Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
I gasp, but nothing comes out.
My knees tremble. My legs threatening to give way.
He pulls the knife out, and I scream, a raw, broken sound, before he stabs me again. The pain is everywhere, drowning me, and I feel the life slipping away, the world fading.
Another stab, vicious and final, and I know he’s going to kill me.
He is going to fucking kill me.
“Nia.”
The roaring sound of Talon’s voice has my head turning, as if in slow motion. I can’t see him, but I’m so certain I can hear him. Is this the end? Is this what happens when you’re about to die?
“Nia.”
Frantic this time, his voice so broken it pains me to hear it.
My eyes are blurry, and all I can see is the mass amount of people wearing white.
Where are you, Talon?
“God dammit,” he roars. “No.”
A pained moan leaves my mouth and I know I can’t let him have this.
He might kill me, but it won’t be without a fight.
When he pulls his hand back again, I raise my knee, just enough to hit him between the legs. His bellow is all too satisfying as we topple to the ground. I gather the last of my strength, a desperate surge, and fight back. I claw at him, my hands slick with blood, and the knife slips from his grip.
We both move to get it, and yet somehow it is me who closes my fist around it.
My father lands on me, hard as he rolls us, and then in a moment that feels so fast, and yet so impossibly slow, his body comes down over mine, my hand facing up, the knife plunging into his chest. His eyes go wide, the realization hitting him. My mouth opens in a gasp. I didn’t plan it, but it happened so perfectly, so effortlessly, I can only believe it is how this was meant to end.
His body jerks.
His eyes begin to lose focus.
Oh God.
“You’ll never be free,” he croaks, his voice broken and barely a whisper.
“I already am,” I say, twisting my hand just slightly.
I said it would be me who ends this. That’s what I’m going to do.
I watch the light leave his eyes and then he slumps down on top of me.
I can’t breathe. I can’t move.
He’s dead.
The world starts to spin, and I hear it, distant but growing closer—the roar of engines, the wail of sirens, the crack of gunfire.
They’re here.
Like they promised they would be.
Then Talon’s voice again, a fierce, desperate shout.
My father’s body is hauled off me, and then he’s there, staring down at me, his eyes glassy and red as he takes my face in his hands. “Baby, no.”
“I did it,” I croak.
“Stay with me, Nia. Dammit, stay with me. Don’t close your eyes. Please, baby, don’t fuckin’ close your eyes.”
I did it.
I saved Lily.
I saved us all.
My world goes black.
19
The room is bright, painfully so, and I blink against the harsh glare, my eyes struggling to focus. The only sound I can hear is the incessant beeping of machines. I can't move, can't think, the fog in my mind thick and suffocating. I try to lift my hand, but it's heavy, weighed down with wires and tubes, the IV pulling at my skin.
Where am I?
My heart lurches, and panic claws at me. I try to sit up, the effort sending a sharp jolt of pain through my body. The sound of footsteps, quick and purposeful, and then a voice—soft, calming—a nurse appearing at my side.
"You're awake," she says, relief in her voice. "It’s okay, Nia. You’re in the hospital. Don't try to move. I'll get the doctor."
I'm in the hospital.
The realization hits, and I gasp, the memories rushing back in a flood of images and sound. The compound, the cross, the knife—oh God, my father. I force myself to breathe, each inhale a struggle against the tightness in my chest. The memory of his life fading away is crushing, but not because I wish for it to be different. Instead, it’s almost a sick kind of relief I never knew I needed.
The nurse leaves, and I feel the world tilting, the edge of panic sharper now, more real. I hear the murmur of voices outside, and then the door swings open, a flurry of activity as more people come in. The doctor is there, his expression focused and concerned, his voice steady as he speaks to me.
"Nia, can you hear me?" he asks, leaning over, checking the monitors. "You're in the ICU. You've lost a lot of blood, but you're stable. Can you tell me what you remember?"
I swallow, my throat dry and raw. "I...I was stabbed," I whisper, the words barely audible. "My father—he—"
The doctor nods, his eyes meeting mine, reassuring and calm. "You're very lucky. The police found you just in time. We were able to repair the damage, but you'll need a lot of rest. You’re safe here.”