Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Which means they’re no help to me in my current predicament.
“What did the Crimson Hag steal from you?” I finally ask. I can’t pretend having Lizzie at my side wouldn’t be an asset. She and Nox took out an entire ship full of the Cŵn Annwn. It’s the kind of protection that would cost a small fortune if I were paying for it.
And all she wants in return is a guide.
“A set of priceless family heirlooms. I need to reclaim them before I can return home.”
I can’t trust this woman. She’s obviously dangerous in the extreme and ruthless enough to murder her way to her goals. But if she needs a guide, then she has a vested interest in keeping me alive. And if we’re retrieving my pelt first, I can always escape her if I need to. She might be fearsome, but in my other form, I can swim faster and hold my breath significantly longer. She’ll never catch me.
Still . . .
I clear my throat. “I’ll think about it. We have a couple days before we reach Viedna. I’ll give you my answer then.”
“So be it.” She lets me walk a few steps before she speaks again. “Maeve.”
I don’t want to stop, don’t want to turn back and look at her gorgeous face again. I do both. “What?”
“Find something else to do for a while before you come back to the room tonight.”
I blink, understanding making me blush against my will. “Are you fucking someone in our room?” The question comes out sharper than I intend, but it’s not for any jealous reason. I don’t know Lizzie. She’s as gorgeous as some fey creature designed solely to lure the unwary through a mushroom circle—and just as dangerous. I’m not certain I want to be trapped in close proximity with her, even if it’s looking increasingly like she’s my only chance to get my pelt back. Having anything other than a working relationship is a fool’s bargain.
“No.” She doesn’t blink. “I need to feed. I don’t mind an audience, but it makes people like you uncomfortable to witness.”
People like me.
What does that mean?
She walks away before I can decide if I want to respond—or what I’d even say. It’s just as well. We have vampires in Threshold . . . I think. I’ve heard rumor of them a time or two, but I’ve never encountered them personally. They’re said to be ravening beasts that hunt in the darkness and hide from the light. The sun doesn’t seem to bother Lizzie in the least.
I’ve got to stop thinking about the vampire. I’ll do that. Right now . . .
To distract myself, I try once more to convince Nox to change their plans. I know it’s a lost cause, but since it’s becoming clear that the alternative is to ask Lizzie for help, I’m getting desperate. “Please, Nox. If I have to take the vow—”
“No.” They cut me off sharply. “In fact, fuck no. I am not putting that chain around anyone’s neck, let alone someone I actually care about. I’m sorry I can’t help, Maeve. Truly, I am. But things are in motion, and not even I can stop them.”
“What things?”
They take a deep breath, obviously striving for patience. Their legendary flirtation is nowhere in evidence. “You are an informant and a very vital part of our network in this region of Threshold.”
The cold finger of fear slides down my spine. “Why are you saying it like that?”
“I’m acknowledging that you have been instrumental in getting numerous people home and saving lives, because what I say next is less kind.” They meet my eyes steadily. “You are not Cŵn Annwn. This is your fight because you’re a citizen of Threshold, but it’s not your fight in the same way that it’s mine and everyone else’s on this ship. You could go back to your life, stop working with the rebellion, and live to a ripe old age, unbothered by the shit we’re fighting for.”
My throat burns and my skin heats. I’ve considered Nox a friend, but I want to scream in their face at how dismissive their words are. “That’s not fair.”
“That’s reality, love.” Their smile is bittersweet. “You don’t have to hunt down your pelt. That bastard will bring it around again, wanting to use it against you. Just be patient.”
I stop short. “I thought we were friends.”
“I’m not speaking of this.” They take my shoulder and turn me toward the door of their cabin. “And I’m not having this conversation again, Maeve. I’m sorry about your pelt, but I have my orders, and those take precedence.”
I hate the burning in my eyes. Hate how my body betrays my anger with tears. Hate how anyone witnessing it will assume that I’m weeping to gain sympathy. “Then, why save me at all?”