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)
Ash tipped his head back, his jaw tensing.
“There’s more,” I said, my voice trembling as I spoke, even further proof of why I couldn’t be trusted to quell my rage. “He doesn’t just want Sotoria’s soul. He wants us to suffer like he has, and in the most messed-up way that I truly do not need to go into details with.”
Ash didn’t blink. He didn’t breathe. But his eyes turned into pure silver orbs.
“I cannot promise I will not lose control again because of that. I wish I were different, but I’m not,” I told him. “I need you to intervene if I get to that point.”
His entire body jerked back with a swift inhale. “Sera—”
“I know that what I’m asking is horrible. I know. And I hate that I’m asking you this. That I’m putting you in this situation.” Tears blurred his features. I turned and sat on the edge of the bed. “But you cannot allow me to seek vengeance because I will not be able to live with doing something like that again.”
He twisted toward me. “I will help you ensure it doesn’t get to that point.”
“I hope you do. But if you can’t?”
“I will,” he growled, pushing to his feet. He stepped back and thrust a hand through his hair.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “But if you can’t, Ash, I need you to stop me by…by any means necessary.”
He swore, and an icy wind whipped through the bedchamber, tossing my hair across my face. “Do you realize what you’re asking of me?”
“I do.”
“I would have to put you in the ground, Sera. Into stasis. I would have to—” Eyes closing, his fisted hand went to his heart. “I would have to hurt you.”
I could see that this was hurting him. “I’m sorry. I know what it would do to you, and I hate that. I hate that I’m even asking this. But whatever pain you would cause would be momentary. The pain I would cause if I lost control again would end me, Ash. It would. I wouldn’t be able to come back from it. Please,” I whispered. “Please, promise me.”
He was kneeling before me in a heartbeat, the tips of his fingers chasing away the tears. Hands trembling, he rested his forehead against mine and shuddered.
Neither of us spoke for several long moments. When he did, pain coated each word, but so did love. Not the blind, foolish sort, but real love. The hard kind. “I promise,” he rasped, his voice thickening with barely checked agony. “I swear I will stop you—” His voice cracked, and I felt the dampness of his tears mixing with mine. “I will stop you from seeking vengeance.”
The air shifted and charged, responding to the oath made by a Primal. I felt it in my bones—the promise becoming an unbreakable vow that would remain until we entered Arcadia.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
“Did you eat enough?” Ash asked, striding into the antechamber and pulling a white linen shirt over his head.
“Yes.” This morning, he’d asked if I’d slept enough. The answer was the same, even though I could count on one hand how many hours of sleep I’d actually gotten. But I’d slept deeply, apparently having cried myself into exhaustion.
Ash eyed the array of dishes he’d arranged for me like he had when I said I’d gotten enough sleep. I’d eaten something from every plate and bowl. He looked worried when he stepped onto the raised platform. “You sure?”
“I ate two helpings of the sausage.” I patted my belly. “I’m stuffed.”
One side of his lips curled up, and he stopped at my side. He bent, kissed my cheek, and then stepped back. His gaze roamed over my face before fixing on my throat. Eather pierced his eyes as he opened his mouth.
“I know what you’re going to say,” I jumped in. “It’s the same thing you said this morning.”
He sat in the chair to my right. “That hasn’t changed, liessa. Those bruises should’ve healed by now. I want Kye to look you over.”
“I don’t know why the bruises haven’t completely faded, but I feel fine, Ash.” I took a drink of the citrus juice. “I promise.”
Ash didn’t say anything, just picked up the last strip of bacon he hadn’t eaten before he’d left to change.
“And we have too much to do today to waste time summoning a Healer,” I added.
He glanced over at me. “Making sure you’re healthy will never be a waste of time, Sera.”
“It is when I’m okay.” I sat back in the chair, resting my hands on the arms. “We need to decide what we’re doing. I’m pretty sure Kolis is still in stasis, but I doubt he will be for much longer. We need to…”
Wiping his fingers, he then tossed the napkin onto his plate. “Strike before he awakens?”
I nodded. “That’s what I should’ve agreed to when we first had this conversation.”