Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“CURED?” Summit gaped as Lolli bellowed, “Traitor!” Both bristled and bowed up, gearing for attack.
“Don’t you dare touch him,” Cyrus snarled at the pair. His exhalations grew choppier, verging on growls.
Felix jutted his chin. “Grandfather paid Tabby to spy on me, did you know that? I gave her the world, and she betrayed me as soon as I gave my life to Soal. I was forced into treatment. You cannot comprehend what they did to me in there,” he shouted, spittle spraying from the corners of his mouth. “I would have forgiven my Tabby Cat. I loved her and understood she was as brainwashed as the rest of us. But to gain my release from the facility, I had to prove I’d turned my back on Soal. I didn’t, not at first. I waited for his help. But days of torture passed, and he did nothing. Finally, I had to accept the truth. I can trust only myself. The emperor watched, beaming with pride as I did what he demanded.” Agony contorted his features. “I killed her. I murdered the woman I loved.” Tears streamed down his cheeks. “She begged for my help. Pleaded for my forgiveness. I struck anyway.”
Sympathy and resolve flittered over Cyrus’s features. “The emperor will be dealt with, but so will you. I won’t be dying today. I was born to rule, and that’s what I’ll do. I’ll wield a power not even Grandfather can subdue.”
No. He wouldn’t do this terrible deed. He hated CURED. Hated Astan and everything the god stood for. Cyrus wouldn’t murder his own brother. He was smart; he would find another way. “We have to stop this.”
“We cannot,” Domino replied. “We offered each a way out. Like Giselle, they made their choice. Now they reap the consequences.”
No. I didn’t accept that. “Cyrus,” I shouted, racing to him. Panic and fear overtook me. “Cyrus. Listen to me. Please.” I jumped in front of him. Waved my arms. Nothing. No response as he and Felix braced, preparing to attack. “Cyrus!”
“You cannot stop this.” Domino’s sad assurance buzzed across our bond, sending me into a new tizzy of movement.
“Please, Cyrus. Whatever Astan offers, say no.”
“Arden Dawn Roosa.”
The familiar feminine whisper hit my ears, halting my activities. Briar Rose. Confused, I turned and scanned my surroundings. She’d sounded so close, yet she hadn’t entered the dome.
Then, I felt a tug. A tug so strong it yanked my spirit backward several stumbling steps. What the—yank. I stumbled back another three feet. “Domino,” I shrieked, digging in my heels.
He bounded over and clasped my wrists in his intractable grip, but the next tug proved strongest, dragging him with me. Closing in on the dome . . .
If I touched it, I would die. So would Domino, via our connection. I fought for our lives. Fought so hard.
It did no good.
Tug. Another several feet. Mere inches away. The next haul could be my last. “Try to save yourself,” I pleaded, accepting my fate. “Help Cyrus. Don’t give up on him. Look out for my mom and Mykal. Thank you for everything.”
“I’m here for you,” the librarian snapped. “Always you.”
“Survive,” I commanded him, wrenching free of his hold, hoping against hope. Momentum carried me to the finish line. Maybe he could recover. I braced—
And slipped through the dome without difficulty.
Astonished, I whooshed across the land, moving so quickly the terrain blurred. Then I was inside the castle, going through ceilings and walls. Into my suite. My eyelids popped open, and I gasped, jolting upright in bed. The thudding of my heart filled every inch of my body. Buh-bum. Buh-bum. Buh-bum. A war drum.
Though I threw myself against the pillows and squeezed my eyes shut, I didn’t return to Cyrus and Domino. The librarian didn’t follow me or appear.
“Arden Dawn Roosa.” Briar Rose called to me once more, a clear summons.
I jolted upright again. Panting from exertion, I wrestled with the compulsion to visit her. If I could get to the garage, I could steal a vehicle and return to the dome in my physical form.
And do what?
Tears seared my eyes.
“Arden Dawn Roosa. Come to me. Now.”
No more whispers or kind requests. The goddess shouted a directive that reverberated through my cells.
My limbs acted of their own accord, propelling me onto my feet. Though I resisted from the inside, my outside paid me no heed, padding into the hall, just as I was.
The guards hadn’t abandoned their post. Nor had 999, the meta Cyrus had summoned before the field trip. At my appearance, the men snapped to attention, one rushing ahead to lead the way, the other following me. As we motored onward, the meta kept pace at my side.
I’d always secretly longed for a pet of my own, but I had barely been able to afford cheap, awful meal bars for my mother and myself. This meta, I’d never have to feed, yet I couldn’t ditch it soon enough. Its metal frame and multitude of weapons were anything but adorable.