Total pages in book: 362
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
“I don’t know if I should feel complimented or insulted,” I drawled.
“Well,” Bele began.
“Or just really confused,” I added.
Aios lightly smacked the arm around her waist. “What Bele is trying to say is that she senses your…temperament.”
“It comes with the Court lineage. The whole Hunt and Divine Justice thing,” Bele explained. “Sensing one’s temperament—”
“Allows you to be a better hunter,” I finished for her, either my foresight or my knowledge kicking in.
“And to deliver divine justice,” Bele said as Aios smoothed a hand across her arm. “Sensing someone’s natural temperament helps to know if someone’s act was a one-off or something in their nature.”
“Makes sense.” Twisting the end of my braid, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “So, my absurdity? What exactly does that mean? And what does it tell you?”
“It means you’re someone who would shadowstep to a whole-ass different Court without ever shadowstepping anywhere by yourself before.”
“I knew I would be fine,” I denied.
Both of Bele’s brows rose. “Sure,” she said, and I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, you’re impulsive.”
Knee-jerk reactions. Ash would agree with her.
“You’re easily distracted.” Bele’s words snapped my attention back to her. She smirked. “Hot-tempered. Violent if provoked. And, sometimes, even when you’re not all that provoked.”
“I feel attacked,” I muttered.
Streaks of eather flared in Bele’s eyes. “You’re wild and reckless in a way that borders on having a death wish,” she continued, her voice carrying a hum of power. “You have a vengeful nature.”
My nose scrunched. “You can stop now.”
“Good luck with that,” Aios murmured, leaning into Bele. “She’s in the zone.”
She was definitely somewhere…creepy. Her stare was unblinking, and a faint luminous glow filled the veins of her cheeks as she fixated on me—or looked into me. “You don’t think enough, yet you’re an overthinker. You can switch from joy to rage in a snap. The only thing predictable about you is that you’re unpredictable.”
Our gazes met. The silky threads of power in her voice and the swirling wisps of eather were eerily mesmerizing.
“But you’re also loyal and dedicated. Caring. You have a strong sense of what is wrong and what is right, even if you operate in the middle.” Bele blinked, and the eather dimmed. When she spoke again, the tendrils of power were gone. “Your nature is in juxtaposition with itself. A certain brand of absurdity just like mine—poor people skills included.” She winked before nipping at Aios’s neck, causing the goddess to squeak. “But as I said before, you’ve got a lot of that leashed right now.”
I honestly had no idea what to say to any of that. What she said felt really spot-on, but for some reason, I was uncomfortable with what she’d sensed. She’d missed an adjective in her long list. Monstrous. But maybe that was the part I had leashed. And if so, shouldn’t that make me happy? I should be less impulsive, or in Bele’s words, less my own personal brand of absurd—
I stopped myself. “Why am I even standing here talking about this with you?”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Bele said.
“Gods, you’re annoying.” I smiled at Aios. “You are not.”
The goddess grinned.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” Bele shouted. “You don’t look half-dead anymore.”
I flipped her off and walked past the empty pedestal—I really needed to put something on that thing.
Ignoring the new Primal’s laughter, I made my way down the hall. My stomach had stopped turning over. Maybe Bele’s caustic attitude had an oddly calming effect on me.
The doors to Ash’s office were open, and my gaze, like always, immediately connected with his. He sat with his booted feet resting on the edge of the desk and one hand on the dark surface. Long fingers tapped slowly as his eyes narrowed slightly. I hoped I didn’t still look pale or, according to Bele, like death warmed over.
Pulling my gaze from Ash’s, I took stock of the office. The items I’d requested the day before now occupied some of the space. Two dove-gray chairs had been placed across from the settee, and Saion sat on one. But that wasn’t all. Another end table, this one round, had been positioned between the chairs. And they weren’t the only new additions. A table had been brought in and put behind the settee, where Rhain sat. Two pitchers and several glasses were on the narrow stand.
I mouthed thank you to Rhain as I walked through the pillared alcove. He gave me a quick nod in return as Ash motioned me to him with a curled finger.
I walked around the desk, spying a slender black box almost the length of my forearm on the credenza.
“Attes said he had some news to share.” Ash dropped his other foot to the floor and took my hand. He tugged me down until I sat in his lap. “We were waiting for you to join us.”