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)
It took a moment for what Rhain said to penetrate the haze of rage. My gaze flew to the door over his shoulder, where Bele waited in the hall. When I brought Bele back to life, I’d Ascended her and, therefore, threatened Hanan’s position as Primal of his Court. Once the embers were transferred, Nyktos would be able to Ascend another to replace a fallen Primal—namely that bitch.
I stared at the door, hands opening and closing at my sides. I prayed that Rhain was right. That her days truly were numbered, but I wanted nothing more than to rip her fangs from her horrid mouth and shove them down her throat.
Rhain stepped toward me. “Nyktos is waiting for you, Your Highness.”
I blinked, startled. “Don’t call me that.”
“But you will be my Queen,” he said, shoulders stiffening once more. This time, they nearly bunched all the way to his ears. “You already have been.”
I stared at him, unsure how to process him saying that, but I didn’t have the mental space for it.
Not when all I breathed was fury.
And sorrow.
Chest squeezing tightly, I closed my eyes. Acid pooled in my stomach. Nyktos…his blood was a part of him he likely never would’ve shared with her if she hadn’t discovered who I was. It was coercion whether he’d offered it or agreed to it. Blackmail. I hated that he’d been in that situation. Loathed that it was because of me, and I hadn’t even known.
Why would he do that for a Consort he’d never wanted?
That went beyond goodness and into a realm I couldn’t even fathom, one I knew beyond a doubt that I didn’t deserve. Hell, I could only think of a few people who would deserve that. Ezra was one. Marisol. My breath snagged. Nyktos. No one should ever have to do such a thing. But he deserved the same kind of sacrifice.
Guilt festered, and not because I felt responsible for what Veses had forced upon him. Because, like Bele had said, Nyktos and Veses hadn’t made sense. I’d known that, but my hurt feelings had overshadowed what was right in front of my face.
But I never would’ve imagined that this was why. I wouldn’t have wanted to.
“How many know?” I asked. “You and Ector?”
“And Nektas.”
I wasn’t surprised to hear that. There seemed to be very little Nektas didn’t know. But he wouldn’t have shared this with me.
“You level?” Rhain asked quietly.
“No,” I whispered, opening my eyes. “I…I don’t want him to have done that for me—for anyone.”
“I know,” he said, watching me. “Veses was here…” Understanding flickered across his features. “That’s what set you off that day. You saw them.” He cursed, shoving his hand through his hair. “I couldn’t figure it out—what obviously had changed between you and Nyktos. It was her.”
There was no point in lying. “I saw them.”
“And he didn’t tell you why he was with her.”
I shook my head.
Rhain’s jaw tightened. “He wouldn’t want you to know his shame.”
“That’s not his shame.” I stiffened until all the many tiny diamonds felt as if they were cutting into my skin. “It’s hers.”
His eyes shone more amber than brown. “You and I know that, but would either of us feel like that if we were in that position?”
“No.” I didn’t need to think about it. And, gods, that…that broke my heart. I could barely bring myself to talk about how Tavius had behaved toward me. I’d even downplayed his actions because it was too hard to speak of them. And what he’d done was nothing compared to what Veses had to Nyktos. I pressed my lips together as I blinked rapidly, trying to clear away the dampness there.
A knock on the door interrupted. “Everything okay in there?” Bele called out.
Rhain looked at me.
Dragging in a deep breath, I nodded as I exhaled slowly, forcing my hands to relax at my sides. “Nyktos is waiting for me.”
He turned for the door, then faced me. “Do you love him?”
The floor felt as if it shifted under my feet. Love? Nyktos? My mouth opened, but I couldn’t find any words to speak.
Rhain tilted his head back. “I…I think I was wrong about you.”
“Did you all notice anything strange?” Lailah asked as we entered the foyer. Shoulder-length braids fell back from her face as she glanced up at the glass candles. “I swear the entire palace was shaking a couple of minutes ago.”
“Odd,” Rhain murmured, and that was all he said.
I couldn’t even think about the fact that I hadn’t actually lost control. That the rage I’d felt had somehow calmed me. There was no space for that, either. I was reeling from what Nyktos had done to keep me safe—what he’d put himself through before I even knew him.
Bile gathered in my throat, threatening to choke me as Saion and Rhahar turned from the doors. They were speaking, but they fell silent and stared, and it went on long enough to draw me from my thoughts.