Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
I’m fucking jealous, like that damn bat is over Luke.
I’m losing my mind, I really am, and it’s not helping that I can’t tell anyone why I’ve been so touchy lately. Luke might understand how I feel, but I can’t trust he’d keep the secret from Kyran. Then, two people would know, and while I trust them both to not spread gossip, I can’t stand them knowing of my failure if Nate’s feelings have cooled since our parting. If he brushes me off after I’ve yearned for him, not once taking another lover in the meanwhile, I’ll look like an utter fool.
I decide to change the subject to one that partially serves my purpose. “How’s the letter training going?”
Luke’s been trying to teach some bats to carry mail, and if he managed to succeed, my correspondence with Nate could drastically speed up.
Luke shakes his head. “Flap is not doing bad, since he’s the most domesticated. He delivers messages within the castle with ease, and that’s exciting, but he’s also afraid to venture out much, because he’s such a gentle soul. And to be honest, I don’t want to risk his safety. The ones I’ve befriended in the caves are tough but don’t follow instructions and are hard to train.”
“Maybe… I don’t know. Maybe we could get more dogs and train them?” I pet Lady’s head when she yelps in excitement, as if understanding every word. So maybe she’s not growing ‘right’, but unlike the bats, she’s perfectly sweet and obedient.
“To carry post?”
“Why not? Her size and strength would ensure nobody attempts stealing the letters, and she’d be able to fend for herself against other beasts.” But who am I kidding? I’d never let this dog leave palace grounds on her own. I must be at my wits end to even propose such a thing. If I secretly followed her, however, I could even watch Nate accepting my message. “Oh, and… what-was-his-name, Nate, the promised, he’s great with animals. He could help you.” And stay with me at court. Forever.
Luke frowns, approaching the kelpie. “Why are you pretending you don’t remember his name?”
I stare at Luke, dumbstruck and getting hot under the collar. “I… what?”
“You spent two whole days with him. You know his name.”
The stableboy has left a set of portable stairs at the beast’s side, and Luke settles in the saddle, ready for his morning ride. Looking at me from above, he makes the picture of a perfect Dark Companion to the Lord of the Nocturne Court. His eyelids are painted with dusky shadows, his skin is so pale, and he carries the aura of someone who knows his position. For the two years he’s been here, he’s grown adept at navigating court intrigues and has become his husband’s biggest asset in that regard.
Yet all I crave is the sun-kissed human who blushes quickly, smiles almost too widely, and is so kind he died saving a puppy. I’ve fallen for his openness and honesty as if it’s what I’ve been missing after a whole life at court.
I’ve never been much of a schemer, so I might have overdone it with pretending how much I don’t care about Nate. It’s a tricky balance I’ve never been able to strike, so instead I usually rely on brashness and confrontation. When it comes to Nate though, I want to keep my cards close to my chest.
I shrug and grin at him. “You know me. Memory like a sieve.”
Not when it comes to Nate. I remember every beauty spot and freckle on him. The way he smelled of wood and amber, how two of the dark curls on his forehead were longer than the rest.
How he pressed his face to the crook of my neck and teased me with his warm breath all night long. How he looked at me, cold and forlorn, right after I fished him out of the River of Souls. And maybe one day, I will have the best of artisans work on a tapestry woven out of all the memories we make.
But first, I need him back at my side, not soaking up Gloombane’s poison.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the gradual cooldown of Nate’s interest in me had something to do with his promised besmirching my name every day. Telling him what a failure I’ve been to let Prince Kyranis die, or that I’m incompetent as a Nightcloak, or any manner of lies for that matter.
I’m deep in my thoughts when Luke hums, “And there’s the mail. Let me know if they’re arriving,” he says, and he’s off.
Might be for the better, because I don’t want him to witness my disappointment, if the missive proves as dry as the last one
The postman is on horseback, and I rush to stop him before he even gets to the stables. Lady is right by me, just like I taught her.