Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
I sit on the edge of the bed and rake my fingers through my wet hair. Exhaustion crashes over me and I want to lay down and sleep, but I know as soon as I do, my mind will start whirling a million miles a minute. Holding up my left hand, I look at my ring finger. It’s bare now, but by this time tomorrow, the ring will be set and ready to wear.
And by tomorrow, I’ll be legally married. Xavier and I signed the papers and they were taken to be filed at the courthouse. Nothing feels different, not yet at least. There wasn’t even any fanfare around signing my name. Mabel stood next to us, clapping as she watched each loopy cursive letter of my name get written on the paper. She walked away talking to herself about how she’s going to plan a reception and invite the queen. What queen she’s talking about is beyond me.
It’s the middle of the night, and I wonder if Antonio, Leo, and even Larissa are thinking about me. Are they worried? Are they sad? Did they just go right back to life and are on the road to their next assignment. Did anyone tell Ryder what happened? Would he even care? Maybe they’re trying to come up with a plan to get me back.
But…maybe not.
They don’t know where I am or what’s going on, though I’m going to change that tonight. I was able to go into the kitchen, saying I wanted a snack. If I’m not a prisoner here then I should be able to freely walk around, right? I grabbed a couple bay leaves and have what I need to do a simple dream spell.
Looking at the door, which is locked, I retrieve the bay leaf I had hidden. There aren’t black markers in the room, but a black eyeliner pencil works just the same.
“All right, Tony,” I whisper as I write his name on one side of the leaf. “Pay attention to your dreams tonight.”
Going into the bathroom, I turn the fan on and dig through the drawer until I find a pair of tweezers. Using them to hold the leaf, I stand over the sink.
“Accipe nuntium in somnio tuo,” I chant with my eyes closed. “Accipe nuntium in somnio tuo. Accipe nuntium in somnio tuo.” I imagine my oldest brother waking up after receiving my message in his dream. It’s the most important part in casting spells, and often the hardest. “Accipe nuntium in somnio tuo,” I say one more time and then set the leaf on fire.
“Ignis,” I whisper, and the ends of the bay leaf start to char and burn for a second before the whole thing is engulfed in a small flame. I hold it down closer to the sink to catch the ashes. Burning one bay leaf isn’t going to set any smoke detectors off, but usually I’m able to open a window.
“Tony,” I say as the leaf burns. “I’m being forced to marry a vampire and have his offspring. I’m in some fancy-ass house in Charlotte. It’s newly built and was custom-made for vampires. I don’t know how to get out of this situation without a bunch of carnage.”
The last of the ashes fall into the sink and I blow them away from me, imagining the message being carried to my brother. I wait a beat and then turn on the water, rinsing the ashes down the drain. Leaving the fan on, I close the bathroom door and go to get into bed. The room is dark and my eyes haven’t quite adjusted yet.
I’m moving the decorative pillows onto the ground when I hear something. I freeze and spin around just in time to see the door open. Automatically going on the defense, I summon a ball of energy and throw it, thinking it’s Xavier.
“Fuck!” the person at the door yells, and there’s just enough of a flash of light to see that the person I just hit wasn’t my vampire husband.
It’s Devon.
CHAPTER 12
“Shit, sorry,” I say, wincing. Stepping over a pillow, I turn on the bedside lamp. The energy ball is literally a golfball sized circle of crackling raw energy that leaves a nasty burn. It hit him on the bicep, singeing the hem of his t-shirt.
“What the hell was that?”
“An energy ball.” I shrug. “Magic.”
“I would say that’s pretty damn cool if it didn’t hurt so much.”
“Uh, yeah, sorry. Come here.” I usher him inside and close the door behind him. He sits on the bed and I go into the bathroom, getting hit with the smell of burned bay leaf as soon as I open the door. Turning on the cold water, I get a washcloth from the cabinet and wet it.
“Here,” I tell him and gently press the cool rag to his skin. “I thought you were Xavier. He heals,” I add, though even if he didn’t, I still would have burned him.