Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 121534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
He drums his fingertips along the desk, once, twice, each time louder and more powerful than before, until tiny marks from his nails dent the wood.
“Would peace between the families be so bad?” he asks.
What a fucking lie. He never does anything that doesn’t benefit him, and Odin is the same. Peace? They aren’t after peace; they’re after power.
“An alliance of sorts? Think about it. I know I have. I’m getting old, Aric, and it’s time to pass the torch. You’ve been alone for so long, so why not take what’s been freely given to you?”
“I don’t need her. We don’t need her. And word of warning, I might actually end up killing her before the end of the semester.” Would that satisfy him?
He grins like I amuse him. “If killing came so easy to you, you would not have been the one chosen.”
Chosen? What is he talking about?
“Play nice in the sandbox, don’t forget to share your toys, and remember that we always keep our enemies close—so when the time is right to turn on them, we don’t have to chase.”
I get whiplash talking to him. “She’s living next door, so chasing won’t be a problem.”
His smile widens. Yeah. He planned that. “Let’s start thinking about next steps, shall we?”
“Next steps?”
“Graduation, your parents’ legacy, mine, your future, what you are.” He holds out his hand.
“Am I supposed to shake it or…?”
“Your vow that you’ll do everything in your power not to let me down—or let your parents down.”
I shake his hand. It’s cold as ice, just like his demeanor. Deep down, I know he cares. He’s just obsessed with his hatred for the Stjernes and the need for revenge for my parents’ deaths. I get it.
I tuck my hands deep into my pockets as I feel the tickle of ice forming along my fingertips.
His eyes zero in on my hands anyway. “A bit cold?”
Is he seriously in my head? “No, sir.”
“You’re dismissed.”
He turns his back to me. So much for asking about the rune burned into my skin. When Sigurd dismisses you, you’re dismissed.
I leave wondering two things.
Can he read minds?
And why is he encouraging me to spend time with the one girl who has the power to destroy everything?
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Rey
“Hold the elevator!” Reeve calls the second I step inside.
No. I don’t think I will.
But Reeve slips through the doors before they close and gives me a once-over that has me crossing my arms. “Judging by that resting bitch face, and the mud stains and wet clothes, I’m guessing the Ice Caves weren’t all laughter and doodling Aric’s name on your report?”
I try not to think of all the ways I can impale him with my pen. “I mean, we almost died in the name of ancient history, but we did just fine.” I leave out the questionable rune we discovered and the rest of the strange things that have happened because, first off, it’s none of his business and I’d rather drown than ask for his opinion. But more than that, because he’s an Erikson. He’d be the last to throw me a life raft.
Reeve slams the emergency stop button on the elevator, making it jolt. It doesn’t trigger my fear of heights, but plunging to my death is still not how I want to go out. I brace myself against the wall.
“I’m going to level with you,” he says, and for once, he sounds serious.
“Could you not have leveled with me anywhere else?” I ask.
Literally anywhere else. Okay, so maybe I am afraid. I hate heights. Even small ones.
“If we plummet, the worst that would happen would be falling on your ass. Gravity might just make some of the mud and dirt fall out of your hair.” He grins. So much for serious.
I flip him off. “Okay, do your leveling so I can get out of this death trap.”
“You have no idea how desperately I want to jump in the air right now.” He shoots me an evil smile.
“It’d be the last thing you do.”
He chooses to lean against the wall instead and suddenly sobers. “You can’t push Aric. He’s seen multiple therapists, but he can’t get past—” He sighs and leans in. “Shit, you take this to your grave, all right?”
“We’re still dangling in the air here. Talk faster, Reeve.”
“You remember after our parents died and after he rejected you and all that shit.” Good reminder. Fantastic. “He was in his room sulking like Aric does, and it exploded. I’m not talking like, oh look, a small gas leak, that’s unfortunate. He blew out the windows, the doors, melted his chair. The firefighters said it was a freak lightning strike.”
I know he was struck by lightning. Everyone in the area does. It was a huge story when it happened. Not Aric’s involvement, but about Sigurd’s mansion catching fire.