Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
“Then he’s ready to fight?” Huntley asked.
I nodded. “He’s ready to burn everything to the ground.”
Huntley abruptly rose to his feet. “Then I’ll prepare the men for our departure. Baby, will you join me in battle or rule HeartHolme in my stead?”
He’d called me baby right in front of his mother, would say it in front of anyone because he didn’t care. “I’ll ride Pyre. You’ll take Storm.”
He stared at me for a moment longer, his hard gaze growing in intensity, as if he didn’t just approve of that answer—but relished it.
SEVENTEEN
Huntley
Commander Dawson would depart with my mother in the morning, so I was grateful to have Jerome, whom I trusted to stay behind. Jerome had served alongside me at HeartHolme and the outpost for many years. He was selfless in combat, as if a glorious death in battle was the way he wanted to go. I trusted him to execute my orders in my absence, and I trusted him to carry on if I fell. I ordered him to prepare half the army to leave for HeartHolme in the morning. The other half would remain behind and defend the city if the Capital were to attack. It would be a pointless move on their part because I would just take it again when I returned—with my two dragons.
By the time I got back to the castle, night had fallen. The humidity in the air gave it a warmer climate, so even on a cool night, it was infinitely warmer than it was at the bottom of the cliffs.
I ordered dinner to be sent to my room and stepped into my bedchamber a moment later. The second I walked in the door, I noticed the difference.
Ivory’s presence had filled the emptiness, had filled the silence. Her jacket was over one of the armchairs, her slippers were at the edge of the bed, and she sat on the couch near the fireplace, an open book in her lap. She needed to finish her sentence before she acknowledged my presence, and after a couple seconds, her green eyes flicked up and met mine.
Her long hair was over one shoulder, soft because she’d brushed it after she bathed. She was in a silk nightgown, stopping just above the knee. A fierce look of authority was normally in her eyes, but when it was just the two of us, her features softened.
I stared at her a moment longer before I headed into the washroom and took my evening bath. Instead of letting the heat relax my muscles, I rushed through it, getting clean as quickly as possible so I could return to my queen in the next room.
When I returned, my dinner was already set on the table, along with the small bottle of scotch I requested.
I sat at the table, and she remained on the couch, her eyes down on her book again.
She was still a bit shaken by what she’d learned about her father. A bit unsure of herself. I didn’t blame her. Wasn’t sure what I would do with myself if I found out my father was the biggest asshole who ever lived instead of being the most honorable man I’d ever known. I was in just my pants, so I planted my foot against the opposite chair and gave it a push. The legs of the chair dragged across the rug.
She looked up.
I stared at her as I grabbed my fork.
She slipped the bookmark between the pages before she took the seat across from me.
My dinner was a juicy steak, potatoes, an entire loaf of bread, a side of green beans. I cut into the meat and took a bite. Her face was my entertainment.
“Are you nervous?”
“For?” I took another bite.
“You’re about to conquer a Kingdom.”
“My entire life, I’ve been at war. With the Teeth. With Necrosis. With Delacroix. It’s just another day.”
“Have you been to Minora?”
“When I was a child.”
“So it’s a place you’ve basically never been.”
“I have a good memory.”
She reached for the bottle of scotch and took a quick drink, giving a little cringe as it went down. “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“We lead the army to Minora.”
“Do we fly? If we do, they’ll know that the dragons aren’t at Delacroix.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “You’re not to dismount Pyre—for any reason. Those are my orders.”
There was a flash of irritation in her eyes, an instinctual reaction.
“Do not land. Not for me. Not for anything.”
“I can fight—”
“Those are my orders. You burn that place to the ground until they surrender.”
“Even the innocent people—”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s war.” Assholes made a deal with the dead to take my homeland away from me. Ian and I had been just boys. I didn’t give a damn about innocent people. It was called war for a reason—because it was bloody and brutal.
She looked as if she might challenge me, but she made the smart decision not to.