Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 150546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 753(@200wpm)___ 602(@250wpm)___ 502(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 753(@200wpm)___ 602(@250wpm)___ 502(@300wpm)
My phone vibrates at the same time as Stella’s and River’s.
We all pause, before I lower the bottle back to the ground.
War Malum started a new group chat.
I hate the way my body leaps to life. War and I have never really texted, unless it had something important to do with Priest, or some random shit like Christmas or vacation, and he couldn’t get ahold of Priest. It never occurred to me that we didn’t have much of a relationship outside of the Kings, and I don’t know if that bothered or worried me.
War: Riddle me this…
There’s a pause after the dots and Stella and River both push up to a sitting position.
“I thought they only played this game to figure out if someone’s an enemy.”
“They do,” I answer through clenched teeth. The chat bubble lights up and I hold my breath.
War: What’s both dead and alive, but has veins that rot?
“Hales,” River breathes.
“I know.” I sigh, blinking down at my screen. “They don’t trust us.”
“That’s bullshit,” Stella hisses under her breath.
“We knew they would do this. Especially off the bat.”
“What do we do?” River flexes her fingers around her phone. The fire crackles and embers fly into the dark sky.
“We do what we’re supposed to do.”
My fingers fly over the keypad.
Halen: Trees. Next riddle…
“Damn, you’re good.” Stella grins, and then it disappears. “I’m still annoyed with them.”
“Me too.” River closes the group chat and shoves her phone into her pocket. “They know us better than anyone. Better than our parents. We’re a fucking family, and they pull this?”
I swoop up the bottle, my mouth burning before I swallow the long gulp. I hiss through the trail of flames left behind as it travels to my gut.
“They have to,” I whisper, careful not to let the witch on the other side of the fire hear us. For whatever reason, she’s here. Fucking why? “Yes, they’re our family and they would die and kill for each of us, but that doesn’t deter from who they are to their core.” I lose my thoughts when I bore into the scorching flames. “Elite fucking Kings, and they don’t bend, or weaken, for no one. Not even us.”
My phone goes off again and a new text comes over the screen.
Vaden: … my death is laced with the rope that’s tied around your mouth.
I tuck my lips behind my teeth.
River flips off my phone. “Fucking hangman.”
She’s right. I type out the answer.
Halen: Hangman.
Priest: Cheat… River got that one.
My back straightens as I allow my eyes to wander. The trees are parted enough to allow for easy running, while being flat enough to camp out.
Katsia catches my movement before she starts following my eyes. Before I can answer Priest, my phone vibrates again.
Stella: My turn. Riddle me this…
“Stella…” I hold in my laugh. She’s a menace. Put on this earth to push everyone. Once she’s tossed your ass well over your limit and you want revenge, you’ll find out that she has none. No limit.
Stella: A king is only a King, but a witch can be whatever she wants…
I bump Stella with my arm.
She shrugs. “What? I’m both.”
War: Why aren’t you running?
Fear brushes the nape of my neck as if he does it himself and I slowly rise to my feet.
“We’re really going to do this?” River glares up at me.
“Yeah, why not?” I shrug.
“I can think of one reason,” Stella grumbles, but still follows. “Like how about you need to get some sleep?”
I push my phone into my pocket and ignore her jibe once again.
“Going somewhere?” Katsia asks from her spot, both Lost Boys still protecting her on either side. Katsia is around our age, and has the wildness that Stella embraces. Her reputation is one to run from, not to chill with around a fire.
“Yes.” My eyes narrow. “Why? Got a problem with that?”
She slowly lifts herself from her seat, her bare feet closing the distance between us. Pretty sure the small flowers growing in the grass wither around her. She’s an arm’s length away when she stops.
Her cleavage spills out of her dress when she crosses her arms in front of herself. “Do you know about the history between the last Katsia and Malum?”
“Are you asking if I, the daughter of Bishop Vincent Hayes, knows about the history of my own family?” She doesn’t shrink, but the corner of her eye twitches. Not even the blanket of the night could hide that. I take this moment to draw closer, until my chest brushes hers.
We’re hovering around the same height, but because I’m wearing Jordans and she’s in bare feet, I’m an inch taller, and I use it to my advantage by staring down my nose at her. “Bitch, you are nothing to me.” I lean in even further, bringing my mouth to the side of her cheek so only she can hear. “And less than nothing to him.” I move back, the smirk on my face unmoving.