Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Sumina lifted her voice to add her two cents. “We’ve even gifted a few of the prettier ones to some of the court for sexual servants. Is that why you keep this one?”
My face was on fire. Forget the blush beginning at the tips of my ears. The heat immediately suffused my entire face and was sliding down my chest. Did she really ask if I was Nylian’s personal whore? Oh, I had a few things to say about that. Not that I could. Anything that came out of my mouth would most definitely get me killed.
“No, Lockhart isn’t used for that,” Nylian answered, but did he need to sound disappointed about it?
“Why do you keep him? Does he do any tricks?” Beldroth inquired, and it was becoming harder to maintain a blank expression.
“Tricks?” Nylian sounded stumped.
This. This was the exact moment when the floor needed to swallow me up and take me away from this world. If I’d had that damn coin on me, I would have flipped it and said fuck the consequences.
“He has some musical talents, though only at a human level. I find him quite humorous. An entertaining storyteller. Lockhart has proved to be a pleasant traveling companion since I left Wolfrest.” The elf was crawling out of the hole the two royals had dropped him in, and the embarrassment wasn’t in danger of choking me any longer.
“Like a jester?” the king said, and the urge to smack someone returned in a flash.
“Sort of. Mostly, I find I enjoy caring for someone.”
That…was unexpected. I was still trying to digest that strange comment when our companions chimed in.
“Huh. Odd,” Beldroth announced before moseying to the table.
“Very. I can’t say that I’ve ever had that inclination,” Sumina agreed. I believed that about both of them.
The king dug into his plate of food, seeming to forget about us. It was the queen who moved things along again.
“A chamber has been prepared for your stay with us. A guard can return your pet to the dungeon until you have a need for him,” Sumina murmured. She wasn’t even looking in our direction, but picking at some fruit on her plate with a tiny gold fork.
I sucked in a breath, but Nylian immediately spoke, not giving me a chance to step in it.
“Actually, I would prefer to keep him at my side. I find caring for Lockhart very soothing for my nerves, and he’s become something of a valet for me.”
“Very well,” the queen agreed, her tone becoming dismissive, as if she were more than ready to have us out of her sight.
“Tonight!” the king suddenly exclaimed like a sugar-fueled three-year-old. “Tonight, we are throwing a grand party to welcome you here. You must bring your pet along. He’s not too bad-looking, as humans go. A tailor will be along to get you both properly outfitted. It’ll be a wonderful party.”
Nylian bowed, and I followed suit.
Thankfully, a guard stepped up to escort us out of the breakfast room and down many more corridors to our new quarters. This was a sizable step up from the dungeon. It was four times the size of my one-bedroom apartment in my world. Every bit was opulent and luxurious. Especially the bed.
The one fucking bed.
Goddammit.
I was not sleeping on the floor or at the foot of the bed like a good fucking pet.
Nylian dismissed the two servants, who were waiting inside for arrival. The second he closed the door, my mouth flew open, but I didn’t even get the chance to speak. He already had one finger raised, halting my words.
The elf flew across the room to my side. “Elves have excellent hearing, even through walls. Low volume,” he warned.
“Are you fucking shitting me?” I exploded in a harsh whisper. That pretty much covered it, since my brain was in such a froth over that entire conversation that I didn’t even know where to begin. “Seriously? Are you shitting me with that?”
The elf smiled at me, and that only left me feeling more flustered. “I don’t truly see you as a pet. You’re not my jester. You’re not a servant. Adam Lockhart is my equal and my friend.”
Well…hell. That sucked all the indignant wind out of my sails.
“Fine. Whatever,” I muttered. “At least this is better than being in the dungeon. After all the running and sleeping on the ground, I’m ready for someone to pamper my ass.” I turned toward the bed, threw out my arms, and attempted to flop right onto what had to be a ridiculously soft bed.
But I never touched a single thread.
Nylian caught the back of my shirt and left me hanging in the air, balanced on the tips of my toes. “You are not smelling up that bed. Bath first.” As soon as he finished speaking, he spun me around and marched me to a second room with even more marble and an enormous tub that could fit four people with indoor fucking plumbing. “Wash. When you’re done, I’m sure food will be dropped off. We need to look our best tonight.”