Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Black spots pulsed behind her eyes. Her vision grew hazy. Still the pressure pounded, an agonizing throb. A sharp stab of pain speared her temples. She clamped down, having only gotten a couple lessons with that shield device but trying to practice now. Trying to stay upright. Trying to save her life by protecting what was in her head.
“Why does he visit the human world?” The male was almost whispering, but his words pinged around the inside of Daisy’s skull. Magic, obviously, trying to find purchase. He crept closer, his movements sinister, and leaned over her. She couldn’t even recoil, all her strength going into standing upright, unable to push his prying mind away. “What errand is he running for—”
A shock wave of magic blasted through the corridor. The light dimmed—it was as though someone had leeched away the glow. Swirls of liquid night curled through the air and slunk between Daisy and the male. The pressure in her mind cut off, and she sucked in a sweet lungful of air.
“Glimrey,” a thankfully familiar voice said. Tarian walked up, handsomely unimpressed, but the dangerous energy around him was palpable. “What are you doing speaking with my new toy?”
The male—Glimrey—straightened before taking a step back. He affected an air of pompous disinterest, but he couldn’t hide the wariness in his eyes.
“Ah, Tarianthiel. Back from your journey, I see.”
Tarian spread his hands as he stopped beside Daisy. She scurried behind him, badly wanting to rub her aching temples.
“I am. Was it just me, or were you asking questions about matters that do not pertain to you?” He cocked his head, tsking at the other male. “Why could you possibly need to know about royal business? Unless you’ve made new friends outside of this court…”
Glimrey tensed. “Not at all,” he said, slipping a hand into his pocket casually. “I just wonder why the royals allow someone such as you to come and go as they please.”
“Hmm. Maybe that is a question for the king…and not my property.”
Glimrey lifted his eyebrows, affecting Tarian’s unimpressed stance. “Speaking of your property…” He took a few steps toward the wall, inviting Tarian for a more intimate chat. His voice lowered until Daisy could barely hear it. “Outsiders know how you are treated in this court. I know your power alone granted you your title. Wouldn’t you rather find a court more interested in your…talents? One that treats you like an official member instead of a kick-box? I have friends of a certain status, Tarian. They are interested. I can work out a trade.”
“What kind of trade do you think might entice me?”
“Oh, you know, the usual. Status, placement, the most eligible gentry as a possible mate. Sire a powerful heir and you will be set for years to come.”
“And for you?”
Glimrey shrugged, looking around in pseudo-boredom. “A few nights with your property, for starters. A pleasure loan.”
“A pleasure loan? That only? Because it seemed like you were trying to access her thoughts. Surely a few nights would give you plenty of time to break my favorite toy.”
“Break? Nah. That isn’t the kind of pleasure I seek from my nighttime activities.”
“Well.” A black haze once again dimmed the light in the hall. It curled around Glimrey, thick and dark and forbidding. Tarian’s voice turned rough. Wariness once again leaked into Glimrey’s features. “While I would greatly enjoy the ramifications of your touching my plaything, I happen to know the king does not want you dead. Not yet. So I will simply inform you that I do not share. I do not loan.”
He leaned in aggressively. His magic coiled, then spun. Daisy felt a painful yank from her middle and knew Tarian was boosting his magic through the crystal chalice. Now would’ve been a fantastic time to have stolen magic stored, because fuck that hurt like Hades had kicked her right in the twat.
Gold glittered within the black, and an earthy scent mingled with the acidic smell of the obsidian magic. His power pulsed, hard and hot and heavy, so enormous it felt like it had chased all the air out of the corridor. Glimrey’s eyes rounded in fear.
“If you ever attempt to push past my blocks and ransack my pet’s memories, I will defy my king and turn your body into a mangled mass of tissue and bone. A living mass that will beg me to end its suffering. But I won’t. Instead, I will put you on display as the spy you are and let the king fuck your eye sockets in front of the whole court. Do you understand me? She is mine. Touch her again, even with magic, even from afar, and I will make good on my claim.”
He stared the other fae down, his magic pulsing, solid black but with a gorgeous sheen of gold. Then he turned away, not sparing Daisy a glance before he was walking down the corridor, back the way he’d come.