Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
What the fuck was that?
Her icy blond hair hung down her back and she watched him with cold, dead blue eyes as she smiled at him through the bars. Her mouth was like a large red gash across her sharp, angular face. She had all the pieces that would normally make her an attractive person, but something of her soul must have shown through, because she only made Shey think of a reanimated corpse.
She stood watching him, her hands propped on her bony hips as she grinned. “Yes, he’s definitely looking more awake, but is he ready to talk?”
“Who are you? W-where am I? W-what am I doing here?” he stammered, fighting to keep his voice even and hard. But it was no use. Fear was practically choking him. His heart was racing so fast, it was about to burst out of his chest.
This made no sense. He’d been in far more dangerous situations and had remained in complete control of his emotions. Rayne had been stabbed in front of him, and he hadn’t fallen apart. Why did he feel like he was a hair’s breadth from sobbing in despair?
Yet before his brain could follow the thread of that important thought, the woman spoke.
“How about you tell me your name?”
“Sh-Sh-Shawn,” he finally got out through clenched teeth. The terror living inside him demanded that he tell the truth. A voice in his brain screamed that he would die if he lied to her. But there was an even louder voice ordering him to hold in that scrap of information.
His visitor motioned for one of the guards to unlock his cell using a key card that was swiped across a flat panel. He glanced at them, briefly taking in their black protective armor, heavy automatic weapons, and face shields. There wasn’t a single insignia or marking anywhere to identify who they were or who employed them.
As soon as she stepped into the cell, Shey caved to his instincts and climbed onto the shelf, pressing himself into the corner as much as possible. He drew his knees up to his chest and turned the left side of his face toward the wall in a last-ditch effort to hide his scar. It was the one thing most people remembered about him. During his first few weeks in Damardor, he’d used makeup to hide it, but he’d long since lost those supplies.
The woman stopped near the bed and leaned in, her eyes narrowed on him as if she were peering into his head and could see exactly how terrified he was.
“Shawn, huh?” she repeated, each syllable dripping with sarcasm. “What were you doing in Bellcairn?”
“L-l-looking for w-work.” Shey struggled to spit out those four words. His head was a muddled mess. Terror created a dense fog in his mind. Inside, he was so cold, frost seemed to form on his lungs. He wanted to scream at her to go away and leave him alone. Even being trapped in a cell was better than facing her.
“Really? Work? What kind of work?”
“A-any.” Gods, make her go away.
Her gash of a smile grew, and her eyes appeared as if they were laughing at him. She reached out one hand tipped with bright-red fingernails that matched her lipstick. Shey flinched before she could touch his cheek. She stopped and smirked as she dragged one long nail along his cheekbone, causing goose bumps to break out down his arms.
“That’s okay. You’ll tell me the truth soon enough. Just remember that all this ends when you answer my questions honestly. But it’s okay if you want to lie to me. I can be patient. I have all the time in the world to make you talk to me.”
Every word she spoke was an icy spike straight into his heart, freezing him. Shey bit so hard on his tongue to keep from talking that blood filled his mouth. He ignored her ominous taunts and mentally repeated to himself that he couldn’t talk. The only thing protecting his home and his people was his silence.
His unwelcome visitor straightened and strolled out of his cell, humming a jaunty tune to herself. Before the guard closed the door, another dropped off a plastic tray of food that didn’t appear appetizing in the slightest.
Shey held it together until the heavy metal door at the far end of the room clanged shut, and silence blanketed the large room. A great sob tore violently from his throat, and he felt as if his soul had ripped in half. Terror and hopelessness swamped him, making it nearly impossible to draw a breath.
“Hey! Hey!”
Shey gasped and slapped a hand across his mouth to hold in the next cry. He wasn’t even sure he’d heard someone. He was almost delirious with panic and could have imagined the voice.
“It’s okay. It’s not real,” the voice continued.