Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
“In what way?”
“Leaves rustle on trees, lakes ripple, that kind of thing. It completely rejuvenated my passion for art.” She tucks a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “Sorry. I’m rambling. So what kind of magic do you have there?”
“I don’t know the scope of it yet but Krav uses it to make me things. He can conjure stuff out of thin air. Pillows. Clothes. Inanimate stuff.” My collar. I swallow against the lump in my throat.
“That’s so cool! Rose and her mate have some magic powers, too, I believe—I watched them float high into the air on this big glass platform once. Have you been able to conjure anything yourself?”
“Me? No.”
“Apparently, it’s one of the signs of a soul-bond. The kings around here get powers from their respective lands. Some sort of symbiosis. And then their mates—queens—get powers too, via the claiming bond. You did tell us Krav claimed you, right?”
I’m not following this conversation very well. “Um, I think so. I mean, he bit me, said we were bound together now, but…” The sorrow chokes me, like I’ve got glass stuck in my throat. “Let’s just say it’s not going well.”
“I’m sorry.” Emma’s expression reflects the pain I feel. “I guess congratulations are not in order?”
“No. They are not.” I rub my chest. “For one thing, he refuses to treat me like an equal. I’m all about being submissive in bed, but outside of that, I want a partner… ideally to have kids with him. It’s so typical. I finally meet the guy I could see myself starting a family with, and then it turns out he doesn’t want that. In fact, he’s been actively preventing it. Without my knowledge.”
Emma’s blue gaze is full of compassion. “Oh, babe. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper. I press my eyes as if I can push my tears back in. “I’m dealing with it.”
There’s a long pause. “Would you leave him, if you could?” Her voice is so soft, I wonder if I heard right.
“I wouldn’t know how.” It’s easier to focus on the logistics than the emotional implications.
“We could find a way. I’ll think of something. You’d just have to trust me.”
“He’d never let me go.” The scar on my neck throbs. “He’s a possessive bastard.”
“He’s an Alpha. They all are.” Emma sighs, tapping her chin. “Still, I’m certain we could get you out—and even keep him away, if it came down to it. Pyreda doesn’t have a standing army. There’s no reason for it—no one wants to claim an inhospitable land full of fire.”
My first instinct is to defend this kingdom, but I swallow my response. Why should I care what she says about this place? After all, it’s true. “I really appreciate your offer to help but I wouldn’t want you to put yourself out. Or put yourself in any kind of danger.”
She scoffs. “We wouldn’t be in any danger. Unlike Krav, we do have an army. And Khan is a warrior like no other.” I’ve noticed she glows whenever she says his name.
“You’re crazy about him, aren’t you? Khan?”
Her eyes soften. “Yeah. I didn’t like him all that much at first, but when it came down to it… I couldn’t bear to leave him. The point is, he gave me the choice.”
“He did?”
“Yes. And you deserve someone like that. Someone you stay with because you want to, not because you have to.”
“You’re right. I do deserve exactly that.” The old Renee, Earth Renee, might not have agreed with her so readily, but I’m not that woman anymore. Give me all—or nothing. No more half-assed crap. No more being a glorified booty call. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. We humans have to stick together. Now, here’s what I was thinking about your escape…”
As Emma explains her ideas, I’m torn between my head and my heart. Could I really do it? Leave the guy I’ve fallen for? Memories of our time together—both happy and sad—swirl though my mind like an emotional merry-go-round.
But at the end of the day, it all boils down to one thing: he doesn’t love me.
And as Emma said: I deserve someone who does.
It’s as simple—and heartbreaking—as that.
Fifteen
Krav
I pace the halls of my castle, my anger my only companion. The sound of my stomping boots is a hollow replacement for the music in the bond. There is nothing between me and my Omega but a haze of anguish. The pain increased with every tear that spilled from her eyes, and I did nothing. She wept and I did not comfort her. She even rejected my purr.
Ever since, she's been miserable in her rooms. If I reach out, braving the torment in the bond, I can sense her weary sorrow. My talons cut into my palms. I wish I could rip into my chest and tear my heart to shreds. End this agony.