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)
To my surprise, he throws back his head and laughs—a full-throated rumble that I can feel in my bones. Then he looks down at me again.
“No,” he says flatly.
No? He’s not supposed to be able to say “no”—is he? Not when I wear the ring and he wears the collar!
“You will bear me over the Poison Desert and to the Sorceress’s stronghold,” I say again, putting all the force of will I can muster behind the words. “I will be your Mistress.”
“You can call yourself whatever you fucking want, but I’m not flying over the fucking desert with you on my back,” he says. “I’d have to fly so high above sand to keep the poison fumes from killing us both that you’d freeze to death.”
For a moment, I’m speechless. Then I find my voice.
“I don’t care about the cold—I have my cloak,” I tell him.
“And you think that will save you?” He lifts one eyebrow at me sardonically.
“I’ll be fine.” I toss my head impatiently. “I have my magic to keep me warm.”
Of course, I have no idea if the magic in my blood will actually keep me warm, but it’s better to make him think I’m more magical than I actually am.
He gives me a speculative look.
“All right. Tell me why you want to go so badly—badly enough to come and face the ‘beast’ in his den.”
The way he’s talking really surprises me. All my life I’ve been taught that the beasts are ignorant and animalistic—not intelligent enough to hold a simple conversation with, let alone a debate. Yet, despite his use of profanity, he seems more than able to keep up with me.
I decide not to lie.
“My mother, Queen Lorraina, is ill. She needs a Health Draught prepared by the Sorceress of Thornmere.” I hold up my hand, showing him the silver ring which is glowing faintly blue with magic. “And so you are going to take me to her—and back again,” I add quickly, for it would do no good to get the magical cure and then be unable to return.
“Why should I?” he counters. “Why should I help heal your mother—or any of your fucking family? You chained me down here like an animal—I fucking hate you all.”
The look on his face is so fierce—so full of fury—that for a moment I feel my courage falter. Then I remind myself that he is my people’s ancient enemy and I have the power. I’m supposed to anyway, but the ring and collar aren’t working exactly as I expected.
I had imagined that I would give an order and he would obey it at once, without question. Instead, he’s refusing and questioning everything I say. What am I doing wrong?
I don’t know, but there’s nothing I can do but press on.
“It doesn’t matter if you hate me and my family,” I say, lifting my chin. “Though I will point out it was my brother who captured you. My mother objected to keeping you. I believe she would have made him let you go if she hadn’t fallen ill.”
“And what about you, little Princess?” he growls. “Did you say anything against your brother keeping a living, thinking male who has done no harm to you or your family chained in the dungeon? Did you?”
I feel a twinge of guilt—which I try to suppress.
“I…it’s not my place to say anything,” I get out at last. “My brother is the Crown Prince—he is heir to the throne, not me.”
“So you didn’t give a fuck that I was chained down here until you needed to use me,” he snarls. “And now you expect me to ask ‘how high?’ when you say ‘jump!’”
I feel another surge of guilt. Maybe I shouldn’t have believed Kellis when he told us the beast deserved to be chained and locked away. But the Drake people have been our mortal enemies for as long as I can remember—I grew up hearing tales of how they used to burn our towns and fields to the ground before our magicians put the magic, invisible net over all our lands to keep them out.
I push the guilt away again—I’m here to save my mother. That’s all that matters now.
“You must obey.” I tell the beast.
I raise my hand with the ring and watch as it glows a brighter blue and begins to warm. At the same time, I feel a strange sensation—almost like someone or something is pulling on me—maybe even pulling something out of me, though I don’t know what.
“You will take me there and back again,” I insist.
The beast growls but the silver collar around his neck glows brighter too until it matches the ring I wear. He’s fighting me—fighting the power the ring and collar give me over him. The pulling sensation in my midsection grows stronger and I tighten my stomach muscles, trying to endure it—to brace against whatever it is. It doesn’t feel pleasant at all and I have the feeling that something precious is being drained from me.