#Chapter 190 – Sand in the Hourglass

When Victor opens his eyes, there are spots in his vision. He blinks, trying to get them to clear, but then groans with the effort.

God, does it seriously hurt to blink?

But then he realizes that it’s not the blinking that’s causing the pain – that the pain was there already. It comes, sharply, with every breath, with every beat of his heart, which he can feel pounding in his head and his chest and his veins.

Victor groans again, turning his head to the side, pressing his eyes closed – doing anything he can to fight against the pain – anything he can to lessen it, ignore it, move on from it –

But he can’t – it’s there, in every piece of him. Taking over his body, his mind.

Victor tries to breathe more slowly, to pull the breath in through his nose and out of his mouth, to form thoughts around the pain, or through it –

But god damnit, it’s everywhere. All encompassing.

He grits his teeth, but can’t help the whimper that escapes through the tiny spaces left between them.

God, is this what it feels like to die? Is that what’s happening here?

He hears the whimper again, knowing that it’s him, but somehow – bizarrely – distanced from it. Is he dying?

If he is, then part of him wishes that he would just go ahead and do it already. Because this pain, radiating throughout his body and centering itself, sharply, high in his back, just to the left of his spine – the pain is just too much.

No, he thinks, clenching his jaw tighter, finally getting a clear word into his head. No.

He can’t give into this. Not now, not when he’s come so far –

Not when…

his children. So close to having them all

in the room. Part of him – some strange, ever-attentive part – had been listening even as he’d suffered the pain, been

true. But not for long. Victor had left enough of his Beta army outside that the Walsh Betas wouldn’t last

and he would be coming. He would be coming at any

going to die before he got to see the look on Joyce and

a bitter smile coming to his lips. That, alone, would be worth

eyes, trying to get a bearing on his surroundings. He’s laying on the cement floor of some kind of cell. He looks around, seeing stone walls

basement, then – yes, that lined up with what his Betas had learned about Walsh’s house, with what Joyce had said upstairs. But Joyce’s words had been fuzzy – Victor can barely remember the tail

he really did pass out, at

to see behind him where the noise is coming from, but the movement is agony. He gives a sharp gasp and a little cry and

breathing so that he

him, three sets, he’s sure – two sets

her voice. “Get your god damn hands off of me, or I swear to god, when we take this pack I will cut them

he regrets it, groaning as it twinges the muscles around the wound in his back and causing pain

of old hinges swinging open. The sound of a body shoved, and then her small cry

lock the door behind her, not saying another word as their footsteps fade away back up

of her bars, meaning she’s pressed herself up against her door. “Play chopsticks one last time, or whatever it is you like to do with your

bites his lip, working

then, he hears

time.

Alive?

her. He opens his eyes again and takes as deep a breath as he can before he

the word

hears her moving around, the bars of her door clanging as she shakes them, trying to find any weakness, trying to get to

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255