Silenced Read Online Free Page B

back?"
    "Calm down, Drew. It's my mum. I swear. She has a new number, and I haven't saved it in my phone yet!"
    "Lying whore."
    More thuds.
    Crashing dishes.
    Cries.
    Willa grabbed her bag and locked her bedroom door.
    Tiptoeing to the corner of her room, she sat on the floor.
    Fear took over. Fear of what she could do. Fear of Lukas’ assault on her body. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to control her breaths.
    The air around her started to sizzle as red hot power sparked from her hands. She rubbed them together, willing the rage within to calm and cease.
    For a split second, she'd contemplated storming out of her bedroom and making Drew wish he'd never laid eyes on Gemma. 
    She'd do it. 
    If she had the courage.
    If she wasn’t so broken.
    Don't get involved when it isn't your business. Always weigh if it's worth exposing yourself, Willa.
    Her mother's words brought fresh tears to her eyes.
    She snatched the envelope off her pillow. She needed something to take her mind off the commotion outside her door.
    "Willa Avery. You and three guests are invited to Lord Dargaard's Estate in Charleston, SC for the annual Summer Solstice Ball. Cocktail attire only."
    Willa's face paled.
    Lord Dargaard .
    “Kristoff,” she whispered. The invitation was his response to her email. He wanted to see her.
    Tears pooled in her eyes. This was her chance to not only create an alliance against a common foe but to reclaim her place in his heart.
    Did he even know that she was forced to stay away from him for almost a century?
    She closed her eyes, pressing the invitation to her chest. The ball was tomorrow night.
    Who put that envelope on top of her pillow?
    The realization came to her and her lips curled into a knowing smile. The man in front of the tube.
    Good lord, he was quick.
    Willa’s eyes opened to give her room another scan for any more clues. That scent in the air became even more familiar.
    A vampire had been in her room. At least, this time, it was one of Kristoff’s associates. The front door of her flat slammed closed, and silence followed.
    A quick closing of her eyes sent a thread of magic outside to check if she was alone.
    Gemma was a genuinely confused woman. She left with Drew.
    Willa couldn’t blame her. Only years ago she’d done the same. She followed her abuser around the world, desperate for any shred of kindness he was willing to offer. She’d never be that weak again.
    Willa shook her head and pulled her cell from her pocket.
    “Everything okay?” Zoe sounded as though she were out of breath.
    “What are you doing?”
    Zoe cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “Daniel is here. What’s going on?”
    “We are going to Charleston, South Carolina.”
    “Are we now? I’m always up for an adventure. When are we going?”
    Willa sat at her computer and searched for flights. “Tomorrow morning.”
    “I’ll be ready,” Zoe said.
    “Good,” Willa said, tapping her nails on the white desktop. Her power started to settle to a low hum, slowly climbing from her fingers to her wrist in red tendrils of light. “I hope you’ve been practicing your Casting skills. We have work to do.”
    Zoe’s little chuckle sent shivers up Willa’s spine. Delicious ones. “You know I have. I do love it when you talk dirty .”

Chapter 6
    S UN SERUM 99.
    The cure.
    Well, that’s what the humans were calling it, but Kristoff knew better. There was no cure for the curse that afflicted the vampire race. No going back to being a carefree human lord with the most beautiful fiancé in the world.
    Lukas took that from him.
    He stared at the vial of white liquid, conflicted about its power and what it could do to everything he’d known for the past century. Before he had been turned into a vampire, he’d taken the sun for granted. Now, he could leave the shadows and bask in its holy glow once again.
    Such power was a game changer. In the wrong hands, it could destroy world order.
    Now, it was in the hands of any