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)
“Yeah…” I sat in the other chair.
He turned his head to look at me. “I’m sorry I ratted you out like that. Just pissed off about the whole thing.”
“It’s fine. I don’t care.”
His eyes narrowed.
“It was going to come out. The sooner, the better.”
“The sooner, the better?” he asked incredulously. “You can’t expect to stay with this guy.”
“It’s really none of your business, Ian.”
“You’re my sister, and he’s Necrosis. Damn right, it is my business.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You know when Huntley gets here, he’s going to chop his head off.”
“He won’t because he actually listens to me—unlike you.”
His eyes darkened, as if that offended him. “What in the gods do you see in him?”
I ignored him.
“Elora.”
“I see a man—not Necrosis. I see a man who lost everything to save someone he loved. I see someone who needs our help. I see someone who deserves a second chance. You’re so closed-minded that all you can focus on are the dark marks on his body, not his story, not who he is. And I’m sick of it. I don’t give a damn if you don’t like him—because I do.”
My brother stared for several heartbeats, his expression slightly overwhelmed.
I rose from the chair. “Let’s get back to work. We’ve got a lot of shit to do.”
TWENTY-SIX
Ivory
“Ryker!” I rushed to him when I found him in the medic tent. He was beaten badly, clearly tortured. Effie was at his side, no scars on her skin, like she’d been spared from the punishment. I suspected Ryker was the reason for that.
He sat up in bed, his face blue and bruised from all the damage. His movements were slow, as if every single part of his body hurt. Just the smallest gestures were enough to elicit a moan from his lips. “You okay?”
“I look like a rainbow compared to you.” I wrapped my arms around him gently and held him close. “I’m so happy to see you…” Once the castle started to come down and the sky was filled with smoke, I worried about my brother, worried that he was trapped somewhere. “I was so concerned.”
He gave me a pat on the back before he let me go. “I saw you flying around in the sky. Badass.”
I hugged Effie next. “Girl, you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Just glad it’s all over.”
Well, it wasn’t all over. “You going to be okay?”
He nodded. “You know I’ve had worse.”
I was pretty sure he hadn’t. “So…you guys are married?”
“Yep,” Ryker said. “Thought it was time for this stallion to settle down.”
Effie rolled her eyes.
I chuckled at her playfulness. She was good for Ryker, understanding his sense of humor.
“It’s a long story,” Ryker said, turning serious. “It was the only way I could keep Effie in the castle with me. Rutherford wasn’t going to host Effie when she’s not a royal—so I made her a royal.”
It was a big sacrifice on his part, so I assumed his motivations were deeper than that. “I’m happy for you guys. Congratulations.”
“Sorry you couldn’t be there,” Ryker said. “But you know how it goes…”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod, thinking of my own nuptials.
The flap to the tent opened, and Huntley stepped inside, regal in his special armor, his helmet left at his tent so his hard face was visible, his brown hair matted from the sweat of the battle. All his armor and weapons must have added close to fifty pounds of weight to his frame, but he continued to carry himself like it was featherlight. His eyes went to me first, like they always did when he stepped into a room where I was present, and then he looked at my brother. “Glad to see you’re still here, Ryker.”
My brother stared at him for a while, his look uninviting, but then he cleared his throat and shook off the animosity. “Congratulations on your conquest, King Rolfe. The Kingdoms are now led by the rightful ruler.”
The last time these two men had been in the same room together, Ryker had wanted to cut him down and leave him as a bloody mess. But my brother obviously had had a change of heart. Knowing that my father betrayed all of humankind must have shaken him to his core—just the way it shook me.
Huntley stared for a while, his eyes open and unflinching, processing my brother’s unexpected stance of loyalty. “Rulers. None of this would have been possible without my wife, Queen Rolfe.” He shifted his gaze to me and stared at me hard, even possessively, despite the current company. “I conquered the ground, and she conquered the skies.” He stepped forward and extended his hand to Ryker. “Your letter prepared us for battle, and I can see that there were consequences for your actions. Thank you for your loyalty.”
Ryker didn’t hesitate before he stood up and returned the gesture.