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)
I hoped it remained that way. I knew very little about Maia, having not met her outside of my coronation, but Ash must’ve felt some level of trust to go to her to have his kardia removed.
Aios tipped her knees toward me. “By the way, how are you handling everything?”
“Other than not coming to terms with what I am?”
Aios laughed lightly. “Yes. Other than that.”
“I’m fine. Perfect, really.” I dropped my hand to the arm of the couch. “And regarding the whole Ascending-as-the-true-Primal-of-Life part, I really haven’t had much time to think about that. But I’m good.”
“I’m relieved to hear that.” She drew her lower lip between her teeth. “I didn’t expect you to Ascend as the true Primal of Life.”
“Yeah, well, neither did I since it should have been impossible.”
“Apparently, it wasn’t,” she remarked dryly.
I cracked a grin. “You know the plan was for him to take the embers and Ascend, but the embers had sorta melded with me—became a part of me. I wouldn’t have survived them being removed. Ash knew that and refused to take the embers.” My voice thickened, and I swallowed. “He didn’t know what would happen if he Ascended me. All he knew was that he couldn’t let me die, no matter the risks. It wasn’t until afterward that we realized we were heartmates.”
“That is almost more shocking than your Ascension.” Awe filled Aios’s voice. “Such a union of hearts and souls is so rare that I suspect even Maia would be stunned.”
I nodded, thinking about my parents. “You know, I always wondered if my mother and father were heartmates. Even as a child, when I wasn’t entirely sure such a thing was real. Because my mother never seemed to get over my father’s death, even though she remarried. She was always sad, even when she was happy.”
“They do say that mates of the heart are linked to create something new or usher in a great change.” Aios crossed her ankles. “They could’ve been destined to bring you into the world, and you…you are the definition of a great change.”
But wouldn’t that have meant the Fates—the Ancients—had seen everything? The intuition didn’t kick in, but I did remember the unexpected thread of fate Holland had spoken of. The one that had broken off while all the others ended in my death.
“Sera?” Aios said softly.
Pulling myself from my thoughts, I focused on her. Aios’s smile remained but it had changed. The curve of her lips was now forced. Almost brittle.
“When I asked how you were doing,” she said, her gaze flickering over my features, “I wasn’t just asking about how you were handling the Ascension.”
Every muscle in my body tensed.
A too-long moment passed. “Is it true that…that Kolis believed you to be Sotoria for some time?”
My insides chilled. “How did you know that?” The answer came to me. “Attes.”
She gave me a somewhat sheepish nod. “When he came by, we…well, to be honest, we bombarded him with questions. He didn’t give us a lot of detail,” she added quickly. “When Nyktos returned with you, and you were in stasis, there wasn’t a chance to ask him anything. Not that anyone tried. We knew he wouldn’t leave your side.” She took a breath. “But no one knew what had happened. Only what we’d heard.”
Blood pounded in my ears. “Like what?”
“It was said that you were seen sitting beside Kolis at court,” she said. “But when Rhain and others saw you, you were…” She briefly closed her eyes. “You were not free to move about.”
I’d been caged. Just as she had. “I was never free to move about. Kolis brought me to court and put me on display,” I stated flatly. “Part of the reason was that he knew it would get back to others.”
“None of us believed you wanted to be there. None of us,” she insisted. “It just made us worry more.”
I was holding myself completely still. “What else did you hear?”
“There were whispers that you’d attempted to escape, and we heard that Kolis claimed he hadn’t given you and Nyktos permission for the coronation.”
Kolis had lied. So had Kyn, who’d witnessed him giving us permission.
“Then only what Rhain said,” she continued, and my stomach twisted sharply.
Rhain hadn’t told anyone that I’d struck a deal with Kolis in exchange for his freedom. And while he’d been unconscious for the details of the deal, it took no leap of logic to guess what he believed I’d offered.
And I had offered anything Kolis wanted for Rhain’s life. Kolis’s voice intruded as pressure clamped down on my chest. Then, tonight, we will share the same bed.
What if Rhain’s silence had changed?
“And what did he say?” I heard myself ask.
“He said that you convinced Kolis that freeing him was the best way to handle the situation.” Her fingers went to the chain again—the very same necklace Rhain had used as a token to communicate with Aios. I’d pretended it was mine. “But I…”