Series: Lords of Rathe Series by Meagan Brandy
Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Real or not real…
What’s crazy? I scoff a laugh.
God, everything is fucking crazy at the moment, but what feels the strangest is the fact that all this? Doesn’t feel so strange or crazy at all. It’s intriguing.
I look around, from the ceiling with roaring thunder and bright lightning, to the fountain in the center of the room, the water gently spurting upward, but then curling into a beautiful swan. Its head shifts, looking from right to left, its wings spanning wide and stealing my breath. I move closer, reaching out to touch the water droplets, but just before my fingers reach it, a harsh spray of water rises from the stone below, taking the shape of a snake. My heart beats a little faster as it shows its fangs. The swan sees it coming and flails, but it’s too slow, and the snake sinks its teeth into its neck.
I gasp, and then the water crashes back into the stone circle, slowly rising once more.
I blink and blink again, pressing my hand to my chest.
Get a fucking grip, London. It’s water, for fuck’s sake!
“Bad ass, right?”
I jerk around at the intruding voice, afraid of being caught wandering by the wrong person. But this is not the wrong person.
I glare.
Dark hair and blue eyes shine back at me. “Thought I told you to get comfortable.”
“I’m not very good at doing what I’m told.” I push closer until my chest is pressed to his abs, my head tipping all the way back to keep my eyes on his.
He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, his thumb coming up to run along mine. “Such a pretty human, you are…do you want me to kiss you, little toy?” he rasps. “Take you back to your room and fuck you ’til you can’t walk?”
I push up on my toes, stretching my neck, and he understands, giving me his ear. “I think it’s exactly what I need to relax.”
He groans, his hands finding my hips.
“It’s just…” I pause. “I’m not really interested in fucking someone whose name I don’t know, especially when I’ve already fucked his twin.”
Fake Knight tenses then flies back, eyes narrowed but mouth hung open.
I cross my arms, popping my hip out. “Don’t look so shocked.”
“Nah, baby girl…I’m fucking shocked!” He looks me over like I’m the fucking crazy one. “No one, and I mean no fucking one, can tell us apart. Not even our parents. That’s what these are for.” He lifts his shirt, flashing me his abs where a burn mark flashes opal. “It’s these or dipping into our heads when we allow it.”
A frown builds over my brow. First, because of what he’s trying to tell me, and second, dip inside their heads?!
“Oh my god, can you read my mind?”
His smirk is instant. “I could tell you, but I think it will be more fun for you to figure all this shit out on your own. You know, before we wipe it all from your mind.”
A strange sense of dread slithers down my spine, and I fold my toes in my shoes. “You can do that?”
“Don’t look so sad about it.” He chuckles and then cocks his head. “You know, this is kind of fun, having a Giftless here. It’s not like what I thought it would be.”
There’s that word again.
“Thought about kidnapping lots of people, have you?”
“Yes.” He smiles wider. “And I always imagined the way they’d run and scream, cry and beg for mercy. Done it a couple times.” He shrugs. “It’s always pretty entertaining, but your world is boring and illusions are nothing compared to the shit in Rathe.”
“Wait, so it’s normal for you guys to just kidnap girls?”
“We always put them back,” he says as if it’s totally normal and nothing more than a game they play when they’re bored.
But hold up…
“So—”
“No.” He chuckles, cutting me off. “We will not be putting you back. Or honestly, I don’t know what we’ll be doing with you. You’re kind of a freak of nature to us at the moment, but I know my brother enough to know your pretty little ass isn’t going anywhere until he does. You’re his favorite toy right now, his little doll, so where he goes, you’ll go.”
Favorite toy as in he has more than one? Do I care?
The heat in my chest says I do.
What a fucking fool you are, London. Falling for a possible literal monster. Uncle Marcus will be so proud.
I could roll my eyes at myself so hard right now.
“If I tried to walk past you, are you going to stop me?”
“Did Knight erase your door?” He lifts a brow, clearly already knowing the answer.
I ignore the ‘erase’ comment and shake my head. “Obviously not.”
“Then he doesn’t care where you go. It’s not like you can escape. He’ll find you no matter what.”