Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
My chest rose and fell quickly as the thick ribbons of mist snaked up my legs. A choking wave of horror surged, icy and relentless, clawing up my spine as the tendrils twisted and tightened, wrapping around my hips.
“I’m here.”
My heart stopped, and every part of me recoiled at the sound of a voice that rumbled like distant thunder and echoed in my chest. The coils of mist climbed farther up my arms, stretching to wrap around my neck. They twisted, stinging my skin, tightening until only the thinnest breath could escape my lungs as the mist forced my head forward.
The streaked darkness was changing, the filaments turning from silver to crimson as the center of the mass thickened, taking on the shape of a…man.
My eyes widened as he appeared like a wraith, becoming solid as he drew closer, growing tall, shoulders broadening. The dancing specters glided to the sides, their wispy forms twining with one another like lovers.
The crimson-pierced shadows swirling around the cage moved inside the golden-bronze flesh of his chest. I tracked them up his neck and over the proud, hard curve of his jaw, then up the arched bones of his cheeks to curl at the corners of his full lips.
Everything about how he looked was familiar to me, like I’d seen similar features on another, but this man’s hair was golden. And he was…
He was beautiful in an impossible way, as if the Great Creators themselves had crafted him. Like he’d been flawlessly and painstakingly pieced together to lure, coax, and enchant. But there was something off about his ethereal beauty. It was…cold, lacking life. It was haunting, and I…
I didn’t want to look upon his beauty any longer. It wasn’t real. It was a façade. A mask. A remorseless trap. The tendrils around my neck squeezed, wringing a soft cry from me as I tried to turn my head away. The wisps around my hips pulsed and then pulled, dragging me to my knees.
The whispers ceased.
The dancing wraiths stilled.
And that perfect mouth curled in a tight-lipped smile as silver eyes with flecks of crimson locked onto mine. Shadows spun around him as he stopped just beyond the cage. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
I couldn’t take in enough air to speak as he reached out and curled his fingers around the bars.
“I’ve been waiting so very long for you,” he said, his voice achingly cold, chilling the mist wrapped around me until it brought tears of discomfort to the corners of my eyes. “For this.”
The mist around my hips squirmed its way up my waist and over my breasts.
“You’re so…” Thick lashes lowered as he leaned forward. Golden hair fell against his cheeks as he pressed his forehead to the bars. “You’re so scared, my sweet,” he said, the words ending in a hiss.
I shuddered, my fingers spasming around empty air.
His eyes snapped open, and the flecks of crimson brightened as they swirled through his irises. “I can help you, so’lis.”
I flinched, my stomach turning at the endearment, even though he spoke it softly, gently. So lovingly. I knew that word. I had been comforted by it at one time.
“I know you. I’ve always known you, my pretty flower.” He smiled again, holding my stare. “All you have to do is let me in.”
The mist constricted, forcing what little air I had left in me out.
My heart thumped wildly as control of my body returned. I pulled at my arms, unable to move them even an inch. I thrashed, trying to shake the mist from me, but it wouldn’t budge. I couldn’t breathe as pain shot through me. My skin burned, feeling as if it had blistered and cracked. I couldn’t even scream. I became frantic, desperate to free myself. The seconds ticked by, stacking and building as the agony reached the very core of my being.
He lifted his head from the bars and pushed away, beginning to pace the length of the cage.
A fire started in my lungs and spread as the corners of my vision darkened and blurred. I couldn’t feel the eather in me. It had been snuffed out, extinguished. I couldn’t breathe. Panic sank its claws in, turning my blood to slush.
“How much longer can you hold out?” he said, his voice a whisper against my trembling skin as he once more stopped in front of me. “Let me in.”
My eyes fluttered as the pointless writhing and flailing slowed. Gods, I was…I was dying. I could feel it. Could sense my life slipping away from me.
“You don’t remember, do you?” His perfect features twisted with agony. “I can help you remember.”
A sharp pain suddenly pierced my head. Images filled it, flashes of the night the Craven had swarmed the inn. I could smell the smoke and the blood in the air, could feel her grip slipping away from my hand, could taste the terror as she was swallowed. Could hear my screams as teeth tore into my skin.