Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
“Then I’ll be ready for him this time. He may think he has a hold on me, but the truth is I have the hold on him. Apparently, without me, he can’t conquer whatever it is he wishes to conquer. We figure out how to rid ourselves of him, and we can get back to our lives.”
“Yeah.” I drop my head again. “I guess.”
“Oi,” he whispers. “Look at me.”
I tilt my head so I can find his eyes. They’re icy blue and shimmering with emotion. “He won’t split us apart, Willow. Not now. Not ever. I’ve got a second chance, and I’ll be damned if he captures me again.”
I can’t help smiling at his words, though I wish I could find comfort in them. I start to say something, but then a growl erupts between us. His stomach is grumbling.
“Oh, wow.” I fight a laugh as he smashes his lips together. “Someone’s hungry.”
He chuckles, and I don’t miss the way his face turns a shade of red. He’s so easily embarrassed. It’s honestly adorable. “You try resisting cold chains and mental warfare and see if it doesn’t work up an appetite.”
I laugh, going for the purse I left on the sofa the last time I was here. I sling it over my shoulder as I make my way to the door. “Come with me. I know a place we can eat.”
Chapter 14
WILLOW
I order two cheeseburgers and Cokes from Bad Daddy’s menu.
When the Cokes arrive, Caz eyes his glass suspiciously. “This stuff is poisoned. There are too many bubbles.”
I reach for a cheese fry from the appetizer basket, shaking my head. “No. It’s just carbonated water, sugar, and some other shit that isn’t good for you but tastes amazing.”
His frown fades as he brings the rim of the glass to his lips and takes a sip. His nose scrunches as he spits the sip back into the glass and sets it on the table again. “Willow, what the hell is this? Why does it sizzle in my mouth so much? How am I supposed to drink it like that?”
I nearly choke on my fry as he shoves the drink away. “How about a sweet tea instead?” I offer.
“I’ll take anything better than this.”
I flag the waiter down, request a tea, and he brings it back to the table moments later. Caz takes a sip of the sweet tea, his eyes expanding and his pupils dilating.
“This is tea?” he asks after another gulp.
“Yes…with lots of sugar.”
“What’s sugar?”
“A sweetener.”
“Oh. Like the grinds of our sweet stalks?” he asks, eyes lighting up.
I look him in the eye and nod, though I have no idea what a sweet stalk is. “Sure, that.”
Pleased, Caz takes another big gulp, and the waiter pops over to refill his drink. Moments later, our burgers arrive, and Caz looks down at them, still skeptical.
“It’s a burger,” I tell him. “Trust me, you’ll love it. Try it.” I pick mine up and bring it to my mouth, taking a huge bite. Caz watches me, head cocked, before picking up his burger as well and biting a chunk out of it. He chews, and I swear his eyes turn to puddles as they widen.
“Shit,” he says, mouth full.
“Good, right?”
“Very good. We don’t have anything like this in Vakeeli.”
“It’s pretty easy to make. They also have vegan options. I’m sure I could make some there if I had the proper ingredients.” I say all of this, but Caz is biting into his burger repeatedly. He finishes it within four big bites, gulps down more sweet tea, then belches.
“Another,” he gasps, and I smile, waving the waiter down again.
Chapter 15
CAZ
I’m hardly ever surprised by anything, yet what I’ve encountered on Earth in less than two hours has been rather…interesting.
Their way of living is unique. Not a soul walks around with guns or weapons—at least, not that I can see. Everyone has a car, and I’ve not seen a single horse. There are enormous buildings that touch the sky, taller than any palace or castle I’ve ever seen. Willow calls them skyscrapers.
It’s all so new and fascinating…yet oddly terrifying. Now I see why she was so petrified when she came to Vakeeli. Here, she lives in peace. No one is pointing guns at her constantly or posing a threat with their words. Everyone minds their own or looks the opposite way. That doesn’t happen where I’m from. There, we’re all in survival mode, trying to stay alive another day.
When we’ve returned to her apartment, Willow locks the door behind me while I stand in the middle of the main room. There’s odd furniture here—a sofa shaped like the letter L with unusual brown material on it and a wooden table in the center. The kitchen is all silver and white, with bubble-ish hanging lights above the island. A wall of windows is ahead, revealing the outdoors. Vehicles are lined up closely, albeit neatly, and face our side of the building. I narrow my eyes to make sure there aren’t people inside those vehicles looking in. They all appear vacant.