Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
And I haven't given her my fires, because I didn't want her to know my secrets…and now I've lost her forever.
I'm barely aware of my surroundings as the servants bring in soup and fresh cornbread. Everything smells excellent, but I find I am not hungry in the slightest. I try to focus on plans. The female is pregnant—or is hinting that she is. Will one more child be enough to close the Rift? How will I know when enough is enough? Or am I too late already?
As if sensing my despair, the thing in the Rift sends out a tendril of…mental filth. Swallowing hard, I push it back and force myself to concentrate. I cannot let that thing know my plans. I cannot let it inside my head. Clenching my jaw, I glare at the new female as she shoves food into her mouth.
"Well, for starters," the female prattles, "if Mhal and I come back, we're going to need a nice room to stay in, and privacy. We also want food from your cook, not from the barracks. I imagine we'll need supplies of all kinds, too. I'm thinking clothing, saddles, shoes, home goods…"
"You will be a guest in my house," I say, annoyed. "That will be a given, of course. You will have access to all the fort has to offer. Ask your friends if you do not believe me."
I can feel the thick current of mental conversation between the drakoni. I, of course, am excluded.
The female continues. "We're also going to require medical care when pregnant."
"Also a given." I look over at my mate. "Isn't that right, my dear?"
Melina remains carefully remote. "I would never withhold care from someone."
"Are those all your demands?" I ask, turning my gaze back to the girl and her drakoni mate. Fools. They think they demand so much. They have no idea how much I'd give. As if soup and a clean bed is a hardship they must fight for. Am I truly that stingy-seeming to those that work for me? It's another unpleasant realization.
Maybe everyone here loathes me. I didn't think it would bother me that much, but I also didn't think Melina was included in those numbers. Melina changes everything.
The female prattles on. "We're only going to be here until the Rift is closed, or neutralized, or whatever it is we can do to take care of the threat above. If that means two months, we'll be here two months. If it means two years, we'll be here two years. If it means two decades…"
"God, I hope not," Rachel adds.
If it takes two decades, I will not last. Something in me will snap long before that. Already I feel frayed at all sides.
"And," the female continues, "Manda and Daniels should be allowed to marry."
I blink. "Who?"
"A few weeks ago, one of your militia soldiers asked permission to marry Manda, who's in the panty program. You said no. You said if she left the program, she'd be thrown out of the fort. They have nowhere to go, so they've stayed on but they're both unhappy. Their lives shouldn't be fucked over just because they fell in love."
Oh. I remember now. Daniels is the soldier that brought Melina the withered plant she adores. At this moment, I care nothing for Daniels and his female. All I can think about is my female, and the betrayal in her eyes. But they look at me, expecting an answer. So I force myself to be as callous as possible, because that is what they will expect. "I do not care about them. I would rather not lose one of the females I've been feeding all this time. But if it must be done, so be it."
Jenny wears a triumphant look on her face. "And we want you to free the dragons that you're holding hostage."
At my side, I can feel Melina stiffen imperceptibly. I tense. Are they all in this together? Has my mate been scheming with the others behind my back? Angry, betrayed, I slap a glass of water off the table and jump to my feet. "You go too far—"
"Stop it," Melina says, finally speaking. She puts a hand on my arm and squeezes, then turns to Jenny. "I don't like it either, but he's doing this to protect everyone."
My heart…feels as if it is cracking.
My Melina…even now, she remains solidly on my side. She will not betray me in front of the others and side with them. I am utterly unworthy of such a gift as her. Heart aching, I stare down at her. I don't know how to handle this. So many emotions are tearing through me right now that I cannot process them. I want to rage at this upstart Jenny who thinks she can come in and demand things. I want to grab Melina and kiss her fiercely. I want to press my face to her feet and beg for her forgiveness and for her to love me.