Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
I collect her face in my palms and study her parted lips, wondering if I have gone mad. “You are beautiful, Satoria, and I am surely a fool for declining, but I must.”
Something unreadable dances in her gaze. “Who is she?”
I smirk. “You assume that is the only reason I am turning you away?”
She looks down at her naked form and then back up at me. “That is the only logical reason I can deduce.” Her eyebrow arches. “Unless you prefer my husband over me.”
“I assure you, that is not the case,” I say with a chuckle, my hands drifting from her cheeks, down over her bare shoulders and arms.
Her smile is soft. “Is it the female you beheaded that lord for? The mortal servant?”
I hesitate, but find myself admitting, “Yes.”
“What is her name?”
“That is of no concern to Kier.”
“You think I am here as a spy for His Highness.”
“I think you played servant earlier to learn what you could about my current standing with my people. Now that I know who you really are, I think you are here to give your husband a reason to kill me and be done with it.” I pause. “That, or you have mistaken which king’s lap you belong in.”
“You are a king no more. And I assure you, I can tell the difference.” There is a nervous energy flowing through this one’s veins. Adrenaline. “Do you plan to wed the mortal?”
Marry Gracen … For a short time, I did toy with such a fantasy. I do not know if she will speak to me once she learns the truth. If she still lives. But the grand life I could have given her is over. “I am currently a prisoner. The only plan I have now is to remain alive, something you seem intent on challenging.”
Satoria bites her bottom lip, waiting for my resolve to weaken, perhaps.
Gooseflesh has erupted over her bare skin. I stroke her shoulders and arms with my palms to warm her. “It is cool here at night. You should really redress.”
Her face falls with seriousness. “And what if this is your last night?”
My hands stall. “What are you trying to tell me, Satoria?”
“His Highness needs no excuse to execute you. I heard him speaking earlier to his officers. He has made plans for tomorrow.”
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. “That would be reckless of him, but if his mind is made up, there is not much I can do, is there?” Except fight my way out or die trying.
She deftly pulls my palm inward to cup her breast. “There is one thing you can do.” Leaning in, she skates her lips over mine. They are soft and plush, and the feel of her warm flesh and peaked nipple in my palm is enticing.
If Gracen’s freckled face and green eyes didn’t appear in my mind every time I closed my eyes, I would likely not be able to resist, regardless of who her husband is. “You are right. I can take my last breath knowing I honored those I love.” I press a gentle kiss against Satoria’s temple, not wishing to insult a king’s wife. “Good night, Your Highness.”
“Good night, my usurper king.” She slips off my lap and, quickly redressing, she slips out of the cell and disappears into the night.
I study the cracks in the ceiling and plan my final stand.
26
Romeria
A small horde of scribes trail me through Ulysede’s library in a daze, their shuffling feet the only sound.
I suppose it’s to be expected. One minute, they were crammed in Nyos’s dungeon cells, awaiting certain death for a crime most of them were oblivious to, and not fifteen minutes later, they’re free and strolling through the halls of a castle in a long since hidden realm, led by a new queen.
“Fates! You’ve made it!” Agatha drops her magnifying glass and eases out of her chair. Zorya joins her as they approach, the warrior surveying the horde of casters through shrewd eyes, no doubt searching for a threat.
At the sight of their old Master Scribe, the scribes perk up, rushing toward her, drowning one another in a flurry of questions. Their voices swell through the silent, vast space, giving it life.
I smile as I watch them all. At least we’ve accomplished something today.
Dismissing them as a threat, Zorya rejoins me. “Where are the commanders and His Highness?”
“On their way to Argon, which is where I’m about to go. How have things been here?”
“Quiet within the castle walls, now that Oredai has removed all the nymphs.”
“And where is our favorite Cindrae now?” I managed to avoid him and am relieved for that.
“Somewhere within the city. The various groups do not get along. I’ve told Cirilea’s mortals to stay within the castle for the time being. I do not think they are in any danger. The nymphs mostly ignore them, too busy squabbling amongst each other. But there are fewer and fewer in the city each day.”