Total pages in book: 362
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
“What?” Her brows snapped together. “No, your appearance didn’t really change.”
“Oh, thank the gods—wait.” I twisted toward her. “What do you mean by really change?”
“Your skin sort of took on a golden hue,” she said. “It was actually very pretty.”
I stared at her.
“Truly.” Aios smiled so widely it looked painful. “But that was all.”
That was all? I almost laughed as I sat back, now wondering what I would look like when I did go full Primal. I’d only seen Ash and Kolis do that.
Giving a shake of my head, I looked at Aios. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”
“You didn’t,” she quickly assured.
“Okay. Good.” I placed my hands on my legs. “I hate that you had to experience any of what you did, that pain and fear were your last thoughts. That it could’ve been the last thing Ector or any of the others felt. I’m sorry.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“And I will make sure Kyn pays for what he did,” I promised. “No matter what happens from here with Kolis, Kyn will be punished.” Energy hummed through me as I held her gaze, and as I spoke, the words became an oath inked into my very bones. “That, I swear to you, Aios.”
Eather pulsed in her eyes, and they widened. She stiffened. “Sera, you made an oath—”
“I know.” I exhaled, lifting my chin. “And I also know that an oath made by a Primal cannot be broken. He will pay, Aios.”
A fierceness I’d never seen before settled into her features. The corners of her lips tightened, and her eyes, normally so full of warmth, filled with the icy flames of vengeance. “I accept your oath.”
I smiled. I probably shouldn’t have, but I did. “Good.”
Aios sat back, running her fingers over the necklace. She cleared her throat, then went on like my first act as Queen wasn’t to make an oath to take out another Primal. “Do you think that a natural death versus one that isn’t makes a difference? When it comes to mortals, at least?”
“I…I don’t know.” No feelings or certain knowledge came, but it made me wonder if it did matter. Was there another way to restore the balance? I blew out a breath. “Even if it did, I feel like I’d probably be traveling down the same path Eythos did.”
“True.” Her lashes lowered, then swept up. “Attes told us about Sotoria and how her soul was in you but you weren’t her,” she shared. “You were right when you insisted that you weren’t the same person.”
I shifted, so damn uncomfortable whenever I thought about Sotoria’s soul now stuck in a damn diamond. At least I knew Attes would keep her safe.
“Anyway, you’re fine, right?” she asked. “The only thing that has changed is your eyes?”
“I was tired upon waking. Slept a lot like Bele did,” I shared. “But I feel as I did before.”
Something else popped into my head then, bringing a smile to my lips. “So.” I drew out the word. “Bele?”
Her forehead creased. “Yes?”
“And you? Together?”
A pretty pink flush stained her cheeks. “We are.”
The curve of my lips spread as I pictured them. There likely couldn’t be a more beautiful couple. “Is it new, or…?”
“Yes, and no.” Her blush deepened as she laughed. “We’ve been friends for many years, and we were together once before, about—oh, let’s see…” The groove between her brows deepened. “Eighteen years ago? Almost nineteen.”
I choked on my breath. “I’m sorry. You two were together almost two decades ago?”
“Yes.” A small grin appeared. “Why do you look so confounded?”
“Because you speak of two decades like it’s two months,” I sputtered.
“Compared to the span of a mortal life, it feels like an equivalent comparison.” The glow of eather pulsed behind her pupils. “Eventually, two decades will feel like two months to you, too.”
Once more, my heart leapt. “I can’t even imagine that,” I admitted. “Feeling that way. Looking as I do today, two decades or centuries from now. Like…my mind cannot process that.”
“It will likely take nearly that length of time for you to do so.”
“Probably.” A breeze drifted into the chamber, stirring the curtains. “By the way, have you heard from Maia?” I asked. The Primal Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Fertility would’ve felt Aios’s Ascension. “Or do you have any idea how she’s handling this?”
“I haven’t heard anything, and she hasn’t summoned me,” she answered. “But we’ve always been on good terms.”
“So, you don’t expect her to handle this like Hanan did?” Fearing that Bele would challenge his position after she Ascended, the former Primal God of the Hunt and Divine Justice had put a bounty out on her head.
Aios laughed softly. “No. While Maia may enjoy witnessing conflict and drama from time to time, she does so from afar. She doesn’t like to be involved in it herself.” She brushed a lock of thick, red hair back. “Maia also knows that I have no interest in ruling Kithreia. She won’t be threatened by me.”