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)
I would be a fool to read into her words for anything other than what she intends. Which is to leave. No matter what she says, it won’t take years to find the Crimson Hag. If we’re not able to track them down in the next week or two, then we’ll travel to Lyari and wait for them there. All of the Cŵn Annwn are required to stop in at some point during the year to report to the Council. Even if we missed the Crimson Hag when we initially arrived, it would be less than a year before they returned—sooner if the Council had reason to summon them.
But I don’t say any of that out loud.
Lizzie’s fingers twitch as if she wants to reach for my hand but stops herself. “Do you want a claim on me, Maeve?” she asks again.
Some long-buried instinct demands that I do anything to avoid baring even a portion of my heart to this woman, who’s destined to break it. But I’ve never been a coward, and I won’t start now. No matter the consequences. I tell the truth. “Yes.”
At my soft word, she finally moves, hooking the edge of my chair with her foot and dragging me around the side of the table to her. She laces my fingers with hers and lifts them to her lips to press a soft kiss to my knuckles. “Then we find a way through.”
So much contained in that single sentence. I know better than to hope, and yet hope flutters in my chest all the same. It’s tempting to seek reassurances, but it wouldn’t be fair to ask her for them. Lizzie has none to give me.
Instead, I focus on the problem in front of us. “You need to feed.”
“I won’t—”
Feed from me. “I know.” I hold up a hand. “But the fact remains that you do need to.”
Lizzie shifts in her seat. “You know the nature of my bite. I have no intention of taking anyone else to bed, but there’s no way to control the side effect. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself in demanding exclusivity, but the thought of you with someone else makes me want to bathe the room in blood. And I don’t want anyone but you.”
Gods, does she know what her words do to me? The longer our conversation goes on, the more of the old Lizzie I see, as if she’s drawing her coldness around her like a barrier. Part of me mourns the loss, and yet I find it reassuring all the same. There’s still warmth lingering in her dark eyes. Warmth that’s just for me. Somehow, that makes it all the more special.
“What if . . . we find a compromise?”
“I’m listening.”
I take a deep breath. “There must be a brothel or three in Drash. You can explain your needs, and I imagine one of the people there will agree to feed you. If I’m in the room, maybe it won’t be so upsetting.” There’s every possibility that it will be even more upsetting to watch someone else come apart in her arms, all while wishing it was me. But if I’m not there, I’ll wonder. It’s unfair in the extreme—I can acknowledge that—but it’s the truth. “Maybe I’m asking too much.”
Lizzie’s lips curve and her smile warms even more. “I like that you’re asking it. I like that you’re jealous.” She leans in, her breath ghosting against the sensitive space behind my ear. “After I feed, I fully intend to reacquaint myself with every inch of your body. How does that sound?”
I can’t quite draw a full breath. My heart thrums in my chest and my skin heats in anticipation. I clear my throat. “That sounds good. Really, really good.”
chapter 24
Lizzie
I’m not certain that I ever actually agree to Maeve’s proposal. One moment, we’re sitting close at the dinner table and I’m inhaling her sea scent, and the next, I find myself in a brothel, her hand linked with mine. Like all the other buildings in Drash, the brothel is carved into the cliff face, its doorway painted a deep violet so dark as to almost be black. The designs are subtle, a shade lighter than the violet, all of night-blooming flowers.
As we step inside, the temperature is several degrees cooler than the outside. It’s honestly a clever design that doesn’t require the use of magic, and a welcome relief from the heat that makes my clothes stick to my skin. The stone insulates from both hot and cold, keeping the building nicely temperate. The main room looks similar enough to brothels everywhere, the lights kept low, sensual music playing low enough to allow for each conversation, and a bar with free-flowing drinks.
The place is packed, most of the low round tables filled with patrons. I identify humans, several lizard folk like Rin, and many who are obviously citizens of islands I have yet to visit. Living as long as I have, I thought I’d seen all there was to see of people, both paranormal and not. Coming to Threshold has more than proven me wrong.