Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 132582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Honestly, I’m not surprised there was trouble tonight with how she and Juniper went out. They weren’t dressed the classy way. It was clear they were looking for a good time, which was an invitation to let anyone in. What she’s wearing now isn’t so subtle either, the gown sheer and her nipples slightly pebbled beneath, but at least she’s here, where I can keep an eye on her.
“I can hear you,” I mutter, facing forward again. I can’t look at her breasts again. I’m almost positive she saw me eyeing them earlier.
“I know you can.”
“No one’s being mean to Juniper.”
“You kind of are.” She stands and walks next to me. She’s showered. I smell the soap on her skin, oat and honey with a splash of vanilla. Without asking, she plucks my bloom from my fingers and brings it to her mouth, taking a pull from it. Then she says, “Hmm. My stuff is stronger. Yours tastes like reggie.” She keeps smoking it and I stare at her, confused by what she just said. “Never mind.” She waves it off.
I watch her a moment before pulling out another bloom for myself and sparking it.
“How did you know where we were?” she asks after a stretch of silence.
“I didn’t at first, until I heard you panicking. Felt your fear.” I take another pull. “It’s almost like my mind knew exactly where to find you.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” She leans forward, resting her elbows on the marble railing.
“Juniper knew better than to take you to that party.”
“I wanted to go with her.”
“Yes, courtesy of that rebellious streak inside you. What is it about women that makes them not listen?”
“What is it about men always wanting things to go their way and mansplaining?”
“Mansplaining?” I frown. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It’s when a man feels the need to explain something to a woman in a condescending way. Maybe if you didn’t do that, Juniper would listen to you more.”
“Oh, please. Juniper listens to no one. She does what she wants.”
“Seems all of you do.”
I say nothing to that, only because it’s true. I take a harder pull from my bloom. “Do you not think about what could happen if you die in Vakeeli?”
Her head turns, her eyes latching on mine. Her brown irises are bright beneath the moonlight, her skin satiny smooth, warm. I haven’t seen skin like hers in ages. Natural light seems to favor her complexion, especially the glow of the sun and moon. I haven’t seen anyone with skin like hers since my mother. “It’s not like there’s much to live for in my world.”
Confused, I say, “I thought you wanted to go back.”
“I do…but there’s not much to go back to, other than work.”
“Do you not have any friends?”
“I do...like, two.” She shrugs.
“Family?”
“My father, but he doesn’t keep in touch much. My mother and brother are dead.” There’s a sharpness in my chest when she says that. It’s mildly painful. Is it her heartache?
I drop my gaze. I’m sorry to hear that. I can’t say it out loud. I don’t know why. Saying it out loud will make this thing—whatever the hell this Tether is—feel concrete.
I don’t have to look at her to know her eyes are on me. I fight the urge to look at her too, because I know, one look into them, and I’m done. I’ll cave to something I’m not even sure about.
I don’t know what it is about her, but I can’t get her out of my head. Sure, all these feelings could be because of the Tether, but I won’t give in to it. Even if I wanted to—which I don’t—there’s no way she can stay here. If I give her even an inkling of hope that she can, she probably will. Then it becomes a liability for me and everyone I love. I can’t have that.
I stab out the lit end of my bloom, stand tall, and move back. “Anyway, there will be no more one-on-one time with Juniper while you’re here. We go to Beatrix tomorrow and get you back to your world, so there’ll be no point in getting chummy with her or anyone else. Do you understand?”
She eyes me, her brown irises sparkling in the moonlight. Her jaw drops just a bit, her eyes hardening, and there’s an ache in my chest again—sawing at my heart like the dull blade of a knife.
I ignore it, walking around her and making my way inside the palace without looking back.
Twenty-Six
WILLOW
For breakfast, we’re given fruit and water. Everyone eats in groups—Caz, Killian, and Rowan on the balcony, Juniper and Maeve seated at a table with me. While we eat, Alora announces that she still hasn’t heard from Beatrix, and seeing as she doesn’t want to waste any more time, she figures we better head her way so she can deal with her in person.