Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“I know.” While the information about the Society was at best, limited, I was able to gather this much.
“Well, Tuck spoke a lot. He told me things that he probably shouldn’t have. Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s why your father killed him.”
“Sorry, what?”
“When he drank, Tuck would spill the information he shouldn’t have been sharing about the Society and its members. When the members feel threatened, they have ways of getting rid of the issues. One of them overheard him talking about what he told me. And, well, so did Keenan. The Hunt was the following day. After that, they planned to interrogate Tuck more.” She shifts uneasily, her gaze darting around the area as if she were searching for the words that will come next.
“I loved that man, but I don’t think for a second he would have protected me. That night, Keenan came home and told me Tuck was gone and that he had to do it.” She wipes a tear from her eye before locking eyes with me once more, her expression a mixture of sadness and resignation.
“They go into the forest. The Society owns the land and a lot of it. It’s used for their hunting. Twice a year, they hunt together as a group. But I’m sure they have individual hunts, as well, that I am not privy to.”
“That doesn’t sound like a big deal,” I say, but she gives me a look that says I’m being naïve.
“It’s not animals they hunt, Lilith.”
“I don’t…” My brows scrunch as I try to figure out her meaning. “Oh…” I take a deep breath when I finally understand. “They kill people.”
She nods. “It’s barbaric. The Lord chooses who they hunt. And no other members get a say.”
“So, Dad picked Tuck.”
“He picked Tuck. And because he was Lord, they couldn’t question it.” I nod in understanding. “Which I think was also his downfall. They knew he did it to save his own ass, which made many of them angry.”
“I’m sorry, Linda.”
She offers me a small smile while wiping her tears away. “No, dear, I’m sorry you’re now a part of that world. If I were sober back then, I would have taken you far away…” she murmurs, her gaze distant, as if she were lost in regret. “Away from all this.”
I can’t argue with her. I’m starting to wonder if things would be different had she taken me away from this world. I wonder if instead of sneaking out to find love in another’s bed, would I be living a different life?
I don’t know.
I really don’t know.
TWENTY-ONE
REON
“You should leave,” I tell Maya, finally having had enough of her in my space. The tension and awkwardness of living with someone you don’t want is hard enough, but knowing the one woman I yearn for is not beside me, in my home, in my bed, is becoming unbearable.
She’s been avoiding me since I came home the other day after seeing my beautiful caterpillar. Seeing her only solidified that this has to end—no more fucking excuses, no more threats. I’m done.
“Sorry, what?” Her eyes appear glazed, and she shakes her head, a look of confusion washing over her features as if she’s adrift in uncertainty.
“Maya, it’s not working. You should leave.”
“I…” Her hand goes to her head, and she stands on shaky legs. I watch her, a hint of concern finally hitting me. She’s been lying on the couch for the last few days, hardly moving. “I don’t feel well.”
“Maya.” I reach for her and manage to catch her just before she falls. “Maya, wake up.” She doesn’t respond, so I lift her and lay her back down on the couch before I call an ambulance. I check that she’s still breathing and wait. I don’t know what to do. I’m not a trained medical professional, so I have no idea what’s wrong with her.
Her phone starts ringing, and her eyes begin to flutter. I grab it and answer.
“Maya, finally, you answer,” Soren’s voice rings through the cell phone.
“What’s wrong with Maya?” I ask him.
“Reon, why are you answering her phone?”
“Your sister fainted. She’s finally waking up now. I caught her before she hit her head.”
“Did you call an ambulance?” he asks.
“Of course I did,” I tell him. “Care to tell me why Maya’s fainting?”
“Maybe it’s something you did, Reon. Have you thought about that?” I pull the cell away, shocked by his words.
I lower my voice to an eerily controlled tone. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“It’s my heart,” Maya says, her gaze fully on me now.
“What do you mean… it’s your heart?” I ignore Soren on the phone and focus on her.
“She has cardiac syncope,” Soren informs me.
“I faint,” Maya says. “Because of my heart.”
“Why the fuck would you not tell me?” I question them. Soren says something, and I hang up on him as I hear the ambulance. When I let the paramedics inside, they check her over while I stand near the door, watching.