Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 63214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Giving up, he lay on the ground and they lapped at him.
Slurping sounds ensued.
I pushed one away from his face and slapped his cold face. “Where the fuck is she?”
“Help,” he mumbled. The glow in his eyes darkened. His skin too. Black liquid beaded around his face and arms, mixing with the flowers’ drool.
His face swayed from side to side. “Help.”
“Tell me where she is, and I’ll help.”
His eyes closed as he whispered. “On the edge of the land.”
“Faith’s land?”
He shook and screamed.
I pushed two of the blooms away from his neck. Their buzzing rose. The two blooms fell to the ground for a few seconds, zipped to his open hand, and returned to their feast.
“Where is she?” I hit his face again. “Tell me.”
“On the edge of her land, right before the path to the mountains.”
“What path?”
“The wolves are surrounding her.” One of his eyes opened and then it closed again. “They’re protecting her.”
“From what?”
“The woman of disguises.”
The wolves? Are those the same wolves I was searching for?
“The woman of disguises.” My heart hammered in my chest. “Who is that?”
Remy’s words came out slurred like a drunk man. “She is with you. Help.”
“Who is with me?”
“The woman.”
“Addie Mae?”
Both of Remy’s eyes opened and he stared off into the distance. “I can see the light now.”
“What light?”
I tapped his face. Black liquid spilled out of the side of his mouth.
“Who is the women in disguises?!” I screamed. “What are you talking about?”
“She.” Remy never turned my way. He just continued to look off at something behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, but there was nothing.
“What are you saying?” I knocked some more flowers away from him. Their tongues touched my skin and moved away in pure disgust.
Good. I’m glad you don’t find me tasty. Now give me a minute with this guy.
“Remy!” I shook him.
Remy snapped his attention to me. His expression shifted to sadness. “You walked into the night with her.”
“Addie Mae?”
“She is not. . .the good guy.” His eyes closed. More liquid spilled out of his nose.
“What do you mean?” I batted more flowers away. “Remy? What do you mean?”
Remy went quiet and still. Only the flowers slurping mingled with the wind. Snow fell around him. Faith had screamed when Remy and I was fighting. I no longer heard her now.
I scanned the space.
Addie Mae was nowhere to be seen.
Where did she go?
This moment was the time to celebrate a little bit. The bad guy had died or whatever had happened. Remington was already dead, so maybe his spirit went somewhere else. I decided to file that question away for a moment, when I had a big bottle of whiskey.
Everything should’ve been fine. All I had to do was find Faith and Addie Mae. Both women knew this land well. As long as Remy and no other person was after them, then everything should be fine.
Find the howling wolves and that path near the mountains, and I’ll find Faith.
I dragged myself up from the ground and staggered forward. Remy had beat the shit out of me. I wasn’t mad that he’d died or died again.
Whatever.
I just wished he hadn’t taken so much out of me. I wanted to race toward Faith, but instead all I could do was weakly trot ahead like a broken man.
Something else was occurring too. Doubt kept nagging at the back of my head. I should’ve been less scared, but even more fear filled me. Remy was dead, but still I kept glancing over my shoulder and jumping at the smallest sounds.
Never had I been so scared in nature at night. Back in the day, I welcomed the mysterious silence. I relished in the darkness and unknown. Now I just wanted someone to shed light on it all—the woods, the snow, and these questions that kept popping in my head.
Why did he keep calling Addie Mae the woman of disguises? Why did Remy think he was protecting Faith from her own mother?
I hadn’t learned much in these past twenty-four hours, but what I gathered was two things. One, I was absolutely in love with Faith.
And two,
nothing,
not one thing around me,
was what it seemed.
Remy’s words entered my head.
“You’re with the villain.”
Chapter 19
Daniel
A
ddie Mae’s words sounded from above. “Good job, sweetie.”
What the fuck?
I looked up.
Addie Mae hovered in the air above me. Those thousands of faces chanted together and swayed their heads from side to side, causing a rippling effect on her sick surface.
“You’re with the villain.”
What had Remy meant? Was he wrong and just upset with Addie Mae about his crush dying? If I’d been him, I would think she was the enemy too.
Studying Addie Mae’s form, it was hard to not see her as a villain. She looked like a monster. My skin shivered as she lowered.
Why did she disappear and not help? What’s really going on?