Series: Lords of Rathe Series by Meagan Brandy
Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“Yeah, not really selling me on this whole school situation.”
“We are gifted, Haide. You might come from a place where we send the worst of our kind, but they are stunted there. Here, they are not. We are not. We can creep into your mind and control you. We can make you see what we want, do what we wish, and you will be none the wiser. You will be a puppet to our pleasure if that is what we see fit. Even the help could take you out without so much as an ounce of energy.”
“They could try.”
He glares. “The point is, whether you believe it or not, you are prey. At Rathe U, we turn prey into predator.”
My mind starts to catch up to his suggestion.
It’s ridiculous, honestly.
Me? Go to…school.
I’ve never been to school.
That’s the point though, isn’t it? Everything I learned I either taught myself or learned from the exiled on the island. Gifted who were stripped of the very thing that made them what they were—dangerously feral and unforsaken, but powerless. And liars, most of them.
A spark of—something—lights in my chest, but I snuff it out. The feeling not exactly a welcome one.
“I can see it in your eyes, Haide. You want to know what else you’re capable of. What lies you’ve been told all your life. Learn what no one has cared to teach you. The truths and lies of the gifted world. Rathe U can give you all of that and more.”
My eyes narrow, and while I can’t read his damn mind, I can read his expression, as stoic as it is. “What’s in it for you?”
“I told you, I need my brother here.”
“No.” I shake my head. “That’s not it. You just want to keep me on a leash.”
“If you’re really Legend’s mate, which I highly, highly doubt, then you already have one. And it’s bound tight around that pretty neck of yours.”
“He’s not my mate.”
“That’s one thing we agree on.” His blue eyes pierce mine, and the familiar pressure against my forehead returns. “Are you ready to make it two?”
“You’re doing it again, aren’t you? Trying to get inside my head?”
He smirks. “Not trying. I’m in.”
My lip curls. This time, when I draw my blade, he’s ready. He pins me against the wall with a thud. His chest presses against me, his mouth lowering until it’s pressed against my ear.
“Nice try, brat.”
“Fuck you.” I look at his face the best I can from this angle. “I’m not playing into your bullshit. I don’t want to be here. Send me back.”
“That’s not an option.”
“I swear to the fucking gods—”
“Yet.” He cuts me off, and with that one word, my mouth slams shut.
Creed smirks knowingly.
He widens his stance, hands folding in front of him like some privileged fuck, and I have to hold in the urge to roll my eyes.
“If you can dig deep into that empty skull of yours and find even a tiny bit of self-control, pretend you’re a good little gifted girl, I will make you a deal.”
“Just fucking say it already.”
“Stop driving my brother into a manic state. It’s weighing on him. Agree to stay where we put you.”
“And what do I get out of that?”
“Besides the opportunity to find out if you’re worth more than your skin as a gifted?” He raises a brow.
I raise one right back.
“Fine,” he clips. “Agree and when the time comes, I will help send you back where you belong myself.”
My head jerks back. That’s unexpected. I take a step back, watching him closely. “Do you think I’m a fool?” I ask, cocking my head. “I might not know jack all about your little world, but don’t underestimate me, King Deveraux. Because if you do, it will be a mistake you can’t come back from,” I warn. “Don’t forget, I come from a place where there weren’t just snakes in the grass but in the very air you breathe. I know a trick when I see one, and I won’t be played into submission.”
He hums, hands clasped behind his back as he circles around me. “There is a Royal Gateway on campus accessible only to those we let through. It is a living, breathing portal created and protected by the enchantment of desire. A safety net that allows us to get where we’re needed in the event we find ourselves drained, or worse. When entered, it takes you where your heart demands. Agree, and I’ll shove you through the second the time is right. Legend won’t know you’re gone until it’s too late.”
My throat runs dry. The more I study him, the less I’m convinced it’s a lie. “What’s the catch?”
“To enter the gateway, you have to be able to open its doors.”
“And let me guess…you need power to do that?”
“Along with the blood of a royal. I can offer you one of those, but the other…well. That’s up to you, isn’t it?” He smirks in triumph. “So, what’s it gonna be? Go back to that cesspool you call home as the girl you are now—assuming you can make it there on your own.” He pauses. “Or go to Rathe U and figure out if there’s anything worth a damn under this skin of yours?”