Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
I flinch.
He sees it and his dark grin deepens. “You’re going against your family with that one. Going against all of us Warhounds.”
“Are you following me?” I snap.
Banks raises both hands in mock innocence. “I’m just looking out for my friends’ little sister. Is that such a bad thing?”
“Stay away from me,” I warn.
“You sure you wanna be around guys like that?” he says, ignoring me. “Bear shifters aren’t gentlemen like us. They’re straight up killers.”
I feel the heat rush into my face.
“Think about what your brothers would say,” Banks adds. “They’d still be alive if it weren’t for your furry boyfriend.”
He looks me up and down with those sunken eyes, and I feel his creepy gaze everywhere—like a snake sliding over my skin.
“Keep the fucking watch,” I say as I turn around and storm back down the steps.
“Watch isn’t here anyway,” he calls after me. “Mace probably got buried in it.”
Good. Let it rot with him.
I don’t stop until I’m back in my car, slamming the door shut and locking it with a shaking hand. My pulse is hammering, my fingers trembling as I grip the steering wheel and try to breathe.
Screw the watch.
Screw this place.
Screw all of them.
I have the tattoo. That’s enough.
That tattoo was done with care. With meaning. With connection.
A silver watch that’s probably been coated in innocent blood on several occasions isn’t going to mean shit.
The tattoo is all I need. At least that meant something.
I think about Magnus’ strong hands on my skin. His soft encouraging voice. His fierce protective eyes.
His kiss.
God… that kiss.
I can’t stop thinking about it. How right it felt. How it felt like… home.
I already miss him so much.
My body is aching to see him.
You don’t need him. He killed your brother for fuck’s sake. He can say it’s fate all he wants, but I’m saying it’s done.
I throw the car into drive and get the hell out of this nasty place.
I grab my stuff from my aunt’s house and write a nice thank you note to her. I wish I could say goodbye in person, but she’s at work for the next few hours, and I can’t wait any longer.
I’ll call her from the road once she’s done her shift at the hospital.
I’m done with this town. For good.
I march out the front door with my bags and recoil in shock when I see Victoria leaning against my car, her tattooed arms crossed over her chest.
“I was hoping I’d find you here,” she says.
I hesitate for a moment and then march over to my trunk, shoving the bags inside.
“Yeah, well I’m leaving.”
“My brother is going to be devastated to hear that,” she says with a frown.
“I don’t care.”
I slam the trunk closed and head to the driver’s door without looking at her.
“I was there that night too,” she says. “The night your brothers died.”
“The night they were killed,” I correct.
“Yeah,” she says with a sigh. “The night they were killed.”
“I don’t want to talk about this,” I say.
“Tough,” she says simply. “You need to hear it.”
I turn slowly, arms crossed, trying to look tougher than I feel. “What are you going to say, Victoria? You’re here to convince me it was justified? That my brothers deserved to die?”
Victoria lifts her chin, her green eyes locked on mine. “No. I’m here to make sure you understand exactly what happened. Because I get it—you only knew one side of them. But I saw what they were capable of. I lived it. We all did.”
She steps forward, her voice steady and calm. “They were going to kill me, Erica. Me and Adrian. They came to the shop looking for blood. They didn’t care who got in their way. Your brother—Mace—he was going to rip my throat out. I saw it in his eyes. And Knox... he laughed while it was happening. Like it was a game.”
I stare at her, heart racing. “You’re exaggerating.”
“No, I’m not,” she says, her voice suddenly shaking. “You think we wanted any of this to happen? You think my brother Magnus wanted to kill anyone? He’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever known. He blames himself every single day, even though he had no choice. He saved my life. He saved Adrian’s life.”
I look away. I can’t look at her anymore. There’s too much shame. I know my brothers weren’t great guys, but to hear they wanted to kill this girl I thought was so cool yesterday… Ugh, it’s hard to hear.
She lets out a shaky breath. “That’s not even the worst of it, Erica. They forced innocent shifters to fight each other to the death. They were sadistic.”
I whip my head around, glaring at her. I’m hoping to see a tell. To see that she’s lying. That she’s making this all up, but I only see truth. And pain. I don’t think she’s lying.