Total pages in book: 193
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
“I see your point.” I’m content to watch her eat for a while until the kettle begins to whistle and I hop up to make her tea.
Khalil comes up the stairs, and he pulls her chair out from under the table and lifts her up before taking her place and sitting her in his lap. “Looks good,” he says.
She places the sandwich to his lips, offering him some, and he takes a healthy bite of it with his gaze locked on her.
“That’s for her,” I snap. “She needs to eat.”
Khalil sits back with a grin. “Then make me one.”
I cross my arms and kick his leg under the table hard enough to make him scowl. “Make it yourself.”
When Aurelia wordlessly offers Khalil another bite and he takes it, I roll my eyes and shove away from the table to make the fucker a sandwich so he can leave hers alone.
Aurelia sips her tea while Khalil devours his sandwich in a few bites.
I get up from the table and go into my room before returning with the radio. I hand it to Aurelia, and she looks up at me questioningly. “You need to radio the sheriff and tell him you’re okay. He radioed, looking for you the morning after you disappeared. He’s been on our case ever since.”
“Shit.” Aurelia grabs the radio but then pauses. “You know, don’t you?”
“Yup,” Khalil answers.
“And you’re not mad?”
“You saved our asses when you had every reason to let us burn. Resenting you for having a safe way out would only make us deeply unworthy of you,” I say. “So no. We’re not mad.”
Aurelia exhales like she’s shedding a heavy burden and then calls the sheriff. After a brief but tense conversation, she ends the call and leans back against Khalil before closing her eyes.
“Time for bed,” I say as I stand.
Her eyes pop open, and she sits up. “What about Bane?”
“There’s nothing we can do now, and he’s not going anywhere. You need the rest.”
The three of us head down to the basement, but Aurelia takes us all by surprise when she hooks a left at the bottom of the stairs and goes into Khalil’s room instead of hers.
“What’s up, Goldilocks?” Khalil asks with a frown as we follow her inside.
“I’m sleeping in here.”
“The fuck you are,” he snaps.
“Someone has to watch over him, and he won’t hurt me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Actually, I do. He saved my life. Twice.”
“That doesn’t mean he isn’t a danger to you.”
“Then stay and keep an eye on us. I don’t care what you do, but I’m not leaving. It could be Zeke who wakes up. How do you think he’ll feel if he wakes up in these cuffs? The least we can do is make sure he doesn’t wake up alone. It’s worth the risk.”
When we don’t respond, Aurelia climbs onto the bed and curls herself against Zeke’s side. Blindly, she pats the bed behind her, and when Khalil and I lock gazes, since there’s only room for one of us, I tip my chin toward the bed. He’s been out there searching for them nonstop. He needs the rest as much as they do. Meanwhile, I feel like I’ve had enough to last a lifetime, so I head to the chair in the corner and take a seat to keep watch while they sleep.
It isn’t long before Aurelia and Khalil are sleeping right along with Zeke.
The sun is creeping into the sky when I’m jarred awake by the rattle of a chain.
Memories from last night come flooding back, and I sit up in the chair with a jolt to see a body sitting up in the bed. The room is still dark, so the furniture is cast in shadows, but it’s clear who it is.
“Zeke?” The head turns slowly, eerily toward the sound of my voice, and I sigh. “Bane.”
I stand, and he yanks against the chain. The wooden headboard groans, and the sound jars Khalil awake, his rough movements waking Aurelia next.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?” She rubs at her eyes and then notices Bane. “Oh God. It’s you.” She then turns to me with wide eyes. “What do we do?”
“I vote we knock him out again.” Khalil cracks his neck and stands like he’s getting ready to do just that.
“No! Don’t. Just…wait,” Aurelia pleads. She turns to Bane when she sees us do as she asks, and my body coils tight when she lays her hand on his arms. “Bane?” His gaze won’t leave me though, so he continues to struggle against his bonds. “Bane, please. It’s me. It’s Aurelia.”
Hearing her name seems to do the trick, and his gaze slides slowly, cautiously away from me and down to her at his side. “Mine.”
“Yes…yours,” she agrees placatingly.
I feel my nostrils flare and my muscles flex while Khalil sneers.