Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
That was fucking rare.
In my world, I could count on one hand the number of people I felt that way with.
It was a shame he couldn’t come home with me when I figured out how to get home.
Before my brain could even analyze that strange thought, we were walking into the glittering ballroom filled with elves in elaborate gowns and elegant suits. Fans fluttered while gems caught and winked in the warm light that came from magical globes floating in the air. Along the edges of the room were hundreds of plants creating a wall of green dotted with delicate flowers of every color.
Music played in the background from a quartet of musicians. It was light and fluffy, all strings and flutes. Nothing with hard edges or deep thumping.
Servants in white uniforms slipped through the crowd, silver platters balanced on one hand, offering snacks and colorful drinks in delicate champagne glasses.
In a heartbeat, I realized I was the one shadow in this crowd of spring blossoms. Nylian was right that no one was wearing anything darker than a pastel. I stood out like a black beacon of evil among them. There was no way in hell I’d be able to hide or blend in with this crowd.
Yeah, there was no way Nylian was getting rid of me. If they were going to make me a blot on their party, I was going to become Nylian’s shadow, clinging to his every move.
“Lockhart?”
I jerked my gaze away from the assembled group who’d paused to stare at us to find Nylian smiling at me.
“You look beautiful to me.”
Those words formed an armor that wrapped around every inch of me. No matter their stares or what they said, it couldn’t touch me. The one person who mattered had already staked their claim. My friend.
As we entered the room, a servant came forward wearing a more elaborate uniform than the others and a more imperious attitude. He stated we should follow, and the crowd parted to form an aisle leading to a pair of thrones set up on a dais where the king and queen were sitting. Both wore glittering gold outfits. In fact, they were the only ones wearing the color gold, much like I was the only one wearing black. I was the night to their brilliant sunny day.
We bowed to the royals, and the king was instantly on his feet. His eyes skimmed over me for a second, but he didn’t say a word as he moved to Nylian’s side and clapped him on the shoulder. “You and your pet are looking much better now. Had a good rest? The finest of food to fill your stomach? No more of that nasty human fare, right?”
“Your Majesty has been most gracious in our care,” Nylian replied with a bow of his head. The king ushered Nylian through the ballroom while I fell several steps behind him, following like a good, obedient pet. It was galling and degrading, but it was also the safest thing for me. I didn’t know the social customs or graces that would be expected of me among the elves. I didn’t have the protective armor of being one of the Edros princes. Here, I was just a human, looked down upon as if I were a rat who’d crawled into their party, covered in feces.
Since I was following Nylian, no one expected me to make polite small talk with the other party guests. That was a relief. I was that awkward person who stood in the corner of a room and spent all their time staring at their drink. The only thing worse was when someone hit on one of the three topics that I could talk about, and then it was like I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. Yeah, being Nylian’s shadow was much safer.
The king escorted Nylian around the room, bragging about this and that, not saying much of value. It was more like he was showing off his newest acquisition to his party guests rather than having any interest in Nylian. When he was done with his parade, we were nearly back at the thrones. Beldroth flitted away for something else that seemed shinier, leaving us to ourselves.
But that didn’t last long.
Now that Nylian had the royal seal of approval, the other guests flocked to his side. I was bumped away from him twice, but Nylian turned from the person who was talking to him and smiled as he grabbed my hand and pulled me close again. He was careful to make it obvious to everyone in the room that I belonged to him and that no one could shove me aside.
“He is a rather dashing-looking pet,” a woman with bright lilac-and-silver hair murmured as she pointed her closed fan in my general direction. “Did he require much training?”