Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“I did.”
“Tell me you didn’t sell your soul.”
“Not exactly,” I start, my heart speeding up. “There’s a caveat. The demon wants to be freed from the Order’s hold. I break whatever is binding it to them, and the contract will be torn up. My soul is mine and you’re good, don’t worry. I made sure to ask.”
“What is the demon’s name?”
“Vaelric.”
Antonio just nods, slowly inhaling as he thinks. “This isn’t going to be easy, Wren. We’re not just going up against a demon, but the whole fucking Order of the Mystic Realm.”
“I know,” I say and put my hand on his. “I knew what I was doing. The Order having a demon as their own personal puppet on a string is dangerous, Toni.”
“So is freeing it.”
“One of those options is the lesser of two evils.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “But which one?”
“I don’t know. Hopefully the one I’m kinda forced to do.”
Antonio looks at me and we just silently stare at each other, knowing the gravity of this situation. Then he leans back, a grin coming to his face.
“Everyone thinks I’m dead. I could watch my own funeral.”
I laugh. “Oh my god, you would.”
“So would you.”
“True. Wait—everyone thinks you’re dead. We can use this.”
“We will use this.” He looks around the guest room. “Fuck, Wren, this…this…is a huge fucking mess. We’ve been in messes before, but this…I’m having a hard time seeing the forest through the trees.”
“Maybe it’s because you just died.”
He looks back at me and we laugh. “You’re still the only one in the house who hasn’t died.”
We laugh again, shaking our head at ourselves. “We should find Leo. Let him know what’s going on, right?”
Antonio’s face goes sullen. “He’s never been good at keeping secrets.”
“He's gonna think you’re dead. And Gia...what do we do?”
“We will find her,” Antonio says, sounding like such a confident hunter. He embodies what the Order is supposed to be: brave, loyal, always dedicated to doing the right thing for the world. “And we’ll break your contract. I’m kinda scared to ask, but how much time do you have?”
Fear prickles down my back. “One month.”
Chapter
Four
The whirl of metal on metal sounds all around us, echoing through the large house.
“It’s automatic blinds,” I tell Antonio. “They all go down right around sunrise and go back up after the sun sets.”
“Interesting,” he says, turning and looking out the window. “There’s already a bit of daylight.”
“Yeah,” I reply with a nod, feeling a little internal battle. Do I share the info Xavier has told me that the hunters didn’t know before? I suppose Antonio will find out. “Older vamps like Theo and Xavier can handle a little dim light with no issues.”
“That’s, uh, kind of terrifying.”
I shrug. “You don’t have to be afraid of them. Well,” I go on and smirk. “Unless you make them mad. Then be terrified.”
“Reassuring, Wren, very reassuring.”
We stare at each other for a few seconds before Antonio sighs and sits on the edge of the bed, looking around the room. I’ve passed by many times, but I haven’t really gone in here. The room looks straight off someone’s Pinterest board, with high-end detail and rich painted wood paneling on the ceiling.
“Other than the fact your soul belongs to a demon for the time being,” he begins. “You seem…okay.”
“I guess I am.” I shrug again. “I mean, I am. I never would have thought things would go the way they did, but, uh, hey. That’s life, right?”
“He treats you well?”
“Yeah. He does,” I reply, unable to help my smile when I think of Xavier. “I never thought being forced to marry a vampire mob boss would work out in my favor, yet here I am.” I chuckle, shaking my head at how insane this all sounds. “I’m part of the family, and they take family seriously. You don’t just have to be born into it with them.”
My words hang heavy in the air, creating an awkward silence. I wasn’t born a Russo and was reminded of it every single day.
Toni’s brows push together and he drops his gaze, guilt on his face. “We thought for sure you’d run away.”
“I did, too,” I confess and feel the truth start to bubble up inside me. “I had nowhere to go and no one to run to and I didn’t want to believe it because that was scarier than being here.” I cast my eyes down, still able to feel the hurt. There’s relief in having said those words out loud, but the truth sits on me, weighing me down with shame. Because I can’t deny it anymore: if I left, I would be forced to confront the fact that I was utterly alone and that in itself was scarier for me to deal with than being brought here against my will.
I want to believe there was some part of me that sensed the goodness in Xavier, the gentle part of him that only comes out when I’m around. And maybe I did. Maybe there really is some sort of karmic soul connection between the two of us, but I also need to face my biggest fear: there is no place for me, I will never fit in, I will never be enough to be fully wanted.