Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Math.
I’m hit full force with a load of equations I grasp for a moment, and then they’re gone. Cian’s head is filled with math and science and theories on everything. He’s so smart. His mind works a thousand miles a minute. I can’t process it all. My brain hurts. Poems and stories and articles on anthropology and engineering written in several different languages fly in and out of my head.
A pounding pressure begins low in my skull.
And the women…so many women.
He loves sex. He craves it. He needs it to feel whole and complete. He gets lost in his mind sometimes, but his body always insists on having its fair share of time. There are blondes, brunettes, and girls with hair the color of the sunset. He’s affectionate toward them all. He likes them one or two at a time, and he loves it when he shares a female with his other half. Cian likes to hold a lover in his arms while Beck fucks her. It’s been so long since they shared a truly intimate experience. Beck has become so rigid in his sexuality. He hasn’t stopped sharing women with his brother. He’s done something worse. Beck stopped sharing himself with anyone. Beck has closed off entire sections of their being, and Cian feels the loss.
My pulse pounds as I’m flooded with memories of Cian’s lovers. I have a brief vision of a beautiful blonde with her hand possessively on Beck’s arm. They walk into a brilliantly lit ballroom and everyone cheers. Cian is left out. It’s the night of his formal engagement, but he doesn’t want to be there. He can’t stand the woman. Cian is sure she feels the same way about him. He’s in the way, and he knows it. Beck is resplendent in his formal court attire, but his face is pinched with duty. Beck doesn’t love her, either. How are they going to get out of this? I’m swamped with Cian’s panic as he realizes he’s trapped.
I hear myself moan as the siege continues. My hands tighten on Cian’s arms as I hold on for dear life. Tears squeeze out of my eyes as I become sure my skull is going to split. I hope it does. It will relieve the overwhelming pressure.
No, I feel Cian protest deep in my soul as the scene in my brain changes. He doesn’t want to remember, but it’s coming, anyway. This memory is far too strong to be denied.
Smoke is everywhere. I can barely breathe. I lift my head and put a hand to my ears. The world is filled with cracks and booms that shake the ground beneath me. I’m in the middle of a battle. There is fire, heat, and the sound of metal on metal. I look down in horror. A teenage girl lies on my lap. She looks up with soft brown eyes. They’re filled with tears.
“Mama?” the girl asks. She isn’t confused. She’s asking a question.
She doesn’t remember what happened? Doesn’t remember that she fought to save the last piece of their mother? That might be a good thing.
“She’s gone, Bron.” I hear Cian’s voice speaking, see through his eyes, am assailed with his memories. His voice is filled with sorrow. His mother is dead. He saw her die at the end of a soldier’s blade. He hadn’t been able to get to her. “Father’s gone, too.”
Bronwyn holds her stomach. She’s bleeding profusely. It’s only a matter of time. We’re trapped. There’s fire at our back and an army behind the only doorway out. I hold my sister close to my heart, Cian and my souls mingling in this memory. Beck is still fighting, but he’s shielding it from his brother. Cian would have known if his twin was dead. He wonders if Beck will die when he does. Will Beck feel it when the soldiers outside burst in and shove cold iron through his gut?
My hands shake, but Cian doesn’t let his sister see how scared he is. We are. We need to be strong for Bron. There’s a knife at my side. I’m not a warrior, but I will use it to defend her. I…Cian had killed a man with it already. The soldier who stabbed Bronwyn hadn’t been content with taking her life. He tried to rape her as well. Now his corpse is cooling not ten feet away. Cian tries not to think of him. He focuses his being on the sister he’s losing.
“Love you, brother.” Her smile reminds him of the five-year-old girl who followed him around like a puppy.
“I love you, too.” He chokes the words out. I feel wetness on my face and realize Cian is crying.
Bronwyn’s eyes go dull just as the door explodes inward. I look up, clutching my sister. I’m ready to join her.