Total pages in book: 193
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
I walk past him and Zeke who’s quietly chuckling at Aurelia’s antics. A month ago, he would have been convinced that Aurelia pitting us against one another was a sign of her being up to no good. Now, he finds it amusing, his green eyes twinkling like she’s the most adorable thing ever.
Just what the actual fuck were they doing at the top of that waterfall?
We reach the ATVs and ride back to the foothills of Big Bear, where we store them inside the cave before making the slightly grueling trek up to our lonely cliff. One of the reasons we chose it was for how hard it was to find and difficult to reach if you did happen to spot it. Aurelia must have been truly desperate the day she found our cabin.
We breathe a collective sigh of relief once we reach the haven of our clearing and see that it remains unmolested.
“Home sweet home,” Zeke says as he holds open the front door of the cabin for us.
Aurelia smiles up at him as she passes, and when he grins back and immediately goes to follow her like he’s possessed, I grab him by the collar and yank him back out onto the porch. Thorin sees and drops his arm over Aurelia’s shoulder, steering her toward his bedroom before she can see.
The front door slams closed, and they disappear from view while Zeke rips away from my hold. “What the fuck, Khal? What the hell is your problem?”
I shove him into the door, and he grunts from the impact. “Is there something you want to tell me, Ezekiel?”
“Yeah.” He shoves me back and shoulder checks me as he walks past me. “Don’t call me that.”
I don’t point out that he doesn’t seem to mind when Aurelia does. He’s stopped correcting her, but apparently, she’s the exception. Instead, I spin around and grab his nape before he can leave the porch, and then I force the front of his body against the pillar cornering the stairs and railing.
“You can’t be around her,” I warn while he grunts and growls to get away. “Not while we don’t know what’s happening with your alters. Seth and Bane are even more unpredictable now. I mean it, Zeke. It’s not safe.”
“That’s not your call.”
My fingers loosen from the unbridled possession in his tone. “Oh, so you want her now? Just like that?”
Zeke manages to twist enough to throw an elbow into my face that I see coming a mile away and still narrowly miss. “All you need to know is that I’m not going to hurt her.”
Unconvinced, I shake my head. “You can’t promise that. Something’s changed. You almost died, and Bane couldn’t care less. Aurelia almost kissed you, and he charged to the surface before you even knew what was happening. The only thing we do know is that Aurelia is affecting Bane, and until we know why or what it means, stay the fuck away from her.”
I feel Zeke’s dark energy follow me into the cabin, but he doesn’t come inside. I watch through the windows as he retreats into the woods, and it’s a few hours before he returns.
Just in time for dinner.
Unhooking my tool belt, I give Zeke’s old room one last surveying glance and then leave, following the smell of pasta, tomato sauce, and freshly baked bread up the stairs.
Zeke walks into the cabin sweaty and disheveled just as I reach the landing. He lets the front door slam behind him and then walks past me on the stairs without so much as a glance.
I’m tempted to follow him and talk some sense into him without my own jealousy and anger riding my every word, but I know it won’t do any good.
When I reach the kitchen, Thorin is spooning a huge heap of spaghetti onto the last plate. My mouth waters when I see steam curling from the thick, meaty sauce.
Aurelia is getting really fucking good.
Pride spears my chest just like this morning during training when she made me lose my footing and very nearly put me on my ass. I know how tenacious Aurelia can be. I’ve seen it when we’re training. Even when her mouth is complaining, her eyes and ears are soaking up everything, feeding her need to master any task put before her. I also know her secret. Though she’s usually so full of confidence, I know that Aurelia still doubts whether she can survive without her uncle controlling every aspect of her life. That insecurity only doubled after seeing him at the ranch, but one glance at the subdued pleasure in her expression as she admires her handiwork tells me she’s coming around again.
That’s right. My baby can do any-fucking-thing and I dare anyone to tell her differently.
She’s standing at the island across from Thorin when I wrap my arms around her waist. Aurelia immediately melts into me with a sigh, and I kiss her neck. “I hope you’re hungry.”