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)
“Lucien!” Rook came to my side, grabbing the bottle from my fist and throwing it into the corner of the room. “You already know we can’t eat or drink. What were you thinking?”
Coughing, I spat out the dregs and straightened. “I forgot but...now I guess we have conclusive proof that food and water is off the table.”
Her heart skipped a beat, so much louder and perfect than the rest heading this way. “Then how are our bodies going to stay alive if we can’t feed them?” Images of us wasting away and dying of thirst filled her head.
My body gave no indication that it hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in days, yet what if our time wasn’t just running out but over? Maybe this flush of energy was what everyone felt on their death bed: a final burst of strength to achieve their last wishes.
My hands balled, smoke escaping from my wrists as fire smouldered.
“Are you okay?” Rook studied me. “Are you still feeling sick?”
“I’m not sick.” Turning to her, I cupped her cheeks. “I have no idea what I am, and you might think I’m idiotic for what I’m about to do.”
“What are you about to do?” Her fingers wrapped around my wrists, locking around the smoke coiling free.
“If you’re right that this is one of our final days on earth...I can’t die knowing they’re still alive. I will never be able to rest knowing that the men who did this to me—the men who tortured all those people in the Eastern Crucible—are still walking around without being punished.”
“I know.” Her eyes welled with tears. “I get it. Believe me.”
“So you know what I have to do.”
She sucked in a breath. “We can come back with an army. Let’s escape first and then—”
“I promise I’ll get you out of here, Rook. I vow it on whatever is left of my life, but...I can’t run like a coward. I can’t leave without hurting them first.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek as our enemy’s heartbeats came closer, echoing with the soft thud of their boots. “Just promise me you won’t burn yourself out again. That you won’t do anything without me.”
“I can’t promise that.” I kissed her exquisitely softly. “If we are dying, then I need to do whatever it takes to bring those bastards with me—”
“Then I forbid you.”
I tucked locks of midnight hair behind her ear. “I have to make this right, Rook. I’ll never forgive myself otherwise.”
“But what about me?” Her voice hitched. “What about the fact that Snowflake Corp is the reason all of this happened in the first place? My parents are the ones who messed around with immortality. They’re the reason so many others were caught up in the crosshairs, thinking they could use your blood to make more.”
“And if we’re still alive by tomorrow, then we’ll focus on them.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “But right now, they’ve brought us to Brimstone, and I’m not leaving until I’ve burned the entire place to the fucking ground.”
“Fine.” She slouched in defeat. “I’ll help you. I’ll fight with you but only if you vow to me that you’ll stay alive. No matter what.” Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’ve brought you back from the dead once, Lucien Ashfall. Please don’t make me do it again.”
The raw fear in her voice broke me a little, so I kissed her.
The moment our tongues touched, energy surged between us—crystalline fiery power that didn’t just fill me, it completed me.
It didn’t feel like death but...renewal.
And if my body could no longer stomach food or drink, then...all I needed was her. With her close, I felt as if I’d devoured an entire feast and drained a river of sparkling water.
I felt invincible.
And now, it was time for war.
Ending the kiss, I hugged her tight. “I love you.”
She hugged me back, trembling a little. “What if it doesn’t go to plan? What if—”
“There are no ‘what ifs’.” Letting her go, I held up my hand and summoned the fire. It answered instantly with full obedience, encasing my fingers in a fiery glove. “I’m in control and they have no idea they’ve just brought retribution right to their doorstep.”
I focused on the heartbeats coming closer; the fire flared around my fingers.
Rook held up her own hand, ordering the ice to create razor-sharp claws on her fingernails. She gave me a shocked look as if she hadn’t expected it to obey. “It’s all well and good having our power back, but what if they use those frequency emitters? No matter how strong we are, all it takes is one little zap.”
“That’s why we have to move now. While they’re least expecting it.” Capturing her icy fingers, I pulled her toward the iron bars. I never let go of her as I placed my hand over the lock and sent a blast of heat into the mechanism.