Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
The blow I had delivered had been clean, but not all that quick. It would’ve taken several minutes for him to bleed out, and I hated thinking about those minutes, but I needed that extra time. The draken’s soul could’ve already entered Arcadia, and I couldn’t let myself think on what it meant to pull his soul back. And maybe I should. Because who was I to make this choice?
But nothing about this draken’s death had been natural. It hadn’t been his time. It hadn’t been my choice.
This was.
And right or wrong, I was willing to live with this one.
I placed my hands on his chest, mindful of the dried blood.
“No one ever comes into my private chambers,” Attes said in response to Nyktos’s order. “Until today, that is.”
“And you will not speak of what you’re about to see,” Nyktos continued, coming closer to the table as I closed my eyes, summoning the embers of life. “If you do, I will level your Court, Attes. And I will hunt you down. And it will not be your eyes I remove when I find you.”
The embers responded with a rush of heat and energy, flooding my veins. I saw silver, even behind my closed lids. I felt the power rushing through me, running down my arms and across my fingers. My palms warmed as eather sparked, tingling and absolute.
“You know, I’m getting really tired of your threats, Nyktos. You could actually think to—” Attes cut himself off with a gasp as the scent of freshly bloomed lilacs filled the space. “Holy fuck.”
I opened my eyes, sucking in air as a silvery glow rippled over the draken, washing over the puncture wound in his chest and then seeping inside. A staggering, high-pitched sound came from outside, something I recognized as a draken’s call. It was answered in a chorus that must have echoed through the entirety of the Court.
“Holy fuck,” Attes repeated, stumbling back from the table.
All the draken’s veins lit up, first at the chest and then along his neck and cheeks. For a brief second, the draken was luminous, bright as a star. Then the eather faded.
Heart pounding, I lifted my hands. “I…I don’t know if it will work.”
Nyktos leaned in. “If it doesn’t, it will—”
“It won’t be okay,” I whispered. “Maybe I need to try again. I might need to try harder.” I went to place my hands on the draken’s chest.
“Sera.” Nyktos reached over, catching my hand. I started to pull free—
The draken’s chest rose in a deep, ragged breath as his eyes fluttered open—eyes that were an intense, cobalt blue. Just as Nektas’s had briefly been. The staggered call came again from outside.
“Thank gods,” I whispered, falling against the table as I smiled. “It worked.”
Nyktos squeezed my hand. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his whirling eyes. “It did.”
“I…” The young draken cleared his throat, blinking eyes that deepened into their normal polished, ruby hue. He looked down at his chest, placing a shaking hand against the now-healed skin. His gaze flew to mine. “Meyaah Liessa,” he rasped.
“No. Just Sera,” I told him, voice thick and trembling. “How do you feel?”
“I feel…okay,” he answered, glancing at Attes as the Primal inched closer to the table. “Just tired. Really tired.”
“I think that’s normal,” I said, lightly touching his arm. “You’ll likely need rest for a while. I hope you’re—” I cut myself off. “You will just need rest.”
“Yeah.” He looked at Attes again.
“He’ll need to shift forms,” the Primal explained, glancing at me before focusing on the draken. “You’ll be safe here to rest.”
He nodded, eyes closing. “Thad.”
“Excuse me?” I questioned.
“Thad,” he repeated sleepily. “My name is Thad.”
“You’re going to have to keep him hidden,” Nyktos said as I stood by the open doors. The mountains of Vathi were beautiful, but it was hard to see them with the dozen or so draken now lining the Rise. “Kolis likely felt that.”
Attes snorted. “Yeah, he did. We all felt that.”
“He may even need to be hidden from Kyn.”
“That could be a problem.”
I glanced over my shoulder, first checking the brown-and-black-scaled draken now curled up on his side on the table. His tail, still without its spikes, hung off the edge.
“Kyn cares for the draken.” Attes was pacing by the table. “He may think that one of the others took care of Thad, but he spends a lot of time in the mountains.”
“Then, when he wakes, you can bring him to the Shadowlands,” Nyktos offered. “Nektas will keep him safe and hidden.”
Attes nodded. “That he will.”
“We cannot linger.”
“No.” Attes cocked his head toward me. “That charm she bears will not work here.”
“No,” I said. “It will not.”
“Kolis may send the dakkais here,” Nyktos warned. Nothing had happened yet, but I knew that didn’t mean anything. “To search for the embers.”
“We’ll be ready if he does.”