Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 62637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“None,” Alex agrees, as he takes a huge bite of the sandwich. “Last I heard he was in The Abyss yelling at everything that walked by him, and it’s not like he’s in a dark cave by himself; there’s tons of people there.”
I take all this in and think for a moment. Then, “And he was in charge of which human plane, exactly?”
The room goes silent.
Timber speaks first, his voice low. “Asia.”
“So basically, the only one who would have any semblance of information is currently rotting in the Abyss and hates everyone in this room?” I ask.
“Yup.” Ethan seems calmer; he shoves his hands in his pockets. “So until then, we’ll just guard her, make sure she’s safe. Obviously, she’s not in any external danger. She’s in more danger from us than she is from anything else that could threaten her.”
“So we just live with this mystery and her suffering?” I ask.
Cassius frowns at me. “What else do you want us to do? Our hands are tied. Besides, you’re working with her; you can keep an eye on her and report back. Think of it as your second job.”
“I never wanted a first,” I growl low in my throat.
Timber slaps me on the shoulder. “But the uniform looks really nice on you.”
“If you weren’t the god of the underworld, I’d kill you,” I hiss over at him.
He smirks and holds up his hands. “Sorry, I know this is a hard adjustment for you not to be able to just snap your fingers, but try to behave and make sure that nothing strange happens to her. Oh, and don’t let any demons near her soul. If they find out how ancient it is, they’ll kill each other to grab it.” He looks around the room. “I’d let her stay here tonight since she’ll be out a while. Then you can be the one to explain to her what happened.” He slaps me on the shoulder. “Good luck.”
Timber starts walking off with Stephanie and Hope, who both give me odd little smiles. Cassius follows with Ethan, but Alex hangs back.
“What?” I ask.
He finishes off his sandwich and then shrugs. “I kind of want to stay to watch the shit show of you attempting to explain all of this before she runs away screaming.”
“Out.” I point at the door.
He shoves his empty plate into my hands. “Yup.”
What? As if I can’t talk to a human?
Laughable.
I put the plate in the strange thing that washes the dishes, then I settle in on one of the large chairs and wait for her to wake up.
CHAPTER EIGHT
七転び八起き
Nanakorobi yaoki
“Stumbling seven times but standing up eight”
However many setbacks you face, never give up and always keep trying.
~Japanese proverb
Kit
I dream of the forest and the moonlight, of cuddling with someone who has warm hands and deep laughter, but my dream quickly disappears into a nightmare. I remember going to sleep so content and happy one minute, then screaming through the forest, running, and falling as something wrapped around my ankle, dragging my body across the hard soil. I hit the bumps over and over again, digging my nails into the cold hard dirt before I’m pulled into a dark cave.
“What will you trade?”
I look up at the darkness and hear the sound of hissing, but I don’t live near a place native to large snakes.
At least, I don’t think so.
“I have nothing of value,” I finally admit, knowing death is coming. The stench of rotting corpses is so strong, surely my time to join them is next.
She laughs. “I don’t need money.”
I stare out of the mouth of the cave at the moonlight trickling in. “I don’t even have someone to give you.”
My family is gone.
The warmth was stolen from me, or maybe I just got lost? I cannot remember anything but the warmth and then the stark reality of cold.
“I value… treasure,” she finally says. “What are you willing to exchange with me for your life?”
“You’ll spare me if I exchange?” I whimpered, already bleeding all over the place, and not sure how I even got the bruises already.
More dark laughter. “Of course. Shall I take your pretty hair? Maybe a tail?”
Tail? What tail?
I say nothing.
She snaps her fingers. “I’ve got it! If you truly want to trade what’s most precious, then if you survive—which I hope you do—the three tests and manage to make it through until the end, I’ll give what’s most precious to you back.
I still have no clue what that is. I stay silent.
“Now,” the mesmerizing female voice whispers, “open your pretty little mouth.”
I hesitate.
A low hum builds up in my throat, making it impossible to keep my mouth closed. My lips part and something is pulled from my body, something necessary. It is everything important to me. I know this the minute it starts leaving me.