Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
“Am I not your family too?”
“You made me kill. You played games with my head. You drugged me, so no. . .”
For a moment, there was something in his eyes, something that was not arrogance or pride. It was fleeting, there and gone before I could truly catch it.
Was it. . .hurt? Sadness? Surprise?
Regardless, the thought didn’t satisfy me as much as I’d thought it would.
He stepped even closer then, so close that I could smell the rich scent of marijuana on his breath and see the intricate embroidery on his sapphire robe.
"I see." His gaze flicked down to my lips and lingered there for a moment before moving back to my eyes. It unsettled me more than any threat could have. "My monster has finally grown her claws."
Finally?
The word echoed in my head like a baffling riddle.
“Did you see how the East praised you on TV?”
“I saw it.”
“Are you pleased?”
“I just want my days and nights to be normal.”
“You have power. Things will never be normal.”
“But is that how it truly works?”
“We’ll see, Monique. We’ll see.” He took a step back, creating some much-needed space between us. “However, I don’t want you to be mad at me. I’m sorry for last night. Please. . .forgive me.”
Those words hung in the air.
He moved his view to the box in his hand. “To apologize, I’ve brought you a gift.”
I eyed it suspiciously. “Why would you give me a gift?”
“Like I said. . .to say I’m sorry.”
“That can’t be the only reason.”
“Well. . .also because this is your special day and I want you to remember me always, just in case this ends up being my last day.”
I gritted my teeth.
Just in case? Leo. . .you must die tonight.
He lifted the small velvet box in his hand, turning it slowly, as though presenting something holy.
My heart skipped a beat.
By now, I knew better than to trust him or any gift in his hand.
I thought back to the last gift he’d given me. When I opened it, I saw his daughter’s severed head and her lifeless eyes staring back at me.
I stiffened, every muscle in my body on edge.
Leo must have noticed, because his smile softened, almost mockingly. “Don’t look so afraid, little monster.”
“Leo, please stop calling me that.”
“It suits you.”
I sneered. “I’m now the Mountain Mistress, so if you must call me something, then call me that.”
He blinked and then inch by inch widened that smile. “I like the tone in your voice. So commanding. So. . .laced with venom. Okay, Mountain Mistress. I will do my best to stick to that title, instead of our nickname.”
Our? I think not.
He continued, unbothered as ever. “Tonight is a moment in history, and you, Monique, are at the center of it. The first Mountain Mistress of the East to be forged in blood and crowned by death.”
He held the box out toward me, but I didn’t move.
My feet felt frozen to the floor.
“Take it,” his voice shifted to smooth as silk. “It’s yours.”
I shook my head slowly. “What’s in the box?”
“Nothing you haven’t earned.” His words sent a chill down my spine.
I stared at the box. “You’ve given me quite enough already, Leo. No thank you.”
“Still, you must. In fact. . .let me help,” he said, and before I could step back, he flicked the box open.
I widened my eyes.
O-kay. . .
Inside sat a ring, more beautiful than I could have imagined. A sapphire the size of a robin’s egg rested at its center, deep and flawless, like a piece of the night sky frozen in time. Smaller diamonds haloed the stone, catching the light in the space and scattering it into sparks of fire and ice.
He’s giving me a. . .ring?
I blinked, stunned by its beauty.
“This was my wife’s,” Leo said softly as he watched me. “The day I created the title of Mountain Mistress; I gave her this ring.”
My eyes shot up to his face.
Why does he want me to wear her ring?
I lowered my view back to it and studied this priceless jewelry. It was gleaming and sitting innocently inside its velvet prison. For a split second, the sheer beauty of it was enough to rob me of breath.
However, I was sure the sapphire burned with secrets that I couldn’t begin to unravel.
Why would Leo give me this? And why now?
Leo never made a move without purpose. He was a man who thought ten steps ahead while the rest of us were still taking one step forward.
Every gesture, every word, every smile came with a cost, and this ring—this gift—would be no different.
I curled my fingers in the pocket of my gown and brushed the edges of the hidden gun. The cold metal steadied me even as my mind churned.
This is a chess move. But what move was it?
I lifted my gaze back to him.