Read Online Spent (Wrecked #2) by Charity Parkerson - Free Book Online Page A

and on a whisper. Lucien smiled. Bailey knew the truth. She was as alone in death as she’d been in life.
     
     

“Reality no longer slips away from me. Instead, I’m surrounded by it. It’s uglier than I imagined.”
    —Bailey’s Journal, A.D.
    Chapter 6
    Now…
    “Can I ask you a question?”
    “Of course.”
    His deep voice rumbled over her skin like dark chocolate. Bailey fought the urge to close her eyes and try breathing the sound into her lungs.
    “I’ve already given you my soul. Why do you keep coming back?”
    His expression never changed, robbing Bailey of attempting to read his reaction. “I told you I would.”
    It wasn’t enough. “Yes, but why? You held up your end of the bargain by rescuing me. Why not leave me to my fate instead of taking pity on me?”
    A flash of anger crossed his features before disappearing behind a mask of indifference. “Pity? I’m not plagued by such nonsense.”
    “If this isn’t mercy, what is it?” Bailey asked, motioning between them. She held her breath, waiting for his answer. This was as close as she’d ever come to inquiring about his feelings. If he felt nothing, Bailey wasn’t sure she could take it.
    His dark gaze slipped down her body, almost physical in its touch, before returning to hold her stare. “Sometimes cruelty and mercy look so similar, we can’t tell the difference any longer.”
    Bailey’s eyes shot open. It wasn’t possible. Nothing from that time in her life at Rockway had been real… had it? She needed to know. So many years of her life were—at best—a blur. Everything in her mind jumbled eventually, leaving her confused.
    Scrambling, Bailey threw on the first pair of shorts she found. They were the same ones she’d worn the last time she’d seen Sol. She hadn’t washed them, but who was to say if things were ever clean or dirty in this place? In under five minutes, Bailey was ready to leave. At the last second, she grabbed the book he’d given her. It seemed too dangerous to leave behind.
    A sigh of relief left her lips when the door opened on the first try. She hated the days when it wouldn’t let her leave. Stepping into the hall, she pulled the front door closed behind her. The hallway transformed, becoming the inside of her apartment. With a growl, Bailey reversed course, stepping through the door once more. Her apartment sat waiting for her just as she’d left it. Panic set in after her third attempt to leave. No matter which direction she went, Bailey found herself back inside her apartment again. One side of the doorway was an illusion. She knew it, but couldn’t tell which side.
    Flipping open the book, Bailey searched for answers as her mind raced. She needed to see Sol. If only this fucking place would let her go. Bailey spotted a ritual that looked promising. Unfortunately, the most important ingredient was her blood. She didn’t even know if she could still bleed.
    With a heavy sigh, Bailey set the book aside. There was no time like the present to find out. In the kitchen, she found a knife and returned to inspect the spell once more. Once Bailey was certain she could recreate the pattern, she dragged the blade across her palm. A thin line appeared, seeping a small amount of blood before healing. It hurt. She’d hoped it wouldn’t, but wasn’t surprised it did. Nothing was ever easy for her.
    Now she knew it could be done, Bailey swiped the knife across her palm once more and traced the first lines of the symbol on the wall before the wound healed. She needed to do each wall. It seemed each time she was forced to cut deeper to draw blood. By the time the second symbol was complete, tears swam in Bailey’s eyes from the pain, and the room shook with fury. The walls bulged, whispering their ownership and claiming her. Bailey fought on. When Lucien appeared, Bailey wasn’t surprised. She also didn’t let it slow her down.
    “What are you doing?”
    He sounded enraged. Good. She hated being alone in her