Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 120974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
“You’re making a big mistake,” I say desperately. “Please—I just want to be with my mother! Please, just let me go.”
“I cannot—you’re locked up by orders of the Prince,” he says.
“But you can’t trust him—he killed the King and tried to kill the Queen!” I protest.
He scowls.
“You’re not helping your claims that you’re not mad with these wild accusations, Princess.”
“But—”
“I must go now. I’m sure someone will be down to check on you later,” he says.
That’s what I’m afraid of. I’m down here alone and now my brother and the Head Healer both know that I know they’re murderers.
“Just keep a guard on my mother,” I say, as he turns away. “Please—don’t let her be alone with either my brother or the Head Healer. I beg you.”
He stops and turns back to me.
“You really believe this, don’t you—that the Crown Prince poisoned the King and Queen?”
“Yes,” I say earnestly. “Because it’s true.”
For a moment, I think I’ve gotten through to him. He takes a deep breath.
“I’ll promise you this—my guards won’t leave Her Majesty’s side. And no one will give her anything to eat or drink but me. I will personally see to her safety.”
“Thank you,” I say with heartfelt sincerity. “So you’ll set me free?”
He shakes his head.
“Can’t do that—sorry. I cannot take your word over the Crown Prince’s so completely.”
“But—”
“I must go, Princess,” he says. “If what you say has even a spark of truth, it’s best if you stay down here out of sight. I’ll come to check on you later or send one of my trusted men.”
And he leaves—leaves me there in the dark, chained and helpless.
Oh Goddess—what am I going to do?
77
VALEN
She is in danger! OUR MATE IS IN DANGER!
My Drake is roaring in my head, demanding that I listen to him.
I don’t feel anything from the collar, I tell him. But I’m uneasy too. We haven’t gone far from the castle but going back—especially in my Drake form—might put Irena at risk.
I mean, it would be one thing if she wanted me there—if she was waiting for me to rescue her. That wouldn’t be a problem. But what if I go back and she doesn’t want me—what if she’s determined to put what we had in the past and never think of me again?
In that case, showing up in her Court would only make her a pariah among her people—a woman who consorted with a “beast” would definitely be loathed and vilified. And…
Fuck, what am I saying? Of course I’m going back. My Drake may be feeling something I can’t sense because of all the blood we’ve taken from her. And there’s also the fact that I gave her a drop of my blood to heal, back when we first flew away together. That formed a kind of blood-bond—one that lingers between us, even though I haven’t actually Bonded her to me.
We turn in the sky, wheeling in a huge circle to head back towards the castle.
We’re going, I tell my Drake. But don’t be surprised if she wants nothing to do with us.
She needs us! he insists. We must hurry—hurry!
He stretches himself and his great wings—our wings—slice through the sky, speeding us onward. As we go, I begin to feel his sense of urgency as my own. What if she’s in trouble? What if she’s chained up in the dungeon as she was in that fucking vision the Door of Uncertainty showed me?
What if she’s dead?
The thought is unbearable—I push it away. But a shadow of fear is growing in my mind. I need to get to her—need to make certain she’s all right. If she sends me away again, I’ll go—for good this time. But first, I have to be certain she’s well and safe.
I just hope those fucking visions were false glimpses of the future because if either of them was true…
I can’t think about that but inside I feel a drumbeat of fear and uncertainty growing…ever growing.
Fuck—I have to get to her!
78
IRENA
I’m chained in the dark for hours. I have to stand—the chains won’t let me sit. I don’t even want to lean back against the wall—a trickle of water is running down the stones behind me and slimy black moss has grown there. The scent of rot and damp invades my nostrils and I shiver with cold in my drafty cell.
It makes me realize what Valen went through when Kellis had him trapped down here. No wonder he hated me when we first met—no wonder he still hates my people.
I don’t blame him.
The iron manacles chafe my wrists painfully, but I pull against them just the same. I keep thinking I could get my hands free, if I just twisted a little more. I only stop when I feel blood—warm and sticky—trickling down my wrists.
I try using magic too. I can feel it inside me—swirling around like an untapped source of water, deep underground. Maybe if I went back to the Lady of Thornmere, she could teach me how to tap it—like drilling a well to get to what I need. But for now, I can’t seem to reach it.