dick?” I just stare at him. He points to his head. “Horns? Dresses like a priss? Calls himself king?”
“Oh, yeah. Him. OK. Sure.” I pause here to blink my eyelashes at him, smiling like a fool. “You want me to bring him here?”
“I do. I very much do. You see, we have business together.”
“Business. Right.” Why am I so breathless?
“And I’m gonna need you to do something else, as well. Just one more tiny thing. Can you manage that, my little lovely?”
“Manage? Of course!” Why am I so excited?
“Good. Now listen closely…”
His mouth moves, but I can’t hear anything. It’s like someone pushed the mute button. Still, I’m nodding my head enthusiastically. And this is not good. Because what if I’m agreeing to something?
The sounds come back and the devil’s voice floats into my head like a dream. “So you skedaddle home now. Do what we agreed upon. Go fetch Tarq and bring him back to me. You see, he is not the king.” The devil’s massive black wings fly up over his head and his eyes glow like lava. “I am. I am the king of the royal beasts.”
And then, right in front of my eyes, he grows a set of golden antlers.
I stand there for a moment, stunned.
Then I turn, and continue my way up the steep hillside.
When I get to the door I realize that his words are echoing in my mind.
Get Tarq, get Tarq, get Tarq…
“I need to get Tarq.” This feels like the most important thing ever. “I need to bring him here.”
So when I get to the door, and step through—that is the only thing I’m thinking about.
CHAPTER EIGHT - PELL
I come around the corner of a tomb and find Batty and Isla still arguing on the pathway. “What is going on here?”
The sanctuary trembles and another wall of a tomb crumbles to the ground.
That fuckin’ voice. I didn’t mean to use it. It just comes out whenever it wants. I’m not even that angry. It’s more of an annoyance. And this destruction feels like overkill for an annoyance.
“Just the man we were looking for.” Isla is still very in control as she approaches me and I catch a look of indignation on Batty’s face as these words come out of her mouth.
She’s trying to insert herself into some kind of leadership position and it’s pissing him off, which delights me a little. But still, I put up a hand. “Just answer my question.”
“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Batty sneers. “We don’t want to be here anymore.”
“Good! I don’t want you here.”
“We want to go back to Vinca,” Isla says.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Back?” Then I narrow my eyes at Batty. “Is that where you’re from?”
“Wow. You really are quite stupid. We’re all from Vinca, Pell. Even you.”
“I’m from Rome.”
Batty almost snorts.
“What?”
“You don’t remember anything, do you?”