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)
“Does Hannah know?” I ask.
“No, of course, she doesn’t. You’re my brother. I keep your secrets. It’s what we do.”
With Lilith’s arm now fixed and bandaged, Abigail moves on to her leg. As she glues the wound, she shakes her head while I sit at the end of the bed. Reaching out, I place my hand on Lilith’s leg and leave it there.
“I know you have dark tendencies. I know of a lot of things going on in that mind of yours. But I thought the Society would help you. Was I wrong?” Abigail says.
“They did help for a while,” I answer, shrugging. “You mustn’t speak of this to anyone, Abigail. Swear it!”
“I won’t. I know some of those men you talk to. All of them are extremely powerful.” I nod. “But so are you, Reon. You took our father’s legacy and made it into something incredible. You are amazing, even with the dark tendencies you have.”
“I don’t think she’ll think that any longer,” I say, nodding to Lilith.
When Abigail is done, she stands, and I cover Lilith with a comforter and turn up the heat in the house.
“She was put in harm’s way. By the looks of it, she went through the wringer. Did you save her?” she asks.
“I did. I’ll always save her.”
“Well, let’s hope she sees the man you actually are, not the devil you show the world.”
The doorbell rings, and Abigail returns to the bathroom to get dressed. I let the doctor in.
The doctor doesn’t ask questions as he sets up an IV. He looks at the wounds that Abigail worked on, and Lilith clenches her teeth through the pain while keeping her eyes closed. I don’t know how conscious she is, but the doctor asks me to turn up the heat in the house to get her core temperature up. I can do it easily from my phone while I am next to her.
It always surprises me how strong she is.
How resilient she is.
I stay next to Lilith the whole time until the doctor is finished.
Abigail lets him out and then comes back into the bedroom. “What are you planning to do?” she asks.
“What do you mean?” My eyes don’t move from Lilith as she makes a noise of pain in her sleep. The doctor said she will need a lot of sleep and time to recuperate.
“With her. What do you plan to do?”
“I forgot to tell you,” I say as Lilith makes a noise. “She’s my wife.”
Abigail’s eyes widen, and she shakes her head like she’s trying to determine whether the words I spewed are true.
They are.
Very true.
Now, I just have to ensure my wife won’t try to kill me when she wakes.
THIRTY
LILITH
My head hurts a lot. And I feel like I’m still tired.
Jolting, I reach for whatever is close to me and come into contact with a hard body.
“Caterpillar,” he whispers through the darkness as his hand slides along my stomach. Blinking a few times, I realize I’m not in my bed.
A tiny sliver of light shines from a doorway as soft snores escape Reon who talks in his sleep next to me. The warmth and comfort I feel in his presence shouldn’t be happening after what I just went through. Managing to slip from his hold, I sit at the side of the bed and hold my breath. My arm and my leg hurt. Releasing the air in my lungs, I manage not to cry out from the pain radiating throughout my body. Though I’m incredibly sore, I feel like I got a good night’s sleep, but exhaustion still plagues me.
Standing, I ease my way to what I presume to be the door to the hallway and push it open. I quickly shut it once I’m on the other side so I don’t wake him. I lean back against the wood and try to remember where I am.
“Do you want some clothes?” I jump at the sound of a female voice—it’s familiar yet foreign at the same time. “I have some in the living room for you. I threw that dress in the trash.”
“That was an expensive dress,” I say, and turn around, finding a woman dressed in blue silk pajamas.
“I’m sure my brother will be more than happy to buy you another,” she states as she turns and waves for me to follow.
I look down at myself and notice I’m wearing one of his shirts. It’s long and covers the areas that are needed. Dammit! I need new underwear. Shrugging, I don’t even care what I look like. From what I can remember, this woman helped wash me last night in the shower.
“Do you know where my knife is?” I ask as I reach the kitchen. She points to the couch where some clothes are piled.
“Feel free to take anything you want. I’m Abigail, by the way,” she offers.