Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“Dil, don’t.” I tried to reach him where I was pinned behind Lucien. “They’ll kill you.”
“And you think I’ll let them kill you instead?” He didn’t turn to look at me, keeping his gun trained on the leader on the wall. “Get back into the house, both of you. I’ll hold them off for as long as I can.”
Lucien sighed heavily. “You’re a right pain in my ass, you know that?” His tone was dark, but also held reluctant respect. Shoving Dillon aside, he pointed at the pavilion. “You get back inside. No matter what he threatens to do to me, he won’t fire. You on the other hand...”
“Aww, did you have to ruin it?” The leader cocked his head with a cruel tilt. “It’s rather touching to see how many people are willing to sacrifice themselves for you.”
Whisper crouched low at Lucien’s side, his tail lashing back and forth. With a roar, he swiped the air, his lips peeling back to reveal razor-sharp fangs.
A dart of horror from Lucien. Snatches of his internal voice echoed in my skull.
What if they shoot him—
Ice-cold panic drenched me at the thought of Whisper being killed.
Trembling, I closed my eyes and hunted for that crisp, wintery strength around my heart.
But...it fizzled out.
Melted and demolished without even the barest hint of a snowflake.
Sagging with despair, I couldn’t shed the heavy, aching weakness.
I hated it. Hated how useless I was that I couldn’t protect those I loved, even when they were all one bullet away from dying.
The leader huffed with irritation. “You’re right that I won’t kill you or your girlfriend, but...” His smirk widened as he looked past us to Auntie Mei and Uncle Wen by Lanlan’s body. “Lucky for me, I don’t need anyone else alive.”
He swung the pistol in a smooth arc and aimed straight at Uncle Wen.
“No!” Lucien bellowed, lunging forward—
The gun cracked.
Uncle Wen jerked as a bullet slammed into his thigh. A guttural grunt full of pain escaped him as he crumpled sideways, his cane clattering to the blood-covered pavers by Lanlan’s body.
Auntie Mei shrieked, throwing herself over her husband, her hands immediately pressing down on the wound as blood welled hot and fast between her fingers. “Wen! Oh no, no, no. Wen!”
Lucien went rigid. A low, animalistic growl tore from his throat, the bond flaring with fresh, blistering rage. I felt his helplessness like my own. He wanted to burn them all. To eviscerate them into ash.
But the fire still wouldn’t come.
The leader laughed again, cold and heartless. “You owe me a thank you for not putting one in his skull. It was just a warning. For now.” He narrowed his eyes. “You have one minute to accept that you can’t win this. One minute to start walking toward the front gate, and I promise you—” He raised his hand in a three-finger salute. “On my mother’s grave, I swear I won’t hurt another. All of us will leave and life will continue as if we were never here.”
Dillon shifted to Lucien’s side, his gun steady despite Auntie Mei’s sobs. “How about you leave, and I won’t kill you.”
The leader snickered, even as his men tensed and aimed a barrage of weapons at my bodyguard.
“You’re outnumbered thirty to one. Whatever little army you had is dead. So don’t try to be a hero when we all know you’re only alive because I’m allowing it.” Glancing at the bulky watch around his wrist, he swung his gun toward Auntie Mei as she tore off her cardigan and tried to use the sleeve as a tourniquet around Uncle Wen’s bleeding leg.
Her panic echoed around the courtyard, too focused on her husband to notice a gun was locked on her head.
“You’ll be fine, you old goat.” She smiled through her tears. “It went straight through the muscle. You’ll be okay. I’ve sewn up plenty of wounds in the village. I’ll get Fen to help. You’ll be okay. I’m sure you’ll be okay—”
“Wife.” Uncle Wen cupped Auntie Mei’s cheek, leaving bloody fingerprints. “Calm down. Don’t hurt your health fretting over me.”
“Don’t you tell me what to do! Just focus on staying alive, alright?”
“Fine, fine. Always so bossy—”
“Your time is almost up, Ashfall.” The leader narrowed his eyes, aiming at the bickering married couple, bouncing his gun from Uncle Wen to Auntie Mei. “Are you walking, or do you require some more encouragement?”
“Wait.” Lucien bared his teeth, his heart pounding against me where I stayed plastered against his back. I picked up on his racing thoughts as he tried to figure out how to win this. But each scenario ended with those we cared for dead. Without the power that’d tormented us since we were born...we were useless.
And an even deeper fear filled me because...why?
Why couldn’t we tap into the ice and fire we’d earned after decades of pain?