Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
“Your loss.” Like the mistress, the oracle slid her red-rimmed eyes to Vee. Another laugh bubbled up as she returned her attention to Micah. “But be warned. Such nice packaging cannot hide the condition of a rotted heart for long. She’ll betray you, and you’ll suffer for it. You’ll deserve every second of your misery.”
She dared to paint him as evil? As if Micah hadn’t treated her like a cherished member of the royal house since the day he’d discovered her in a village, beaten, starved and chained, at the command of a malicious viceroy.
Had he treated her too well? Had she tricked herself into believing he would never retaliate against a former ally? That he possessed no real malice? No taste for follow-through when a lady delivered the blow of treachery?
Did Red believe the same? Would she betray him in some way?
What did he really know about his seductress? Other than she was temperamental, combative and rebellious at every turn. But also brave, resilient and amusing. Mysterious and unpredictable. Never not hungry. Not exactly honest. Bewildering. Another word for confusing.
His words came back to haunt him. You let yourself be confused.
Not knowing what else to do, he tugged Vee in front of him and gripped her shoulders, putting her face-to-face with the prisoners. “Red, I’d like you to meet my former oracle and my former mistress.”
“Okay. So, I’ve met them.” Pique saturated her tone. “Help me out. What point are you trying to make here?”
He’d started this, and he would finish it. “I thought my new captive should see what happens to someone who plots against me.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
THERE WAS NO reason to ponder the king’s warning; Viori had no intention of being found out. By the time he unraveled the depths of her duplicity, she would be far away. And he would probably be dying.
Micah returned her to the tent, released her and strode to his desk, where he sat, scouring his maps. “Tea,” he called, and it wasn’t long before a servant entered with a steaming cup of an odorless liquid. The king drained it, and out went the servant.
“You aren’t the only thirsty fae in town, you know,” she muttered, but he never glanced up. No, he ignored her completely.
The oracle had inferred Viori would betray him. An accurate prediction. But she hadn’t worried because the oracle was a traitor in Micah’s estimation, and he shouldn’t believe anything she said—in theory. But what if he did?
As the rest of the day progressed, she observed him amid a cocoon of silence, unsure how to proceed. Her attempt at subservience had led to a veiled threat and possibly an accusation of duplicity. Flirting had earned her a couple scowls. This was day two in camp, and she was learning nothing about the leader or his war with Kaysar.
The king remained at the desk, oblivious to the world unless he summoned a specific soldier. Those soldiers brought stacks of paper. Documents she wished she could read. Alas, she’d never had an opportunity to learn.
At some point, Viori moved to the bed, where she lounged, thinking to work up a new plan of action. An hour passed, and she decided nothing. So, she paced. Moved trunks for no reason other than boredom. Devoured any meal brought in by servants, leaving nothing for the king.
She hoped to elicit a complaint from him, at the very least. When that failed, she asked questions.
“What are you doing?”
“Are you done yet?”
“Why are you treating me as though I’m guilty, when I’ve done nothing wrong?” Yet.
He disregarded her existence, only pausing from his studies to drink more tea. He stayed as removed from his emotions as yesterday when he’d met with Kaysar.
“Fine. Be that way,” she snipped when frustration got the better of her. Did he look up? No. “Your loss. I’m great company.” At least, her army of adoring children thought so.
Would Kaysar believe the same when he got to know her? Not that it mattered. Nope. Not even a little.
Still no response from Micah. No Thank you for understanding, Red. No Do you need anything, Vee?
“You are such a troll.” The worst insult she could dish. “I mean that from the bottom of my heart, and I hope you know that.”
What seemed to be a thousand hours later, her host rose from the desk and stalked to a new porcelain basin filled with fresh water. Must have been delivered while they were visiting the dungeon. After scrubbing his face, he removed and stored his weapons, then kicked off his boots. His bedtime routine, apparently.
“I’m ready for bed,” he said, climbing into the furs and closing his eyes without bothering to glance in her direction.
This again? Such an annoying male. “Is this how it’s going to be while we’re together? You work and I occupy myself? Because I’ve honestly had a better time being sized up for a spit by a horde of centaurs.” Or being chased down an alley by a meth dealer.