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)
She breathed deeply as she came back down. He kept exploring, lighter now, firing aftershocks through her. She twitched with the aftermath of that damn contraption.
“The mark is the tattoo, right?” she asked as she angled her head back.
He leaned in to capture her lips. “Yes. A tattoo that marks you as permanently mine. I thought the magic would be enough, but others think that is something for pets. That I might still share, as some do. A mark means I won’t. I assume. This court is so fucked up. Who knows anymore?”
Shivers coated her body as she realized she liked that. She liked that he wouldn’t even think of sharing, despite the customs. Despite the status difference. Not that she’d allow herself to be shared.
Still, being with him felt strangely natural. It felt like what intimacy was supposed to be, something she’d never thought would come naturally to her. Or at all, honestly. Her version of intimacy was usually just physical. She didn’t share her thoughts, didn’t have much in the way of emotion, and figured her life had stunted her for the type of closeness most people took for granted.
With him, though, she hadn’t had a choice. And now it felt comfortable. She liked that he could read her innermost thoughts, her secrets. He’d opened her up, allowing her to be blasé about sharing her vulnerabilities with him. In turn, he’d shared pieces of himself. His own vulnerabilities. They were on equal footing where their true selves were concerned, and she’d never had that. She’d never allowed it. Without his mindgazer ability, she knew she never would have. She was glad for it now. Happy for this with him, as short as their time together would be.
“You can’t mark me because it might turn to diamond dust, right?” she asked in an almost quivering voice.
“Yes.”
“Even though that would be really pretty.”
Humor entered his voice. “Even though. You are a rare and special treasure, little dove. You don’t shy away from the creature I have become in this court. The creature you met in the dungeon—the dark side of me that rages and kills without remorse. The part of me that is distinctly, unequivocally fae. That part makes Eldric very nervous. He doesn’t trust me. He hopes I’ll do as I’ve said, and he can read in my mind that I mean to, but he worries that the second these obsidian shackles fall from my shoulders and my power swells to its natural heights, I will claim your magic for myself. That I will be unstoppable, and my desires will turn from healing to destruction. Ruling rather than disappearing. That my time here has twisted me the way it has twisted so many others.” He huffed. “My own family didn’t trust me. One nearly killed me. I think that is why Equilas put me here, to test me. To see if my darker side would boil over and consume everything around me. I’ve spent thru—years wondering the same thing.”
“I trust you.”
“I wonder if you should.”
She shrugged. “I’m not a gullible person, nor am I prone to allow feelings to blind me to reality. I think we can agree on that.”
“Yes. It gives me assurance.”
“Then I’d think my having the final say on whether you can use my chalice powers to restore balance would assure you and Eldric that the right thing will be done. I will trudge to the end of the worlds to protect my family. He seemed to get that. I know you do. I’ll see this to the end, as is my duty as the chalice. I ultimately have control, and I’ll use it.”
“Wait…” Tarian tensed. “What’s this now?”
“I thought Eldric would’ve told you—” She went through the memories from earlier, showing their conversation about what would happen if she pulled back before the magic killed her.
“No,” Tarian drew out. “He didn’t mention it, and it wasn’t in his head from the meeting.”
“Well, now you know I hold the power. Suck it.”
He huffed out a laugh. She could feel his body move as he shook his head. “The gods are tricky, I’ll give them that. So yes, the power is in your hands, after all.”
“I mean…kinda.”
“You can stop me.”
“Yes.”
“You can nullify me if you don’t want to go through with this.”
“Assuming I could ignore being repeatedly shocked and learn how, yes. In theory. It would be your sword against mine. And I’m not so sure I could take you, to be honest.”
“Don’t be absurd. I’d be dying before I realized you meant to kill me. I’d already be dead if my knife had allowed it.”
She preened, angling so he could see her smile.
His eyes were deep and soft. He brought a hand up to trace a thumb against the edge of her lips. “You’re so fucking beautiful, little dove. The pleasure of looking upon you is so sharp it pains me. We’ve always been worried about your breaking, but I think it will be me who suffers the most.”