Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
And once that king realized who had taken. . .
No. Do not think of him or what he did.
Pain vibrated through my chest.
I put my mind back on the little blood mage that had raced away.
Her scent was thick in the air, giving me an easy path to find her.
With no problem, I broke away from her little spell and gazed around the tent, taking in the luxurious space.
This is where I sleep. I like this.
Seraphine had transformed my gray world of faceless blood bodies to color, clear shapes, and texture. There would be no freedom for her, in this lifetime or the next. Forever, I would be by her side.
I found my black leather cape on the other side of the room, went to it, and put the heavy item on.
Then, I captured all the minds in the camp and shoved my command in their heads. Go inside of your tents. No one is to be outside this evening, not even on guard. All must obey.
Tons of footsteps boomed around my tent.
I pulled my cape’s hood over my head.
Men yelled off orders, probably rushing to get inside. While my soldiers had no idea what I was up to, no one wanted to disobey me either.
I wasn’t sure when I would reveal to my men that I could hear and see. With one day of hearing, I had already discovered that some were plotting to get me off the throne. What else would I discover in these days to come?
Hidden under the hooded leather cape, I left my tent.
Cool grass smoothed beneath my bare feet as I looked around for the first time in many, many years.
How. . .amazing. How glorious.
The night was alive around me, filled with a thousand sensations that I hadn’t experienced in decades.
Sure, three of my soldiers lay dead on the ground. I was sure Seraphine had done that.
But, there were so many other amazing things around me.
The two moons hung low and full, casting an ethereal glow.
I have missed you both.
Stars speckled the sky. They were little diamonds of light against the inky darkness. I hadn’t seen such beauty in so long, it was almost overwhelming.
My eyes watered, but I would not let myself cry.
I listened to simple things for the first time—the soft whispers of the wind as it rustled through the trees, the distant hoots of owls, the pitter patter of small creatures scurrying through the underbrush.
Thank you, Ambi. Thank you, Seraphine. I will not. . .waste this renewal of life.
More than ever, I was eager to get Phinova back and tell her all about this.
That was when my stomach twisted with bits of anger.
But, did she know?
I sneered.
No. I promised to let her explain. Do not think about it anymore. Besides, there is a blood mage to catch.
All around me, vampires rushed into their tents.
I stood near my tent, keeping my face under the hood and hidden. Regardless, no one with any intelligence would think the Quiet King was standing outside anyway. For all my blind and deaf years, I kept guides near me, to help with getting around.
Now I will no longer need them.
Smiling, I lifted my nose up to the sky, inhaled, and assessed every smell—the scent of earth and rain, the musky undertone of animals, the faint hint of wildflowers.
Where are you, Seraphine?
Then, the sugary scent of new love rushed to me.
My body drummed.
There you go.
Delirious to get to her, I raced off in that direction, easily tracking her scent.
When Seraphine had fled, she smartly stayed in the shadows of tents.
I was sure my command to my men helped her hide even more.
I smirked, glad that it did.
No one could witness what would occur between us. She was a secret I did not want to share just yet.
Yes. Over here. This way.
I increased my speed.
The cape flowed behind me.
With each fast step, I smiled and gazed around taking in everything.
This world is so beautiful.
I was truly alive for the first time in decades, and the reality of it made my heart pound in my chest. Every tree, every rock, every gust of wind felt like an old friend greeting me after a long heartbreaking absence.
This world was no longer a dull, blank gray canvas.
It was vibrant and filled with color and life.
And now, I was not just living.
I was alive.
I was connected to the world, to the vibrant pulse of life around me. And I knew, deep in my bones, that I was where I was meant to be—running under the moonlight and chasing after my foolish little blood mage.
Her scent thickened the air.
I’m getting closer.
Then, I spotted that sweet blood mage. The dark shadow of her form darted around the trees. She raced away.
Where do you plan to go? There is no place to hide from me.
She was ahead, but not by much.