Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
My stomach turned at the satisfaction in her tone. “What happened to you, Liv?”
“I woke up and realized I’d been a stupid sheep for years,” Liv replied, flipping back her long dark hair. It used to be a warm brown, like she carried all the best things of autumn around with her. Now it was a pitch black without a hint of warmth or anything else. I’ve seen some gorgeous raven-haired women, the color so dark there were hints of blue and purple.
This was black with nothing to lighten it. Liv’s hair was like an abyss no color could counter.
And that didn’t even begin to touch the darkness I saw in her eyes.
“Why are you here? If you try to hurt him, we’re going to have a problem.” I needed to see how changed she was. She was the first person we’d met when we’d gotten back from the outer planes yesterday, and she’d promptly announced she was hauling us all in so Myrddin could pronounce sentence on us. We were enemies of the state, it seemed.
Liv glanced to where Trent stood. “I wouldn’t bother with him. He’s fairly useless. Now if you’d like to tell me where that big vampire spy is, I’d love a crack at him.”
I was sure she would love to get inside Sasha’s head and uncover what I believed would be a vast network of spies who helped the resistance. Apparently she didn’t know Trent was the only other person in all the planes who knew exactly what Sasha was doing. I was cool with that. “Don’t know who you’re talking about, friend. I just got here yesterday. Still getting settled in.”
She snorted. “Sure you don’t. I suspect the king and queen and Quinn are already nestled into wherever little rebels go to hide. I hope it’s shitty. They’re used to opulence, that trio. I should know. I live in their penthouse. It’s too bad the queen’s feet are so small. I would have loved taking over her wardrobe. I would bet they’re having a blast roughing it in…” She stared at me for a moment, and I could feel the fine tendrils of her magic trying to reach deep inside my mind. “Europe?”
I’d shoved far better mind readers out of my head. I didn’t this time, though, merely sent her a vision of a place she could go looking for the rebels in.
She frowned. “Is that seriously the Small World ride at Disney World? Fuck you, Kelsey. Now that song is in my head.”
I couldn’t match her magical powers, but my powers of annoyance were unparalleled. “I’m not telling you where they are.”
“I could make you.”
Marcus Vorenus hadn’t been able to get through my mental shields. Liv couldn’t. I didn’t care how much power she’d built up. I was born this way. I was born to counter demonic influence, and I would bet a whole lot of her new powers were demonic in nature.
We’d become natural enemies, she and I. It broke my heart, but I could actually feel the demonic power coming off her.
“You could try. Don’t, Liv. I’ve been told it hurts, and I don’t think you’ll handle it well. I would rather talk to you than fight.” I felt her retreat, though she was still there. I was starting to wonder if this magic of hers wasn’t all in my head. I felt safe enough to allow it to continue. I’d sensed the minute she’d tried to access my memory.
“I believe you when you say that. I hope you’ll believe me when I tell you talking is exactly why I’m here.” She looked around. “Not that I know where here is, exactly. Somewhere on the coast. It’s got a swampy vibe.”
I wasn’t going to tell her that either. “So talk, bestie. What’s been going on for the twelve years your master stole from me?”
“I would love to lie and say you weren’t meant to fall into that trap, but it was built for you and Vorenus,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. I had to hope that was a push-up bra or my bestie’d had some serious augmentation. And she liked the leather now. “He had too much influence on the king, and you couldn’t be dealt with. You would never have given my master a fair chance. He knew whose daughter you were. The truth is you were lucky he didn’t kill you outright.”
I kind of wished he’d given it a shot. Then I might not have lost twelve years. I’d managed to kill a duke of Hell and an actual angel from Heaven. I was willing to go mano y mano with Myrddin. But I was playing this cool with my bestie. She was here for a reason, and I didn’t think it was to try to take me out. There was also the question of whether she was actually here or not. I couldn’t smell her. I couldn’t sense her being physically here, so I had to assume this was magic and she was showing off.