Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Witchery. Goddammit. Now with her back, I need to be careful, but I also know that deep down, I won’t be able to keep any secrets from her anyway. Cooper is different. Not calling him shallow, but he doesn’t look deeper into anything.
“Come with me.” She reaches out to me, and I take her tattoo covered hand with mine.
“These are amazing.” I circle my thumb over the thin lines of the mandala on her hand and fingers.
“Thanks! Want one? Let’s go get matching tattoos.” Our fingers entwine as we start walking out to the ocean.
“Don’t hog her, Blaire Batter!” Cooper calls out, and we both chuckle when Blaire flips him off behind her.
I rest my head on her shoulder, kicking off my slides and sinking my toes into the hot sand.
She kisses my head. “You need to fill me in right now.”
One.
Two.
Three.
There were three.
And there was only me.
Sparrow
I spin the ring around my finger, watching as the sun hits it at the right angle. Everything after last night is a blur. We have been running this for a long time. Going through the motions of what we need to do with no issues. Even when we fuck other girls to get them more comfortable with us, it’s about them. It is a show. It is fun. It isn’t anything serious, and we all know it—but she is different, and I know I’m not the only one who felt that last night.
“I’m just wondering,” Mahlia says from the doorway.
I actually came out here to get the fuck away from her. Bringing her here was a mistake, I know that, but I also know that between her and my mother, I have no chance. She taps her sunglasses down over her eyes and takes the chair directly opposite mine.
“Whether you know what you’re playing with. What do you know about her?”
I kick my leg out, leaning farther back in my chair. “We know enough.”
“Really?” Mahlia reaches for her packet of cigarettes on the table, biting one out and lighting the end. “Because I’m almost certain you don’t know what I know.” She flicks the ash off the tip of her smoke, and I try to hold it in.
What the fuck is she talking about?
“Don’t you have The Game to sort out for tonight?”
She shakes her head, bringing the smoke to her lips. “Aren’t you going to ask why we haven’t held another game since? Or why Malyk seems less manic whenever she’s around?”
I scratch the side of my cheek. Mahlia has always been a problem. If her roots weren’t so deep into our history, I’d probably take her out. Or give Malyk the pleasure of doing it since he can’t stand her. Leaning forward, I rest my forearms on the table.
“Are you asking me if I know what bloodline she is?” I don’t hide the smirk creeping on my mouth. “Because I can tell you right now—we know.”
Mahlia’s face falls. She is a lot of things, and for the most part, she’s uncontrollable with her need for whatever it is that she wants, but that has only ever been one thing.
Me.
“You drank from her?” She rips off her sunglasses. “We are married, Sparrow! You can’t just drink from someone else!”
My lip curls as I sneer at her. “Hardly.” I rest back in my chair. “Get out of my face, Mahlia.”
She pushes back from her chair and disappears into the house, shoulder-barging past Malyk. He spins with an icy glare, his pupils dilating as he takes a step toward her. I whistle at him to get his attention, and his head whips to me, his eyes turning softer.
“She’s not worth it.”
“I hate her.” He lowers himself down into the chair she just left as Dion follows in behind. He takes the place at the other end of the table.
“She knows something.”
“Then we kill her.” Malyk shrugs. “She’s been dancing around playing boss bitch for years because of you. It’s time she leaves.”
“Can’t.” Dion scrolls through his phone, never looking up. “She damn well knows it too.”
Malyk sighs, leaning back in his chair and looking up to the sky. “Fuck this town.”
Dion chokes on a laugh, tossing his phone onto the table. “What does she know?”
I run the tip of my finger over my upper lip. “I’m guessing everything.”
“Tsk tsk…” Malyk shakes his head. “I swear to fucking God, we have a job to do, and she is slipping into enemy grounds.”
“I can’t get rid of her, Mal. You know why.” I shake my head. “We just have to find another way.”
“I know how,” Malyk mutters, but both Dion and I ignore him.
“She won’t go anywhere now if she has suspicions about Shiloh.” Dion’s finger taps on the table. “But she’s also a direct threat to her now.”
“Did you know? About Shiloh? I mean, you’ve known her longer than Mal and me.”