Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“They are called monstra,” he said, “and they are what come in the storms.”
I wondered if Mom had called them monstra, too, but I’d heard monster. She’d described the creatures so feared, they turned ordinary villagers into a bloodthirsty mob. Not drawn by storms, not in the stories, but fear and greed. My chest hollowed out.
“I’m Henry West, by the way. And you are Moriah from Kansas.” He set the letter opener down and waved to the cushioned chair on the other side of the desk, then poured himself a glass of something—shocker—green. A plate of frosted desserts topped a stack of folders. “You aren’t our first otherworlder, so I know how confused you are. I’m happy to clear up matters.”
With a last glance at the beasts, I eased into the seat. I had business to attend to.
Leaning back, he swirled the ice in his glass. “If you have questions, ask.”
Refusing to be intimidated, I did to him what I’d done to my dates. Stared him down until he shifted in his seat and tugged at his collar. Well. At least my effect on males hadn’t changed. “How do you live with yourself, knowing people are killed on your behalf?”
“How do you?” he countered, and I narrowed my eyes. “I’m told you stole an elixir from a hardworking vendor.”
“I intended to repay him.”
“Ah. Intention. The enemy of many a good deed,” he said. Up close I noticed the frost in his emerald irises. Not as much as the executioner possessed, but somehow worse. “A substitute died to stop a storm you caused, just as others have died to stop mine.”
Perspiration moistened my palms. I had no argument. “What is it you plan to do to me?”
His grin reappeared and widened. “That depends. Are you a good girl or a bad girl?”
Oh, no. We weren’t playing that game. “I would rather lose my head than my dignity.”
“You’ll change your mind, my pretty.” He smirked, his eyes glittering with challenge. “Your kind always does.”
“My kind. You mean those you have the power to help but only harm?” Disgust surged to the forefront. I suspected that, to him, women were merely dolls to break and discard. More heartless than Jasher.
Now why’d I have to go and think of him again?
“Exactly.” The governor’s son drained the contents of his glass, then selected a cookie from the plate. As he bit into the treat, he watched me as though he hadn’t a care. Finally, he stood and leisurely closed the distance to crouch before me. “One day, I believe you’ll even thank me for it.”
Unnerved, I reached up without thought and clutched the water maiden’s compass. My eyes widened as her words replayed inside my head. When you’re ready to leave, open the compass.
“I’ll give you a choice.” Henry dragged his knuckles along my arm, purring, “Amuse me tonight, or deliver Patch’s lashes. To start.”
So, climb into bed with him or harm the girl with healing grains. Had Patch suspected the choice that would be presented to me and sought to garner my good will? Not that it mattered either way. I wouldn’t do it. I had expected to stay a few days, learn the lay of the land, and gather supplies, but here and now, that plan changed.
Deep breath in. Out. Then, I did it. I opened the compass, ready to hit the bricks. Staying here, even for a night, came with a price tag I refused to pay.
A puff of pink smoke curled from the compass’s insides and wafted to my companion’s nostrils. He jerked and mumbled, “The Wests hereby release you from your contract,” as his lids slid shut. He crumbled onto the floor, unconscious.
CHAPTER 5
MORIAH’S CHOICE
Ipressed my scarred palm to my mouth. Was Henry West dead? Had the smoke killed him?
Did I have another crime to answer for?
I squatted, reached out and, with a trembling hand, jammed two fingers into the hollow of his throat, searching for... A pulse! Oh, thank goodness.
When you are released from your contract, you’ll have a three-minute head start. No more, no less.
Were Henry’s words enough to free me from the verbal contract, despite the lack of witnesses? They must be, or the so-called water maiden wouldn’t have touted the merits of my head start. She hadn’t steered me wrong so far and the clock was ticking, so...
Go, go, go! I erupted to my feet and reached out to swipe the letter opener, only to close my fingers before contact. Could I really risk another theft? Even to acquire a weapon.
Frustrated and resolved, I blasted from the office. The bath babes lined the hallway. They burst into a haunting melody. As soon as they clocked my identity, they switched to a fast-paced song. Something I might hear in a movie during a high-speed chase destined to end with a lethal crash.