Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Long moments later, the sensation stops. My feet touch solid ground again. I wobble with vertigo, but it slowly ebbs, and my stomach stops pitching.
With a shuddering breath, I open my eyes to a stunning office filled with weak afternoon sunlight, pricy artwork—and a roomful of men so menacing, I gasp. “Who the hell are these people, where am I, and how did I get here?”
“Meet the Doomsday Brethren,” Caden murmurs, crushing me against him as if he’ll never let me go.
Any other time, I would be relishing the solid feel of him and celebrating his protective possessiveness. But my mind is a whirlwind. Besides my concern for Aquarius and Anka, the reality of this magical world is sinking in. It’s both thrilling and terrifying.
“Anka spoke of them. Only a bit, but…” I wasn’t sure of their role earlier, but after witnessing Zain and the Anarki in action? These imposing wizards must be fighting on the side of right.
“I teleported you here,” Hurstgrove says quietly. “This is Bram’s office, in his manor.”
It’s stunning, but once we’ve helped Aquarius… “How am I getting home?”
The blokes all look at one another. Then Caden sighs. “We’ll work that out.”
There’s something he’s not telling me. Why do I get the feeling that my concept of home just changed? If the Anarki know where I live and believe that I possess the magic book… Obviously, that’s dangerous, just as Caden warned.
Through my curiosity and my insistent pen, I’ve landed in the middle of this magical war. Caden tried to talk me out of running the story on the book, not that he gave me a logical reason to listen. Still, I wish I had.
On the other hand, now that I’m not in imminent danger, my inner journalist is thrilled. This is really the paranormal! My next story for Out of this Realm will turn heads and win awards!
A low moan has me turning. Hurstgrove holds Aquarius’s limp form cradled against his chest, her light brown hair brushing the plush rug beneath. She’s so heartbreakingly still.
“Aquarius!” I shove aside my journalistic urgings and dash for my friend.
Once she’s on the mend, I’ll dig for juicy publishable stories before making haste to somewhere safer for us both. And if I bring proof that magickind exists, maybe my parents will finally look outside their academic boxes and take me seriously. Dare I even hope they’ll be proud of me for uncovering a story no other journalist has?
While restraining Zain with one arm, Bram pops in a few meters away before dropping the unconscious wizard on the ground. He snatches the red diary from my hands.
“That’s mine!” I protest.
“It’s not.” Bram snaps. “It was stolen from us. Thank you for returning it. We will keep it locked down tight.”
“This time, you mean?” Caden fires back.
Bram shoots him a dirty look but saves the rest of his admonishment for me. “After what you saw today, do you honestly believe you can defend yourself against the scum who will hunt you for this book?”
The wizard has a point. At least I have a chance to fend off a normal man, but Zain isn’t normal. None of the wizards I’ve seen today are, Caden included.
Oh, my days! It just hit me that I’ve been shagging someone magical.
As if the thought prompted him, Caden takes me by the hand and leads me to a loveseat. “Let him have the diary, firecracker. Please.”
He’s right. What would I do with it? Coerce him into bed again? Be a target for Mathias?
I hand it to Bram, who accepts the tome with a sigh of relief. Then he nods to all the giant men in the room. “You’re all here. Excellent.”
“Aye. Waiting for news of the book,” says a big bloke with a goatee, a sword at his side, and the look of a battle-hardened warrior. “’Tis a miracle that you recaptured it.”
“Indeed.” Bram sticks his head out the door and yells, “Sabelle!”
A moment later, a breathtaking blonde appears—literally out of nowhere—looking tired and disheveled.
Bram narrows his eyes. “Where have you been?”
“Nowhere you’d disapprove of, big brother. Merely helping Lucan.”
Caden’s brother? Bram’s sister knows him?
“You had safeguards and help, yes?” Bram prompts.
“Of course,” Sabelle assures.
“Did he take your energy?” Caden asks, sounding choked and desperate.
My heart goes out to him. Then I realize… Zain must have been telling the truth about magical people shagging to rev themselves up. Which explains a lot about his stamina with me. Does that mean…brother is bedding Bram’s sister? Maybe so since his missing wife is Anka.
“Some. He’s a bit stronger.” Sabelle settles a soft hand on Caden’s forearm. “I’m trying.”
I don’t like the gorgeous woman touching him. At all.
Gritting my teeth, I say, “Could someone help Aquarius?"
Sabelle turns to me. “Aquarius?”
“Sydney’s friend.” Bram gestures to the figure Hurstgrove still cradles in his arms.