Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
“When will it ever be safe?” I ask. “As much as I love our home here, our life here…” I stop myself, shaking my head.
“What?” he asks softly.
I sigh. “I won’t be a prisoner again.”
A flinch rattles through him. “Is that what this feels like?”
“No,” I assure him. “But the idea of never leaving the wards again is pushing it to feel that way. Especially after I got a taste of traveling when we went to Italy. It was so freeing. I want to explore the world with you, Saint. Not only the confines of this palace, as nice as it may be.”
Saint blows out a breath. “I know,” he admits. “But it’ll only be until I can stop Samuel.”
Samuel. His twin. My abuser. The axe hanging over our heads. The one he shares a bond with too. One that may kill him.
“We don’t know when he’ll strike next,” Saint continues. “We have to wait. Once he’s dealt with and the Sons of Honor are finished, it will be safer.”
“I hate letting threats dictate our lives. I’ve let fear rule me long enough.”
“I know,” he says, sliding a hand along my cheek.
I lean into the touch, an idea occurring to me. “We should be done waiting.”
“I told you it’s not safe—”
“No,” I cut him off. “We should take the timeline into our own hands.”
“I’m not following.”
“Samuel wants me—”
A low, territorial growl rips from Saint.
I kiss him quickly before stepping out of his embrace. “We should let him have me.”
Saint’s off the bed in seconds, fangs out and feral.
“Not like that!” I hurry to say. “Trap him,” I explain. “Use me as bait.”
“Absolutely fucking not.”
“Saint.”
“Aurora.”
“Think about it,” I urge. “It would be perfect. We’ve never been able to catch him once he doesn’t want to be found. If we lured him out, you all could take him down. Imprison him, so you don’t hurt your twin bond and—”
“No.” His tone is equal parts fear and rage. “I will never use you as a tool to carry out my vengeance. And he’ll never stop. A prison will only slow him down. He has to die. It’s the only way to put an end to the string of evil he’s left in his wake. I must be the one to end him.”
“It’s not, actually,” I argue. “You could let one of the others kill him if it came to that. You don’t have to be the one.”
“He’s my brother,” he counters, emotion filling his eyes. “Mine. My responsibility. My penance. So much of the blood he’s spilled is on my hands.”
I shake my head, my chest tightening. I can feel the shame and remorse and grief swirling down the mating bond. I do my best to soothe it. I’ve tried so many times to tell him none of this is his fault, but he won’t budge.
“We could plan it,” I try again. “Have everyone there. I’d have so much protection it would be almost too easy.”
“Nothing with Samuel is ever easy.” He shakes his head. “And his obsession with you is beyond dangerous. What he did to you before, that was scratching the surface of what he’s capable of. Don’t ask me to risk you like that. I can’t…the idea of something happening to you…” A struggle plays out over his face, and I hurry back into his arms, holding him tightly.
“Okay,” I relent as he locks me in his arms. “Okay. It was just an idea.” The last thing I want is to send Saint into a spiral where he does something rash under the guise of thinking it will keep me safer.
But I feel like a total hypocrite as my plans are exactly that. He may not like my idea, but I’m not going to let it go. Not when I know it’s the most viable option we’ve had in months. Not when I know it’s a chance to spare him the fate that comes with severing the twin-bond, whatever that fate may be.
The gardens have been transformed into a luminescent extravaganza, complete with twinkle lights, champagne, and a six-tier birthday cake. The hunters and assassins are all dressed in their finest evening wear, along with their mates and partners and a few other trainees, including Cassandra’s brother Warrick, who looks exhausted but proud in the way he holds himself. Cassandra told me how important serving the king is to him to make up for what his father and brother had done against Alek, and I’m happy he’s been given the chance to prove himself.
I wish I was given the same chance. Not that I want to join the Order or even serve in the way Olivia or Cassandra does. I’m perfectly content offering my support with my newfound title and learning what survival and combat skills Saint has taught me recently, but in other ways, I could be useful. Like luring Samuel out of hiding. Of course, that is a much more complex plan than training for the Order.