Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
She was furious. Furious.
All three men materialized, startling her, their size filling the grotto. They looked menacing, intimidating her more than she wanted to admit, but she didn’t step back. They were looking beyond her to Aura. Each of them pinned her with steely eyes.
Benedek spoke. “It is best that you allow Petru to explain blood exchanges to Safia. You know better than to interfere between lifemates. You do not want to earn his ire.”
Safia hissed her displeasure. “His ire? Are you threatening her because she was answering questions I asked? In my world, we’re allowed questions, and we answer them for one another. I definitely won’t fit into your narrow little world. Don’t you dare threaten her. I don’t care how big and bad you are. I don’t even care how much we need you in a war against Lilith. You don’t get to bully us because you’re supposed to be such great fighters.”
Deliberately, she turned her back on them. “Aura, please take me back to my house.”
Aura caught her up and sped through the opening in the grotto straight into the air. Safia allowed herself to be dazzled by the harbor and city lights. The night air felt cool on her skin but didn’t quite soothe her temper.
They will report to Petru.
Let them. I’m not going to accept his claim. I refuse to live under a dictator’s rule.
Aura hesitated, then sighed. I know you’re very independent, and you were raised to speak your mind. You deserve to, especially when you’re expected to destroy demons and defend your family. But these men are not like the men in your family. They aren’t even like the men in other tribes who seem arrogant to you. These men are ancients, and they command the lightning, the earth. They are used to obedience. They don’t interact well with other species, because if they meet resistance, they simply take over. They can command obedience.
Safia stared down at the lights, colors blurring together because they were moving so fast over the harbor and then the city as Aura circled around rather than flying directly across the bluffs toward the farm. She clearly was delaying their return.
You mean they force obedience, making people into puppets.
Aura sighed again. I suppose it can be interpreted that way. They see it as avoiding useless arguments.
Because they believe they know best, so everything should be done their way, Safia translated.
I guess. They are two thousand years old. They have great wisdom, Safia. They’ve seen things we will never see. They know things we have no knowledge of. It would get old to know the answers and have continual arguments when you’re aware of what will work and what won’t. Imagine having to explain why you must kill a demon a certain way over and over. It would be so tedious.
Don’t defend Petru’s actions. There was no need for him to send those men after me when all I was doing was talking to my friend. I even told him I was having a private conversation with you. He had no right to eavesdrop. I refuse to live that way. He can’t force me. It isn’t done in our culture. He’ll find that out soon enough.
If you are his true lifemate, Safia, and he has a prior claim on you, then yes, he can force you. It is done in our culture. He can bind you to him, and nothing will be able to tear you apart. Not your will or his. If you are not his true lifemate, the words imprinted on him will do nothing at all. You can challenge him if you don’t believe you belong to him.
Even just Aura’s choice of words annoyed her. Safia didn’t belong to anyone. She was her own person. She had been prepared to learn what she could about Petru’s culture and do her best to respect him and be a partner to him. But she couldn’t tolerate being controlled or having her friends threatened. That reduced Petru to a bully in her eyes. Just thinking about it made her furious all over again.
Has it occurred to you that you’ve been looking for an excuse to get out of your commitment, and this provided you with the perfect out?
You don’t think this is a good reason? Safia valued Aura’s opinion, but she couldn’t imagine her friend putting up with Petru’s controlling behavior.
I think you need to be very careful. You don’t know how powerful or dangerous he is. I believe if you push him, he will retaliate, and in a way that you won’t be able to come back from. Go slow, Safia. Don’t be reckless. Choose every word you say carefully and try to get him to give you all the facts.
That frustrated Safia even more. All the facts? So, you are holding something important back from me. Are you afraid of those men? Clearly Petru is withholding information that is vital to me, and they don’t want you to disclose it.