Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
As it neared them, she realized it was no jungle cat. No, it was a hellcat. One she knew. Betrayal curdled her stomach, and Harper snarled at Drew’s demon as a red haze fell over her vision. “You son of a bitch.”
It curled back its upper lip—the act almost seemed like a taunt.
Before she even thought about it, she was stalking toward the bastard, fingers tingling with the protective power that had rushed from her belly to her fingertips. While her blood roared in her ears, it was a wonder that she heard leaves rustling behind her … but she did.
Twisting, she saw a big black fucking shuck standing in front of Asher. Dread and realization crashed into her, making the blood drain from her face. Oh, God, Drew had baited her. Lured her away from Asher. And she’d fallen for it. Mouth dry, pulse racing, she could only stare as the shuck snarled and snapped its teeth at her little boy.
Her demon hissed, wanting to lunge at the shuck but anxious that it would react by attacking Asher … which the shuck was no doubt counting on.
“You tracked them,” said a male voice. “Well done.”
Her head whipped to the side as two men slowly came into view, halting a good ten feet away from Asher. Every muscle in her body tensed. One of the males was short, gray-haired, and completely unfamiliar. As for the other one … that was another matter. A matter that made her blood boil and her mouth drop open in utter shock.
It couldn’t be him. Really. It just couldn’t be him. Because if it was, it would mean he’d fooled them all. Played them all. Because even though she’d learned from Knox that the guy had in fact smoked on occasion, and even though she recalled once hearing how much the asshole enjoyed attending Vegas shows—which would have made him a likely purchaser of Cirque du Soleil tickets—she just wouldn’t have imagined that he’d truly kill his own sister, especially in such a gruesome way.
Suddenly, it was too quiet. No bird calls, no crickets chirping, no droning of mosquitos. Only the distant roar of the waterfall.
Jonas flashed her a grin. “Evening, Harper. You’re looking a little worse for wear.” He gave Asher that same smile, but her son was too busy staring at the shuck. Not in fear, though. No, Asher looked utterly fascinated by it.
The sight of him sitting there, vulnerable and alone, made her want to cry. Shame curdled in her stomach. She was such a fucking idiot. How could she let herself be baited that way? How could she be that fucking stupid?
She had to get to Asher. Had to. Although she couldn’t cover six feet in one lunge, she could certainly get to Asher a lot fucking quicker than Jonas could. Sadly, the shuck would get there first. Plus, the hellcat—who was now standing a few feet behind Asher—would probably rush to block her path anyway.
Godfuckingdammit. Knox, Drew’s here. But he’s not the Horseman. It’s fucking Jonas.
And she needed to get the bastard away from her son. Needed to think. Plan. Act.
She needed the flames of fucking hell, that was what she needed.
Jonas? Knox echoed, his voice a guttural growl.
Yes. Which still boggled her mind. But I can’t fry the fucker. Asher doesn’t have his shield up, even though he has a black shuck in front of him and a hellcat behind him. Also, Jonas has some guy with him. If I call on the flames to burn one of them …
The others could attack Asher before you get the chance to direct the flames their way. Knox bit out a harsh expletive. Keep them distracted as best you can, baby. I’ll be there soon.
“Asher, put your shield up, sweetie.” Harper knew he wouldn’t understand the words, but she hoped he might respond to the urgency in her voice. He didn’t. Instead, he beamed at the shuck and waved, apparently unfazed by its snarls. Yes, he waved.
She just hoped to God that his inner demon would encourage Asher to protect himself. It had done a decent job of that so far. She spoke to his demon as she said, I’m trusting you to protect him. She didn’t receive a response.
God, she wanted to cry. Scream. Rave. Beat her fists into something or someone. Preferably Jonas, the motherfucker. She had the power to kill him and it was oh, so close. All she had to do was tap into her link with her wings and use it as a bridge to the power that waited on the other end of it. It would be so very easy, but she couldn’t call on the power right then.
As the shuck released a loud growl at Asher, she tensed, coiled to spring even as she knew it could be a very bad idea. She couldn’t just fucking stand there while it hurt her son!