Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 468(@250wpm)___ 390(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 468(@250wpm)___ 390(@300wpm)
“I know, baby. I’m sorry.”
“I love you, dammit.” She touches her throat, where she’s still wearing the black ribbon. “I love you.”
“You can’t,” I say, my throat closing. I don’t know why, but it’s hard for me to believe someone like her could love someone like me. “I’m not… You can’t love me.”
She bares her teeth at me and leans in. “Challenge accepted.”
It hits me then. She really loves me. Would do anything for me. Even sacrifice herself.
“I love you,” I say in a rush. Because I can’t give her what she deserves, but I can give her that. I can give her all of me. “I need you, Bella.”
Her hand hovers in the space between us. I can’t take it anymore.
“Baby, please, please touch me. I need you, please—”
“Kaiser.” She cups my face, and I gasp. Her touch doesn’t hurt. It feels good.
I grip her hips, keeping her close to me. I stare into her dark eyes. “My beautiful poison. Will you marry me?”
She leans in and lets her lips brush mine. I close my eyes. Her touch is heaven.
“Yes.”
42
Bella
The fight is over. I won. And now it’s time for my reward.
I hurt my ankle, but Atticus checked me over and wrapped it. It’s not ideal, but it’s time for the claiming ceremony. Kaiser and I don’t want to wait. I’m still gross, covered in sweat and blood and poison, but Kaiser wrapped me in his red robe and insisted on sweeping me off my feet. Literally.
He carries me deeper into the underworld. Each step takes us further from the light. He seems to know these tunnels, their twists and turns, by heart. I imagine him as a boy, racing through this space, finding a home here in the darkness.
I squeeze his hand, and he squeezes mine in return. I’m his home now, and he’s mine. I will never leave him or allow him to leave me.
I can tell we’re close to our destination because the grimy stone gives way to polished black marble. The only sound is the echo of our shoes on the tiles. The dank smell disappears, covered up by the thick scent of heady incense. Underneath it all, though, is a scent of rot.
There’s a tingle at the base of my spine, my sense of anticipation growing. I feel like I’m in a horror movie, about to come face-to-face with an evil cult.
But I’m grinning like a maniac. This is fun!
There’s a crackling sound up ahead, and I gasp when we come around a bend into a nightmarish world.
The tunnel gives way to a cavernous space made of obsidian stone. Flames dance in gas fireplaces set right into the walls. The only light comes from the fire and hundreds of candles, and the reddish light glints off the rows and rows of skull masks.
Fraternitas is here. Waiting for us. The men in devil masks and skull rings stand silently in the pews, facing the front.
“This way.” Kaiser carries me to the front and a small pool that reminds me of a baptismal font. The scent of incense hangs heavier in the air. Frankincense, cassia, and myrrh.
Then I realize what this place looks like.
A church. An upside-down church. A sanctuary made in hell.
There’s even an altar. The Giant’s body lies on it like a sacrifice. Someone cleaned him up a little, but blood still pools around him.
I almost feel sorry for him. He was Dominus’s son, sent to fight for his family’s honor. But in this world, it’s kill or be killed. And I am a killer.
Kaiser sets me down on a chair. “Can you kneel?” he asks and helps me into a high kneeling position that won’t twinge my ankle. He tucks his robe around me more tightly. It’s so huge it wraps around me a few times and pools at my feet, but I appreciate it. It’s chilly in here, despite the fireplace built into the walls. Or maybe I’m just feeling the aftereffects of adrenaline leaving my body. All the pain I didn’t feel in the ring has arrived, and I’m living in it. My ankle and cheek ache.
Two men come forward, one wearing a black mask with devil’s horns. I recognize him from my father’s office a lifetime ago. The Devil is here.
The other is Father Francis. What’s a priest doing in hell? It was my idea, he told me once. He raised these boys, founded Fraternitas. Helped hone them into a weapon.
A few more figures join us at the front. A woman in a wheelchair, with brilliant tattoo sleeves. She’s holding a dagger, stroking its handle. The blood red jewels in her skull ring glint in the firelight.
“That’s Lucy,” Kaiser whispers to me.
Jaeger and Elodie also drift toward us, holding hands. Elodie’s changed into a simple white dress that makes her look like a priestess. She looks solemn, like she’s at a funeral. She and Jaeger take their place beside the altar. I notice she can’t look at the body.