Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Wife? I wasn’t his wife. What had that moron done? I knew damn well he hadn’t filed a claim on me back when he could have legally made one. The entire idea of filing a claim was ludicrous. Fucking vampires think they can own a person. Casey wasn’t that vampire. Casey had given me freedom when we were together. He’d been on the clingy side, but I’d liked that at the time. Casey wasn’t the vamp who imposed his will on his wife and walked around jealously guarding her at all times.
But I also didn’t think he was bluffing. Despite what Kelsey believed, Casey had been serious for a long time. Oh, he’d written that dumbass musical because there was still some emo boy hiding deep inside him, but Casey was smart, and he did have a ruthless streak inside.
What the hell was his game?
“I think you should step back.”
I closed my eyes and really wished I could get a fucking minute alone. I’d expected a whole lot of those because I was supposed to be locked in a room somewhere, but once more Kelsey found a way to torture me. “I’m not going to hurt him, Lee. I’m literally here to fix him.”
I felt Lee move in beside me. Of all the kids, I think it was Lee who disturbed me the most. I didn’t see Mia anymore. She was lost to us, so she was still a child in my head, but there was no way to avoid the fact that Lee Donovan-Quinn was a man. Well, a male. He left his human form weeks ago and already seemed more settled as a vampire.
I glanced up at him and noted the color of his cheeks. They’d been much paler before. “You’ve already found a creature to feed you? I’ve heard there are interesting cattle here.”
“There are also willing demons,” he replied. “You know demons can get off, too. They like a nice bite.”
Yes, Lee was a fully grown, functional adult male, and never let anyone forget it. It was disconcerting.
And then it hit me why he’d told me that bit of news. He wanted me to think about Casey feeding.
Which I didn’t think about. I hadn’t fed the vampire in twelve years.
I hadn’t thought about his fangs in my neck, his body up against mine. He was so affectionate. He would hold me for hours, nuzzling my neck and playing with my breasts. He would drag his fangs over my skin and make it hum for him.
Who was feeding him tonight? Would I be able to smell her on him when he came to my room? My brain had come damn near that word I was avoiding. Our.
I had shared nothing with anyone for years. When Myrddin elevated me, I received my own quarters.
I had chosen one of the guest rooms in the penthouse, one I’d never been in before. I’d avoided the children’s rooms.
I remembered how Calliope and Shera had gleefully destroyed those rooms. They’d played music and set fire to Evan’s dolls. They’d danced around and smashed all their toys and school projects. They’d torn up the photos and pictures. All the things that might have reminded them of their childhood before that day.
Join us, Liv. It’s fun. Those brats will be in the fire soon, too.
I put a hand to my head.
No one had said that to me. No one had done those things. Why was I making it up?
“Are you okay?”
“You sound like you give a shit.” I didn’t like whatever was happening to me. “I think that witch of yours put more than a binder on this collar.”
“Lily?” Lee asked with obvious surprise. “She wouldn’t. She’s a white witch.”
I barely managed to bite back a groan. I should have known the rebels would keep old harmful myths around. “There’s no such thing. That’s a myth meant to put us in our place, and I don’t like using the colors white and black to denote good and evil. Everything is gray, Lee. You should know that by now.”
“I know there are some people who are better than others.” He moved around the bed where Dean lay and stared down at him for a moment. There was a wistful expression on his face, and I wondered exactly what had gone on between him and Myrddin’s son. “You know Lily Tucker was a legacy, right?”
“I know both she and her sister, Sarah, were under contract to the Hell lord Brixalnax. Her parents belonged to a coven with strong ties to the Hell plane. So the coven sold their souls, and they were to join their lord and aid him in creating magic here on the Hell plane.”
That brought a booming laugh out of the queen’s baby boy. He doubled over and seemed extremely amused for a good two minutes. He finally put a hand on his stomach and shook his head. “That is brilliant. I don’t think I’ve heard a load of shit like that in…ever. And Rhys is my brother.”