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)
The clicking in the back of my throat grew into a roar.
“You sure about that?” the Primal asked.
“I have her under control,” the draken shouted, and I could smell the others’ doubt as I hissed at the Primal, feeling my fur rise. “Or she’ll tire herself out first. Either way, get the fuck out of here.”
The Primal nodded, taking the dark-skinned goddess’s arm. “We won’t be far.”
The draken cursed again. “And do not let Aios in here.”
I started to dig my back paws into the floor as the draken rolled his weight, pushing me down onto my belly. I didn’t like that. Neither…neither part of me did.
“Sera, listen to me,” the draken said, his head pressed against the back of my neck. “You need to get control of your nota. I’m not going to hurt you. You know that.”
I whined, trying to shake him off, but he didn’t budge an inch.
“Stop.” His arms tightened. “Stop and listen to me. I know you’re hurting. I know you’re in pain, and I know that’s not just the physical.”
I panted, trying to get my legs under me. I managed to lift myself about an inch.
“Fucking Fates, Sera,” the draken groaned. “At any other time, I’d find your strength impressive.”
The draken moved then, nearly lying completely on me. I grunted, going flat once more.
“Let’s try this again,” he said, shifting his head. A curtain of black and red hair fell over my face, tickling my whiskers. I opened my mouth. “You know—”
“Do not grab my hair, Sera. That would be rude,” he snapped.
I grabbed a mouthful of his hair and jerked. The draken swore, and for a moment, I thought I had him and twisted my head, preparing to shake him.
“You need to control your nota, Sera,” he growled. “If not for me, then for Ash.”
My muscles tensed as my jaw tightened around the thick strands of hair.
“He can feel all of this,” the draken said, his voice filling with gravel. “He’s been feeling everything you have, and he can’t come to you.”
Ash.
The name echoed in my head, followed by images of silvery eyes that warmed whenever he was with me. Ash. He was mine. My world. My King. My heart.
“You know what it’s doing to him.” The draken’s voice had lowered but thickened. “It’s eating him up. Cutting into him. I don’t want that happening to him.”
A loud whimper left me.
“I don’t want this happening to you.” His ragged breath stirred the fur of my neck. “Please, Sera. I’m here for you. Just like I promised. Remember? When we came back from the Pools? We don’t have to talk. You don’t even have to shift back if that’s not what you want, but I’m here for you. Remember?”
I…I remembered.
I wasn’t sure what got through to me. The reminder that Ash was feeling everything I was? Or the reminder of the promise Nektas had made on the road back to the palace from the Pools of Divanash. Whatever it was, I stopped fighting. I went limp, breathing heavily, the last of the fight-or-flight adrenaline leaving me.
“Can you do me a favor?” Nektas said after a moment. “And let go of my hair?”
Feeling guilt gather in the back of my throat, I spat out the mouthful of hair.
“Thank you.” He lifted his head, and after a moment, shifted his weight off me, but he didn’t let go. Several moments passed. “Sera?”
I made a chuffing sound as I stared forward. Through the open balcony doors, I saw that deep blue had begun to penetrate the night sky.
“There you are.”
I didn’t respond to that, just lay there, exhausted, my heart pounding. We remained that way until dawn broke. Eventually, Nektas sat up. With his back against the foot of the bed, he pulled my head into his lap. I didn’t look at him as I stared outside.
He ran his hand between my ears and continued stroking my fur, the ridges on his palm soothing. By the time he spoke, the sun had risen.
“You should eat something,” he said softly.
I wasn’t hungry.
Nektas seemed to sense the meaning behind my lack of response. “Okay. We’ll try again later.”
He stayed with me, continuing to run his fingers through my fur. My eyes closed when the sunlight began creeping over the shadowstone. I didn’t sleep. Instead, I played every decision I’d made since rising as a Primal over in my mind. Every choice that’d led me to this moment. Where had things gone so terribly wrong? Because I had played a role in what’d happened. I hadn’t listened to my instincts when it came to Kolis. I’d been too determined to be different. To be more like…like how I thought a Queen should be. How I thought Eythos would handle himself, even though I knew that, in the end, that had sealed his fate. Since I’d awakened, I’d tried to have…less knee-jerk reactions. I’d tried to be less impulsive. Less reckless. Less absurd. Less like who I was.