Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Wynter shrugged. “No clue. Can’t say I care if he is.”
Anabel hugged herself. “You’re gonna want to be careful around Cain, Wynter. Real careful.”
Hattie, no longer a crow, frowned. “There’s no need to freak out that he has a monster, or that it’s serpentine. Some familiars are snakes. Basilisk shape-changers are a thing.”
“But they’re just people who change shape,” Anabel pointed out. “They don’t have an inner entity that can take over their body.”
“Demons do,” said Delilah.
“Cain’s not a demon,” said Wynter, shaking her head. “He’s something else.”
Xavier lifted a brow. “‘Else’ as in ‘darker?’”
Wynter swallowed. “Yeah. Yeah, darker for sure.”
Cain walked into the dungeon of Azazel’s Keep just as the Ancient secured an unconscious Saul to the wall of a cell. The other Ancients stood back, observing. Their gazes cut to Cain as he joined them.
“Everything all right?” asked Azazel.
Knowing what they were really wondering was if his monster had lost control and bitten Wynter, Cain said, “My consort is fine.” And plain astounding. She truly amazed him.
He hadn’t known what to expect when it came to how she’d react on being finally confronted with his creature. She had rock-steady nerves and wasn’t easily fazed, true. But he’d seen fully grown, battle-experienced men pale and back away in terror when finding themselves the focus of his monster’s gaze.
The creature wasn’t in the least bit surprised that she hadn’t run. It hadn’t believed that she would. It saw no reason why she’d be repulsed, since it lacked in self-awareness. The only reason it had tested her was that it had sensed Cain’s anxiety and sought to prove that his worries were senseless.
“When I realized she was in the woods and that your monster had spotted her, I figured she’d either run like hell or freeze in fright,” said Seth. “Remarkably, she did neither.”
“She did not seem shocked by its existence at all,” commented Inanna with a slight frown, suspicious.
“She’d sensed it before now,” Cain explained.
Ishtar froze. “She knows what we are?”
He shook his head. “Only that I have an entity inside me, the same as she does.”
“I was impressed with how well she handled your creature,” said Lilith.
“Same here,” Azazel chipped in. “She didn’t run, didn’t scream, didn’t recoil. A lot of other people would have done.”
Dantalion nodded. “Your consort has won my respect, Cain. Given how she reacted, I will not object if you want to give her the truth of our history.”
“Neither will I,” said Lilith. “As long as she agrees not to share it with others, of course.”
The rest of the Ancients made similar comments . . . other than Ishtar, who remained silent, grinding her teeth. Eventually, she huffed and said, “You might as well tell her. Just be braced for her to walk away.”
Sensing that the woman truly believed Wynter would do exactly that, Cain suspected it was the very reason why Ishtar wasn’t objecting to Cain revealing all to Wynter. There was no denying that most women would find the truth far too difficult to bear. But most women were nothing at all like his consort.
There was a slight groan, and Lilith turned toward the cell with a smile. “He’s regaining consciousness.”
Cain and the other Ancients moved closer to the cell as Saul weakly lifted his head and blinked several times. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings, but it seemed to take a few moments for reality to sink into his brain. When it did, the Aeon went stiff as a board.
Azazel grinned. “Welcome to your new accommodations.”
The bravado Saul had shown earlier was now nowhere to be seen. The blood began to leave his face, and a glint of something close to fear flamed to life in his eyes. The sight pleased Cain’s creature immensely.
“The place could do with a few refurbishments, I know,” said Azazel. “But look on the bright side. At least now you have somewhere to live. When Aeon falls, a lot of people will be homeless.”
Saul shook his head. “It cannot afford to fall.”
“Why not?” asked Dantalion. “It’s just a city. People can relocate. A change of scenery would surely be nice for most.”
“Aeon is special,” said Saul.
“It’s beautiful,” conceded Inanna. “That does not make it special. The two are not one and the same.”
Saul swallowed. “It cannot fall.”
Ishtar’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“You should have ostracized the witch long before now,” replied Saul, apparently choosing to ignore the question. “You should have sent her to Aeon so she could lift the curse. She is a danger to us all. Something abnormal.”
“And you like to destroy anything that you don’t feel falls under the category of ‘normal,’ yes, we know,” said Seth, his tone dry.
“You have not seen the results of the curse she laid upon Aeon.” Saul curled his fingers into his palms. “You have heard about it. But hearing of it and seeing it for yourself are two very different things. If you had gotten so much as a glimpse of the state of the land, you would not be so comfortable having her here. In fact, if you were not so blinded by hatred for my people and a need for revenge, you would see the situation clearly and be happy to make her someone else’s problem.”