Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“Is... the baby...?” He trailed off, but I knew what he was asking.
“The baby was turned too,” I confessed. “Lucia has been carrying her daughter for hundreds of years. She’ll forever carry her, because she’ll never be born. She can’t be,” I whispered, shaking my head. “She can’t grow. She can’t change. She’s forever trapped in time like Lucia will forever be trapped.”
“Wow. This Lucia must be... insane.”
I think Nyx tried to think of another word and couldn’t, because insane was the right one. A monster stole her family, her life, the man she loved, and her daughter’s future. Of course she went insane.
I did too.
“Okay, I get it,” he sighed. “This Lucia, vampire or not, would never hurt a baby.”
“She wouldn’t,” I said firmly. “But more than that, she’s loving having a baby girl that she can finally shower with love and attention. The bitch has told me multiple times that she can’t wait for me to die, so she can adopt Hope properly. Seriously,” I deadpanned, “she’s said it so many times, it’s no longer a joke.”
“It is a joke if she thinks we’re going to let you die, or her keep our baby. We’ll get Hope back,” Nyx said, wolf eyes shining bright and golden. “Once we finish this.”
“We?” I said carefully.
“You’ve made it very clear that this is our fight, not just yours. You think I’m going to sit around waiting for Badr’s son-of-a-bitch father to steal my sperm, then slit my throat? No, thanks.”
“But you were leaving. You expelled yourself, and then tucked your tail between your legs—all set to mope and cry your way to Europe—”
“You’re a real ass sometimes, you know that?”
“Why stay to fight a war that’s going to get brutal and bloody fast?” I pressed. “Why stay when you don’t know if anything I said is true? I could be lying to justify taking over Wolf Nation. It’s not like anyone can prove a future that doesn’t happen.”
His gaze was steady. “Does Hope have all the powers you claim she has?”
It took a beat, but I nodded.
“Then I believe you, Daciana, because I don’t doubt for a single second that men like my father would pay any amount to have those powers. No matter who they hurt to get it.”
“But you don’t know my plan,” I argued. I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t accept that Nyx was taking this so well. The last guy I told buried me alive. The guy before that called me a madwoman and swore to protect Wolf Nation from me just as much as he was going to protect them from the alpha council and the shadow. “When Edric heard it, he went full wimpy bitch. He thinks I have to be stopped at any cost. Do you think that, Nyx?” I whispered, eyes piercing him through. “Do you want to stop me?”
“Depends,” he replied, cool as ever. “I’d have to hear this plan first.”
“Hmm.” I fell back on the pillows, noticing for the first time that I was clean. There wasn’t a trace of dirt on me. He gave me a sponge bath. “Pervert.”
He jerked back. “What? Where the hell did that come from?”
I smirked. “You know.”
Nyx couldn’t have looked more confused if he tried. “You— I— Whatever,” he burst out. “Stop trying to distract me and answer my question. What is your plan to stop this Project Destiny shit?”
“You answer me first. Are you still going to run off to Europe?”
“No.” Nyx rose up to pour me another glass of water and hand it to me. “I was only going to Europe because Mom’s there. She lives in Siena. Father got full custody after the divorce because he’s an alpha. Mom fought for us but it did her no good. He commanded her away and that was that.”
A trickle of sympathy worked its way through my dislike. A clearer picture was forming of Nyx’s father, and it was a hideous one.
“Now that we’re both free of him, we’ve reconnected. She told me I can join her in Italy and her clan would welcome me at any time, but you’re right, that would be running away.” Nyx faced away from me, only granting me the side view of his shadowed face. “When I was running through the woods searching for you, following the trail of your voice and the horrible things you’ve been through, I suddenly had this... this...” Nyx looked down, gazing at his growing claws. “Certainty.”
“A certainty?” I whispered, matching his lowered tone. “What do you mean?”
“They say Luame doesn’t speak to us or send visions anymore, and she didn’t to me either, but still, as I ran to you... as I listened to you... I suddenly understood what she wanted of me. What she demanded of me.”
I leaned in, brows crumpling. “Nyx, what are you saying?”