Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 73423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
He’s silent for a while.
Like he’s taking in my words and letting them simmer in his brain.
“I don’t know,” he says after a while, and he looks away, lowering the knife as if he’s been defeated.
I frown in disbelief, shaking my head, and I sigh out loud. “You were so sure of yourself a few seconds ago, and now?”
“I’m not sure of anything anymore,” he says, looking me directly in the eyes. “Not since I met you.”
A blush spreads across my face, despite my contempt for this man who destroyed my life. I don’t want my skin to flush, but I can’t stop it either. And I can’t help but wonder if these emotions he perceives as weakness are the only reason I’m alive.
“Emotions are not weakness,” I say. He licks his lips, and I don’t know why I focus on it the way I do. “I’m alive because of emotions. Emotions you felt.”
His lip twitches, and his jaw tightens. “Trouble. That’s what they cause.” He tosses his knife up and down a few times. “I don’t need more. I have enough.”
“Well, you made the choice, not me,” I spit, mildly offended he regrets his decision not to kill me.
“I’m glad I did,” he says, and it instantly draws my attention back to his penetrative eyes. “Even though I suffered for it.”
Suffered?
I gasp.
Does he mean the extra wounds?
“I …” I don’t even know what to say, so I close my mouth again and opt for nothing at all.
Because I couldn’t possibly think of thanking this brute for saving me after trying to kill me and getting me in this miserable cell.
“I don’t need pity. I don’t need anything,” he growls. “No friends. Nothing. Just this knife and my gun.” He closes his eyes and sucks in a breath. Right then, something roars, but it’s not a voice. It’s definitely a stomach.
His.
“And food,” he groans.
Is that why he’s so upset and pacing?
Because he’s hungry?
“You’re hungry,” I mutter.
His eyes narrow, but he refuses to answer.
“Why don’t you demand some food?”
He tilts his head at me like I’m saying something absolutely ridiculous.
“You’re a giant,” I add. “You must have some leverage, right?”
His lip tips up into an inkling of a smirk, and for some reason, it makes my heart beat faster. “This cell is my home. What makes you think I have power?”
I swallow.
Maybe he’s right. We’re both in here for a reason.
Though I can’t fathom what this man must’ve done to end up in this situation.
Let alone the fact that somehow, someway, someone managed to tame a beast of his size. Just to be able to use him as a personal attack hound. And judging from the way he’s adjusted to the darkness, the way he’s been looking at me all calm and collected, sleeping on mere straws, and not having a care in the world about any of this … he’s grown quite used to it.
And that begs the question … A question I haven’t dared to ask. But I must know.
“How long have you been in here?”
It takes him a while to answer, but when he does, my stomach wants to flip over. “Years.”
CHAPTER 8
Aurora
I sit and stare, tipping back and forth on my butt while clutching my legs. I try not to go insane. I truly do. But I’ve never wanted to sleep as badly as I do now.
My eyes open and close slower and slower, and I yawn.
Good God, I’ve never felt this tired before.
Every time I blink, I find it harder to open them back up again, and sometimes they don’t. For a few seconds, it’s bliss, as I imagine myself dozing off in my soft bed, dreaming the night away.
Then my eyes burst open, and I see the glimmer of the beastly eyes right in front of me, always lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.
And I realize … I can’t ever, ever fall asleep.
Not in here.
Not with him.
So I stay put and bounce back and forth, trying to keep myself awake while growing ever more insane.
I thought about asking him more about his life just to stay awake, but after he said that word “years,” my lips felt sewn shut.
Suddenly, a loud creak at the top of the stairs captures my attention.
And his.
The man in front of me is lightning fast as he bolts to the bars to my left and clutches them with both hands, staring at the stairs. It’s like he’s completely forgotten I exist. At least, for now.
THWACK!
A door is slammed open, and light bursts down into this damp cell. I blink a couple of times to adjust to the light.
Someone waltzes down the stairs. The mere sound makes me shiver. I wonder what they’ve come to do. If they’re coming for him … or for me.
It’s been a full day since I last saw someone besides this beast, but I am not too happy about seeing the same guard who put me here. The wretched smile on his face makes me want to lash out.