Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Nadia gasped and trembled, the knife still lodged in her lower back. Blood bubbled at her lips, dripping onto the floor.
“Nadia!” Emily barked.
“What?” Nadia choked out, eyes wide and wet.
“I know it’s hard, but I’m attached to the fucking wall. Move. Now.”
Her sister shot her a look, half pain, half defiance. She planted her hands against the cold floor, grimacing as she dragged herself forward, each breath a loud groan.
“Good. Good. Do it again,” Emily urged, pulling against the restraints, her heart hammering as she willed Nadia to reach her.
Nadia gulped and winced but did it again, inching closer.
“All right. One more time, and you’ll be here. The room’s not that big. You’re close. Just keep coming.” Emily tried to sound calm.
“Can’t,” Nadia gasped, her body heaving.
“I know you can.” Emily softened her tone. “You’re my sister. Come closer.”
Nadia looked up, the pain in her black eyes so raw that Emily could almost feel it in her own back.
“All right.” Nadia planted one arm against the floor and dragged herself closer.
“Good.” Emily reached out. Her fingers grazed Nadia’s hand, and she clutched it, pulling her sister the rest of the way.
Nadia cried out as Emily panted through her own pain. “Hold still.” Emily scooted forward as far as the chain would allow, the metal biting into her wrists. Her fingers brushed the knife’s hilt. She grunted and pulled with every ounce of strength she had left.
Nadia screamed, and her body bucked from the pain, but the knife came free with a sickening slide. She collapsed onto her side, gasping, “I think that was a kidney.”
“We only need one, right?” Emily gripped the bloody knife. “It’s silver. Don’t shift.” That would propel the poison through Nadia’s bloodstream too fast.
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to.” Nadia curled into a ball, her face wet with tears. “Thanks.”
Emily looked toward the empty doorway. “Who is he?”
“I don’t know.” More tears spilled from Nadia’s eyes. “Caidrik and I headed into town to get something for Dad to eat. There was a tree down. Caidrik got out to move it, and this truck came out of nowhere.” Her eyes glassed over as if reliving the moment. “It hit him hard, and there was this crunch of bone. I’ve never heard anything like it. Then the guy who stabbed me jumped out and grabbed me. I fought. I really did.”
“I know you did.” Emily gripped the knife tighter as she examined her shackles. There had to be a way to wedge the blade into the lock.
Carefully, she pressed the blade against the shackle’s hinge and winced as the edge sliced into her palm. The silver burned through her skin, its poison flowing into her bloodstream with a searing sting.
Grunting, Nadia pushed herself upright, blood soaking through her white sweater.
“I think you should stay still until that heals,” Emily said through clenched teeth.
“I think I should help you get out of those so we can get out of here,” Nadia shot back, her voice hoarse but determined.
Emily met her gaze. “I’m with you.”
“Raya?” A male voice echoed from outside.
Emily and Nadia both stilled. Emily’s breath hitched. “That was Victor.”
“I think so, too,” Nadia gasped.
Victor’s heavy footsteps echoed outside the block windows. Moments later, the door swung open, and he stepped inside, his gaze sweeping over them. His expression went blank.
“You fucking asshole,” Emily yelled, yanking furiously at the knife, trying to wedge it against the chain.
Victor shook his head. “What the hell is going on?”
“You had him stab her,” Emily barked, pulling harder against the bindings.
Victor stepped forward, his jaw going slack. “Nadia, are you bleeding?”
“Yeah,” Nadia muttered, her voice rough with pain.
He looked at her, eyes narrowing. “What are you doing here?”
“Wait a minute.” Emily glanced at Nadia. “Did he yell ‘Raya?’”
A shadow crossed the doorway. Then Raya stepped inside.
Shock cascaded through Emily.
“Hello, ladies.” Raya smiled.
Emily shook her head. “Raya?”
Victor looked from Emily to Raya. “Honey, what the hell have you done?”
Honey? Seriously? Emily tried to focus.
Raya moved beside Victor, standing close. She wore all black—jeans, boots, a sweatshirt—and had her dark hair pulled into a ponytail. “I’m doing what needed to be done, Victor.”
He looked from her to Emily and back again. “Honey, we have a plan, remember? I’m going to take over the pack.”
“I want both packs,” Raya said flatly. “Jackson doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing. He’s inviting outsiders in. We don’t do that.”
“You can join my pack,” Victor said, his gaze locking on Emily. “I’ve been asking you to mate with me—”
Emily’s thoughts spun. “Raya, what about Thane?”
Raya waved a hand in the air. “Thane will be dead in a few hours. He was a means to an end. I just had to get close enough to Jackson to learn all the pack’s weaknesses, and well, get to the mines.”
Heat coated Emily’s throat. “You sabotaged the mines?”