Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 131708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
He could slip in a few lies to divert her line of questioning … but then later, when he finally divulged the entire truth, she’d be pissed at him for bullshitting her.
“Viper, who is Everleigh?”
He crumpled up the note. “She’s connected to the things I haven’t yet told you,” he fudged.
Ella narrowed her eyes. “You’re not gonna ask me to let you explain in your own sweet time, are you? Because that’s not happening. I need to know what this means. I need to know how whoever wrote this note could know anything about the stuff you’ve yet to share with me.”
They could only know if they knew who she was to Viper. Which meant a celestial was behind the notes. A celestial who’d figured out that Viper had tracked down his woman.
A long, rough sigh eased out of him. “I told you once that my tale has a lot of moving parts. This is one of them. There’s no way for me to explain this without also telling you the rest and … and you’re right, I can’t expect you to wait for an explanation.” In her shoes, he wouldn’t have agreed to wait either. “But before we get to that, I need to show you something.”
She blinked. “Okay.”
He took her hand and teleported them to his bedroom at the clubhouse. “The third drawer of my dresser.” He jerked his chin toward it, letting a hint of a dare sound in his voice as he said, “Open it.”
Curiosity trampled all over her features, overlaying the lines of impatience. Once he released her hand, she crossed to the dresser and did as he asked.
“The denim vest on top of the pile,” he said. “Take it out.”
“Why?”
“It’s yours. I had it made for you.”
Her brow creasing, she pulled it out of the drawer.
“Turn it around.”
She did so … and her breath caught as she stared at the embroidered clothing patch on the back. A patch that read: Property of Viper.
He watched her throat bob with emotion. His woman knew enough about bikers to know what it meant; to know that this vest was his way of publicly and officially claiming her. “It’s been in that drawer for weeks.”
She cleared her throat with a deliberate cough. “Weeks?”
“I was waiting for the right moment to give it to you. That moment being the one where, on hearing all I’ve so far kept from you, you assured me you could deal. I don’t know if we’ve reached that point. I’d hoped we’d have more time.” He sighed. “I’ll spill everything. But first, you have to promise me something.”
Her eyelids lowered slightly. “What?”
“Promise you’ll stay with me until I’ve explained everything. Promise you’ll hear me all the way out.”
Her brow pinched, as if she had no idea why he’d ever assume she wouldn’t do him that courtesy. “I’ll hear you all the way out. You have my word.” She carefully—and, to his surprise, hesitantly—returned the vest to his drawer.
His entity noted the hesitance. Was pleased by it. But it didn’t grin smugly. Not when it knew that what Viper next told her could jack everything up.
Blowing out a breath, she walked to him. “There has to be another geas in place, right? It’s fine, I get it.” She offered him her hand. “I’d rather know that the information can’t be forced out of me.”
He gripped her hand. “Do you swear never to repeat what I tell you here and now?”
“I swear it.” Ella gasped as his power—cold and prickly and old—flooded her system and crackled through her veins. With that deed done, he let go of her hand.
“Now come on, out with it,” she prodded. “What’s so terrible you worry I can’t handle it?”
Viper lowered himself into the armchair. He stretched out his long legs, crossing them at the ankles, and splayed his hands on the armrests. He lazily let his head loll back to hit the headrest as he weakly indicated the bed, inviting her to sit.
So nonchalant. So casual.
A ruse. She wasn’t fooled. Nor was her demon. His discomfort was evident in his unnatural stillness, the minute tightening of his jaw, the too-lazy blinks, and how deliberately slow and even his breathing was.
“I’m about to bring you fully into my world now, Ella. It’s not a pretty place. You’re going to hear things you don’t like. Things that may upset you. Scare you. Confuse you. Piss you off.” He paused. “Remember your promise.”
Ella sat on the bed. “I’ll hear you all the way out.” Growing more uneasy with each second, she watched his chest expand as he drew in a breath. He stared back at her, seeming braced for … something.
“The rumor about me is true. I am an archangel. But I doubt that comes as much of a surprise to you.”
It didn’t.
“Archangels aren’t creations of God.”