Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
The Order used me, and they got exactly what they wanted. The demon is free, and of course it’s not going to go according to plan. My guess would be that Vaelric is headed to the Order headquarters, or wherever the higher-ups are hiding out. Demons don’t like to be controlled, and now that he’s here on Earth with all of his powers, it won’t be hard to take them out.
I don’t even know if it’s possible to do a tracking spell on Vivian while she is fully possessed like this. But I have the sigil in my hand, still covered with my blood. Has the magic worn off? Could this be enough to track him? And what the hell would I do on my own if I found him?
It took an entire coven to lock him away. He could probably snap his fingers and eviscerate me.
“This isn’t Wren’s fault,” Antonio says hoarsely. He looks from Marco to the crack in the pavement in front of us, eyes slowly widening as everything flashes before him again.
The entire situation is beyond fucked up, and I know between the two of us, we would not only make a therapist happy, but could have several textbooks written about the messed-up Russo siblings.
My breath leaves in a ragged huff, and I let the sigil fall from my hand, clattering to the ground. Xavier snatches it up, holding it safely inside his grasp, as if he’s afraid something could happen to it.
But what’s done is done, and there’s no going back.
“You made your bed,” I say, voice low and void of emotion. “Now lie in it.”
Clamping my jaw shut, I suck in a breath through my nose and turn. I’m walking in the opposite direction of where I need to go, but I can’t think straight right now. I just stomp off, knowing Xavier is only inches behind me.
“Wren,” he says softly, but doesn’t stop me. I go around a pile of burned rubble and close my eyes. I want to scream and summon energy and blow everything up. But I also want to sink down onto the ground and cry. Not just because the demon is free, but because there is no denying anything anymore. This has been planned since before I was born. My parents were murdered so their child could be used to unlock the very door their bloodline risked everything to close.
Slowing to a stop, I let my eyes fall closed as voices in the back of my mind start screaming all at once. Doing my best to quiet them, I shake my head and then feel Xavier’s hand land on my shoulder. Usually, his touch is welcome and instantly relaxes me.
This time, I jerk away, eyes narrowing as I look at him. The hurt on his face is almost palpable, but he keeps his shoulders back, refusing to regret what he did. He was well aware when he put the sigil in my blood hand it wouldn’t be good for us—for our relationship. And the logical part of me is yelling louder than anything else that my relationship status is the last thing I should worry about right now, but that abandonment and rejection wound is hurting.
But he didn’t abandon me. He didn’t reject me. It’s different this time, and I should be happy he loves me enough to risk everything to keep me. And yet, for some reason, I feel violated and disrespected. Maybe love really isn’t a desperation to keep someone. Maybe love is actually respect and consideration. Maybe it’s putting your own needs aside for the other person. Because it’s making me wonder, who does Xavier love more: me or himself?
It’s the same moral dilemma that came up when I brought Antonio back, and I knew I acted selfishly, no matter how much I tried to justify it. I didn’t want to live without my brother. I didn’t want to have to face the pain.
But is that true love?
“You’re on your own,” Antonio tells Marco, and I swallow back the lump in my throat, this time allowing Xavier to turn me around gently so we can leave. Marco stands there, stunned, watching us walk out of the charred remains of the warehouse.
The sunlight has faded to almost nothing, casting an eerie glow over the burned warehouse. The smell of smoke and fire hangs in the air, and I keep my eyes down as we walk, the three of us climbing into Xavier’s car. Antonio says something about the car we came in, and Xavier tells him not to worry about it . Their voices echo in my head, and I get into the front passenger seat, pulling the seatbelt into place on autopilot. The guilt of what I just did presses on my chest, and I fight against it by saying I don’t fucking care.