Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
I study the young man. It’s odd how different he is from his vampire counterpart. They look almost identical, but the differences in their lives took a toll on this Dante. He didn’t grow up with the privileges of the vampire version. He was raised middle class after his father sold his family’s cattle ranch to a corporation. From what I learned, Dante’s parents split, with his mom returning to her Irish home with his sister, Susan. Dante remained behind and dropped out of college to take care of his father.
This Dante lacks the confidence his doppelganger has. He’s still funny and bright, but there’s an aloofness to him not present in my Dante. I get the feeling this Dante will be loyal to very few people. He keeps his circle small.
He smiles. It’s something he rarely does. “Let’s go check it out, and then we can get burgers.”
“Okay.” I pull one of his old jackets over my T-shirt and jeans. Dante tries to be generous, but I only allowed him to buy me a couple of pairs of jeans, some T-shirts, undies, and two sweaters. It’s all I need because once I get home, I won’t wear them.
I glance down at the ring on my finger, the one Cian gave me. My wedding ring. It reminds me that I have a job to do—to get back to my husbands.
I climb into his beat-up SUV and buckle my seat belt. Dante goes on about how his newest program found this spot. He says something about a number of police reports and how often the property was sold, but I’m thinking about other things.
I was on the refugee plane for about a month, but three passed here. Time moves differently on different planes. How long have Beck and Cian been wondering about me? Have they managed to stop the hag’s plans? My hands clench with anger when I think about someone in the village pretending to be our friend. All the while, this hag waited to pounce the instant the twins showed vulnerability. The hag would seem like a normal villager because she can take different forms.
I’ve been reading up on hags and know it could be any of the females of the village. I have my suspicions, hence the .357 I intend to take back with me. If Liadan gives me even a hint that she isn’t what she seems to be, I’ll put a couple of rounds in her. I really hope it’s Liadan.
“That’s a scary look,” Dante says with a grimace.
“Sorry,” I apologize and school my expression into something less bloodthirsty.
It’s hard readjusting to this plane. I thought I would immediately fall back into patterns of working and watching TV, but something intrinsic has changed within me. When I finish with work around the store, I prepare for the day I will go back to my men. I spend hours and hours making lists and gathering items I want to take with me.
I have a large duffel bag filled with things that will be helpful. I bought my ten favorite books at a half-priced store, along with five DVDs I love. I’m sure Vampire Dante can make them work on the computer. I have a thumb drive filled with music I downloaded. I bought a couple of first aid kits and essentials. My bags are packed. Now I just need my ticket home.
I didn’t completely ignore this plane. I looked up my own name on the Internet. Pretty sad. There is only a single article on me as a missing person. My mother commented that she believes I ran off with some man and will get in touch when the relationship sours. It’s odd, given that I never ran off before, but if it gives my mother comfort, I’ll go along with it. Besides, my mother wouldn’t recognize me anymore.
I wear my hair down all the time now. I move with an ease and grace that comes with being comfortable in one’s skin. The awkward, shy girl is gone. In her place is a wife who has one job to do—get back to her husbands.
“That’s it,” Dante says as he pulls into the small parking lot.
We’re on the outer edges of downtown, and parking spaces are more plentiful. I stare at the warehouse. It’s dilapidated and hasn’t seen better days in years. The door hangs haphazardly from its frame and the staircase is missing some steps.
Dante opens his door and slides out. “The last two owners sold it at a loss. It’s had ten owners since it was built twenty years ago. It was supposed to be a warehouse for one of the big department store chains. They had so many accidents the company closed it down. I came out here yesterday morning and installed a couple of cameras. I thought I would cover some of the big spaces and see if anything came up.”