Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
She tenses when he pulls the doll from her grip, whispering something to her. It appears he asks a question that she very quietly answers. Then they both stand. I stare at the doll in his hand, wishing he’d just give it back to her already.
How will she cope if he takes it away?
They both approach me.
“I’ll take good care of Calista,” he murmurs, voice low and barely audible.
Boiling hatred nearly causes me to explode on him. His next words, though, snuff out everything.
“You’re being adopted, kiddo,” he says to me. “I’ve done all I can do.”
With those words, they walk away. I stare after them, rooted in place, unable to move. Unable to save her.
Adopted?
I thought I was broken, ruined, and useless.
That’s what he told me over and over again.
What about her?
Will she be adopted too?
When I finally snap out of my daze, I race toward the doors they disappeared into. A couple of men, one dressed in a nice suit, block my path. One of them is plain and someone you’d never pick out of a crowd because he’s so unmemorable. The other has striking gray eyes and a bright smile.
“The name’s Orion Crowne,” the man says, grinning. “Ready to get out of here?”
The other man nods in approval. “Just need to swing by the boys’ home first. Make things official.”
Orion seems to ignore him, so I do too.
“Everyone has a momentous fork in the road of their life. This is yours, young man, where the direction of your life changes into something you could never begin to dream of for yourself.”
My heart pangs, the loss of my own father more prominent than ever. He always had anecdotes for life. God, I miss him.
“It’s not like I have a choice,” I rasp out, bitterness on my tongue.
At least not yet. Not until I turn eighteen.
Orion nods at the other man to leave us be. Once the man walks away, Orion clutches my shoulder, giving it a fatherly squeeze.
“The world can be yours. I’ll teach you everything I know and give you all that was taken from you. There’s freedom in that.”
He may be offering an escape from this place, but he can’t give me my parents back.
“Her too?” I ask in a small, unsure voice, casting a glance over my shoulder.
Orion cocks his head to the side, studying me intently. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
I bristle with irritation. “So the world can’t be mine?”
He’s a liar just like the rest of them.
“It can. If that’s what you want, I’ll teach you how to get it. I’ll give you the tools, resources, and knowledge. That much I can assure you.”
It’s a step.
Getting out of this place will clear my mind, something I desperately need. Then, if this man is telling the truth, I’ll have what it takes to come back and get her.
I will come back for you, Calista.
Wait for me.
Romy
Present
My dreams are horrible and cruel. In this one, I was stripped down, pinned to the bed, and unable to stop a brutal rape. Sure, it’d hurt, physically, but it was the sorrow echoing in all my bones that felt worse.
Then a dark angel swooped in and removed the monster. He killed him swiftly and without remorse. I’d watched with a mixture of horror and awe as he tossed him into the icy depths of a lake, removing him completely from my sight.
And then the dark angel held me in his tight, warm cocoon embrace, chasing away the lasting shadows and torment plaguing me.
Someone squeezes my thigh and I blink away my daze. I’m groggy and slightly confused. My dreams blur with reality. Where am I?
With a yawn so big my jaw pops and my eyes water, I take note of my surroundings. My recliner vibrates beneath me. I soon recognize the interior of a private jet. Beside me, with his hand on my leg, is the always stoic Caius Crowne.
My pretend boyfriend and father of my pretend baby.
“We’ll be landing soon,” he murmurs, slightly distracted by whoever he’s texting with. His other hand holds his phone near his face and his thumb flies over the screen with impressive speed. “Buckle up.”
I draw my gaze from him to my lap. I’m dressed in jeans and a sweater I have no recollection of putting on. My hands tremble as I buckle my seat belt. I’m still piecing together my fragmented mind.
Where are we going?
Home.
The thought comes out of nowhere and oddly reassures me. Home is with Caius. My pretend boyfriend. Pretend, right? Or did I dream that?
His palm rests in an easy, comfortable way on my upper thigh. I don’t hate his touch. Maybe we’re more than pretend.
Flashes of a memory of me and him in a dark hallway, his fingers sliding in and out of me, has me breaking into a sweat. Heat creeps up my neck and no doubt paints my cheeks crimson.