Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 107652 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107652 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
The deeper the scene took us into the heart of the jungle, the more his reaction broke something inside me.
The way he watched was like a wary child who’d never seen a flitting butterfly before. An angry boy who’d never been allowed to explore the wilds of the world or participate in life itself.
Whisper moved closer to the screen, his head whipping left and right as if every instinct in his body said this was home. This was where he’d come from. Some equally gorgeous forest before he’d been captured, just like Lucien.
Lucien suddenly launched himself out of the recliner and staggered toward the cat.
The two of them stood side by side, both transfixed and trembling, too caught up in the illusion to guard themselves.
I couldn’t breathe around the obstruction in my throat as Lucien rested his hand on Whisper’s head, almost as if leaning on him for support.
I’d brought him here as a crazy idea to give him a taste of freedom—even though I couldn’t break him out of Cinderkeep. I’d hoped he’d find a few minutes of entertainment—to forget about his shitty, agonising life—not drop to his knees as if I’d severed his strength to survive.
Whisper grunted as Lucien knelt, the thud of his legs audible even over the animal sounds. The panther pressed against his master, and Lucien wrapped an arm around the powerful form of his only friend, never taking his eyes off the unfolding world as the camera continued to pan.
Mist clung to the trees, curling around trunks thick with bromeliads in full bloom. Shafts of sunlight pierced the canopy in sparkling columns, scattering gold everywhere. Cicadas sang in the branches, and the carpet of fallen leaves tricked the senses into believing we could smell them—loamy and earthy and rich.
The forest rippled across his back as the projector cast images from all directions, ensuring no matter where he looked, he only saw open space with no walls, no drones, no pain.
His shoulders shuddered as he chuckled under his breath—a tortured, black little scoff. “You brought me here to watch a lie?”
Going to him, I dropped to my knees a little distance away, tucking my dressing gown over my lap to ensure I wouldn’t flash my naked skin beneath. “It’s not a lie. I’ve seen it.”
He didn’t look away from the jungle.
My heart thundered as I shared a piece of myself. “I’ve been there. This rainforest was one of the only places I’ve visited where every thought, worry, and fear just...disappeared.”
His gaze snapped to mine, glaring at me so intensely, so deeply, he hooked my heart and dragged it right into his control. The projection’s light made his eyes darker, deeper, full of misery.
Neither of us moved.
“And you thought you would share? Show me a place I can never visit?” he finally murmured.
I swallowed hard, hearing a trap in his words but unable to prevent stepping into it. “I can’t do anything else to help you. I can’t remove those cuffs or stop the pain that you feel. I can’t get you out of this house. I can’t take away your worries or fears but...I can try to make you happy...even for a moment.”
He didn’t reply. The muscles in his jaw flexed, his throat working like he was swallowing something far heavier than air.
Whisper lay down, resting his giant head on Lucien’s knee. Lucien stiffened as if he was about to leap to his feet and either strike me or run. The barest shimmer of sweat glittered on his hairline, hinting he still hurt, still burned.
I couldn’t help myself.
Scooting closer to him, I rested my hand on his forearm.
His nostrils flared as he looked at where I touched him. His hand curled into a fist on his leg but...he didn’t shake me off.
He looked up.
Our eyes locked.
We didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
His gaze tore into me, fierce and angry, but the stony feel of his arm slowly relaxed. His forehead smoothed and his teeth unclenched as he sucked in his first proper breath since I’d found him in the cold plunge.
His hand drifted to his shirt, pressing against the silver metal trapping his heart.
“What is it? Is the pain getting worse?” I shifted closer, to do what I didn’t know.
He didn’t answer, but the rigidity of his body eased as though some invisible weight had finally released. The burning in his eyes dimmed to something less agonising.
He sucked in a relieved breath.
“Has it stopped hurting as much?” I whispered, thanking this room, this idea, this small reprieve from his pain.
He scowled, his handsome face turning cruel and ruthless, just like that first day we’d met and he’d snapped a girl’s neck right in front of me.
Even those memories didn’t have the power to stop me as I reached up and smoothed away the frown lines between his eyebrows.
He flinched back, his expression almost...shy. But then his face hardened. “What are you doing?”