Scryer by Sinden West Read Free Book Online Page B

myself into one of the hard leather chairs and lifted it to my mouth.
It tasted horrible, but I drank regardless. Soon that soft drunken feeling
would come over me and dull everything.
    The only windows in this room were high
as not to interfere with the bookshelves lining the walls, and a dull light
snuck through. Soon it would be dark. I switched on a green glass reading lamp
as I waited. Let them find me here if they wanted me. I raised my glass to my
mouth again, and then paused as I sensed someone behind me. I twisted my head
slightly in the chair to see who the intruder was.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked
quietly, the bitterness in my voice was not hidden.
    Lake moved into the room, closing the
door gently behind him. He could be so gentle—his hands, his words—they
disguised the brutality and selfishness that ran in his bloodline. I looked
away from him and continued to drink. Who knew that it could physically pain
you to look at someone?
    “This is my family’s home. Where else
would I be?” I heard him pouring his own drink as my hand tightened on my glass.
“Good choice, Ivy. Do you know what this bottle’s worth? I’m guessing you
don’t. Wealth never meant much to you.”
    My eyes darted up quickly to look at him
as he took a seat in the adjacent armchair.
    “That’s right. I never want to be like
you—money hungry and cruel.” I spoke carefully. The last thing that I wanted
was for my voice to betray me by shaking.
    There was no expression on his face. If
my words hurt, he showed no indication. We just stared at each other for a
moment, and then I got to my feet, draining my glass and placing it down on the
small table beside him.
    “I didn’t mean to chase you out.”
    I glared at him, before taking a breath
and forcing a smug smile. “How does it feel knowing that your uncle’s going to fuck
me tonight?” It was a risk; it could have backfired, and he could have mocked
me, laughed, and shrugged.
    But he didn’t. There was the slightest
twitch on his face, a tightening of his lips, perhaps. And then he grabbed my
wrist, holding it so firmly that it nearly hurt. I didn’t pull away, just
waited for him to speak. But then the door to the library opened, and our eyes
both went to Felix, who stood there looking first at Lake and then at me.
    He cleared his throat. “I’ve brought
your dinner to your room. You shouldn’t wander around. This is a big place. It’s
easy to get lost in.”
    Lake’s hand opened, freeing me, but I
took my time pulling my hand away. I rubbed it, even though there was no pain,
but I felt like his touch had seared my skin in some way.
    “Relax,” I told Felix. “I just wanted a
drink.” I let my lips curve up into a nasty smile. “Something to get me in the
mood for tonight…or at least numb me for the way you revolting people make my
skin crawl. Each touch is like a cold, wet cockroach crawling on me.” I hunched
my shoulders and shivered for effect. Felix’s face remained still, causing my
anger to flare. I wanted a reaction; I wanted to hurt. “Tell me, why do I have
to endure the same revolting family each time? Others get passed around to
different ones at different rituals. Why do I have to get the most egotistical
and arrogant bloodline around?”
    Felix smiled politely and ignored my
question. “Your dinner’s getting cold, Ms. Scryer. I would hate for it to be
ruined for you.” He made a slight gesture toward the doorway.
    “Why would you care? No one cares about
the way that you’ve ruined me.” But I walked past him anyway, not bothering to
cast another look at Lake. I knew Felix was behind me as I walked down the
corridor to the bedroom, and once inside I swiftly closed it behind me, making
it clear that I didn’t wish for him to intrude.
    My dinner sat on a tray, kept warm by a
silver cover like we were in a fine hotel. I lifted it off to reveal a meal
that looked like it had been prepared by a gourmet chef, but the only effect