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)
“Then what about the girl? Why the hell does she have a GPS tracker on her?”
“Because she’s Snowflake Corp’s CEO that’s why, you idiot.” The tallest man—and the one who sounded in charge—snatched something out of the other man’s hands.
In the gleam of the overhead light, I caught a glimpse of a broken red string with a white coin-shaped disc dangling off it.
The man holding it growled under his breath. “Tell security we might be expecting a few unwanted guests. Increase patrols and prepare to fire if necessary.”
“But—” the other man grumbled. “Won’t that bring even more trouble? We’ve already lost the Brimstone Headquarters. So many scientists are unaccounted for along with Helen, Nick, and Grant. What if—”
“Shut up and make yourself useful for once. Go tell Dr. Pels that we’re ready. They’re bound to wake up any second.” Throwing the white disc to the floor, the man in charge stomped it into pieces.
“I heard she has a bodyguard,” one of the other men muttered quietly. “Maybe it’s always been his policy to track his client like a runaway dog.”
My pounding heart leapt as all the pieces tumbled together.
Dillon!
How many times over the years had Dillon threatened to tag me like a lost phone or stray cat? He’d even slipped multiple airtags into my luggage, using them to follow me around the world for a week or two, before I found them stashed in the lining or buried at the bottom of my bag.
If he’d put that on me after losing me on the mountain...he wouldn’t be far behind. I hadn’t even felt it around my ankle. Then again, the past few hours either I’d been throwing up or having dream sex. I also had no idea how much time had passed since we’d been taken from Ashfall Cliff, but Dillon was wonderfully resourceful. Look at how he’d found me in the middle of the Gaoligong Mountains. If he could find me there...he could find me in the middle of England.
If that’s even where I still am.
Swallowing down the rest of my panic, I tried to be smart.
We’d obviously been knocked out again and brought from the burning Brimstone Headquarters. I didn’t think we were in another office building because the dark, burgundy-papered walls, wrought iron chandelier, and wooden cabinetry hinted we were in someone’s house. A fancy dining room to be exact, complete with expensive wine glasses.
Which was much better.
A house wouldn’t be as difficult to break into.
Or at least...I hope.
All we had to do was stay alive until Dillon brought help. I just had to hope he brought lots of it.
“Ah...” A cruel chuckle wrenched my attention back to the doorway where only one man remained. “You’re finally awake. Well...one of you is, at least. The other...” A scowl replaced his smile. “What exactly happened to him? Why does he have multiple fractures? Even unconscious, he screamed a few times when we moved him.”
My heart flung itself up my throat as I followed the arch of his chin.
I looked to the left.
Lucien!
Matching leather cuffs trapped his wrists and ankles to a chair, reminding me of the permanent ports he’d worn back in Cinderkeep. How he’d said they used to tie him down to harvest his blood.
Wake up. I sent the thought as loudly and as strongly as I could. Please wake up!
No response.
Memories of him burning up in Brimstone Headquarters bombarded me. His guttural cries as things cracked and broke inside him. The spray of black blood as he coughed up whatever life he had left.
I’d told him to stop. I’d warned him not to try to die on me again. And he hadn’t listened. If the ice inside me hadn’t responded...he might’ve dissipated again.
A sob caught in my throat.
If you start disintegrating, I swear to God I’ll glue all your pieces back together and lock you in a fireproof room.
The tiniest twitch flickered between his eyebrows.
Can you hear me?
The barest of touches against my mind as if he struggled to wake up. Was he back in that dreamscape? If I touched him, could I join him? Could we somehow heal each other again?
Glancing at my hands, I tried to summon the ice that’d felt so obedient back in Brimstone. Ever since waking from that spiritual plane, I’d been good as new, but now...nothing. Just the barest scattering of frost appeared over my knuckles, bringing a sickly throbbing in my heart.
“He’s not looking so good, is he?” the man muttered.
My eyes shot back to the asshole as he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He must’ve done something to us to make us so weak again. All of this was their fault. It had to be. I refused to believe that the powers inside us kept forsaking us when we needed them the most.
That wouldn’t just be cruel, it would be catastrophic.