Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 89331 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89331 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
The pain from my ankle makes me retch, and I dry heave onto the floor a few times. Paris stands over me, grabs me by the hair, and pulls me to my feet. Another scream rips through me when I try to put weight on the foot he stomped.
“Go ahead and scream. No one can hear you here.” He pushes me so I am bent over the table, and while he is trying to rip apart my dress, I nudge the lantern off the table onto the floor and ignite the lighter fluid.
The fire spreads fast. He must have more accelerant in the duffle bag, because when the flames reach that, it explodes with enough force so both of us are thrown back.
When I open my eyes again, the room is engulfed in flames. My entire body is covered in sweat, and I am coughing trying to get air. Paris is lying next to me, unconscious. I need to get fresh air now. It’s getting hard to breathe, and I am going to suffocate before I burn. With my arms tied behind my back and my ankle broken, there is no way I can crawl out of here on my own. I look around until I see the damn chair on its side again covered in flames.
This is going to suck.
Ignoring the biting pain in my ankle, I shimmy back toward the chair. The stench of singed hair fills the room, and I try not to consider what that probably means. I hold my wrists to the flames on the chair and pull. The flames are licking my arms, and it hurts. Everything hurts. I use the pain. I use the adrenaline pumping through my body to push me. Finally, the twine breaks, and I can start crawling toward the door.
Even where the floor isn’t on fire, the wood is hot and rough, splinters digging into what is left of my silk stockings before embedding into my knees. I am about halfway across the room when something wraps around my ankle and yanks me back. I look behind me to see Paris, with a crazed fury in his eyes. Bracing as hard as I can, I try to pull out of his grasp, but he is so strong. I’m digging into the floor so hard my knees are scraped, and my fingernails are breaking. I let out another scream, and this time I think I hear it answered. It’s hard to tell over the cracking of the wood around us, but I think someone shouts. So I scream again.
“Get back here. No one is coming for you. You are going to die broken and alone at my hand, just like your fucking mother did.” Paris pulls at me again, and I fight with everything I have.
The door opens, and whoever it is jumps back as the flames by the door intensify.
“Help,” I try to call again but I inhale too much smoke, and I start coughing instead. “Help.” I try again.
“Athena?” comes the call from outside. I think it’s Heph.
“In here,” I try to yell.
Paris’s hand is now on my throat, and he is holding me down, choking me. The edges of my vision start to go black, and my limbs get heavy. The fight slowly leaves my body, and I can’t stop it.
I hear Heph’s voice again when the weight pinning me down is lifted, and I am being carried out by Heph.
“Athena, can you hear me? Say something, beautiful, anything.”
“Fuck, this day,” I croak out, and he laughs.
I am sort of aware of another shout coming from behind me as Heph lays me on the cold damp grass, then Heph is replaced by Eros.
“Baby girl, are you okay?”
“No.”
“Paris is still in there,” Heph says before running back in.
Perseus is running toward the fire a moment later. Eros holds him back from going into the burning cabin after Heph.
I struggle to sit up, needing to see what is happening, when a loud crack sounds from the cabin followed by the roof caving in and Perseus screaming for Heph.
The screams of sirens fill the air, and before I know it, I am sitting in the back of an ambulance as an EMT is looking over my leg saying something about shattered and hospital. I’m not really paying attention, but Eros is. He is by my side and is refusing to let us leave until we know Paris and Heph are safely out of that building.
“Sir, I need to take her to the hospital now,” the EMT argues.
Eros gives the man a look that is by far the most terrifying I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying something, considering who my father and brothers are.
“We stay until we know the others are fine, then we will take her in. Is that clear?”
The blood drains from the man’s face so fast I worry he will pass out as he raises his hands and nods.