Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
A sharpness pierces through my ribs and I gasp, clutching her hand holding the hilt as Killian bellows in protest.
“Tell me, little one. How invincible do you feel now?” Selah’s teeth gleam beneath the chandeliers as she snatches the dagger out.
I drop to my knees, clutching my side now damp with blood. But just as quickly as the pain comes, it disappears and I’m forced to my feet again.
“But just as easily as I can kill you, I can restore you too.” Her eyes light up, filled with strange amusement.
I touch the wound, and it’s gone. Not even a trace of blood remains.
“Pardon me, your majesty, but what do you mean she has the Seed of Yuri inside her?” Callista inquires. “There is only one person who was promised his seed, and he’s currently in Blackwater.”
Selah’s fierce eyes flicker from me to Callista. She looks her over before focusing on me again. “I can smell his seed in you. It’s been planted.”
“What are you talking about?” I counter.
Selah’s eyes widen, and I’m surprised to see her lips curl into a smile. A sinister one but still a smile, no less. “Oh, now this is rich. Don’t tell me I’m the one breaking the news to you.” She moves closer while I back away. Selah moves again until she’s right in front of me, then she leans down to press her ear to my belly. “I can hear it’s frantic little heartbeat.”
I freeze, eyes expanding as my heart drops.
Standing tall again, Selah smirks.
“Do you mean to tell me she’s carrying Caspian’s child?” Callista asks in disbelief.
“Indeed she is. Too bad it won’t have time to escape her womb.”
Before I can take another breath, Selah’s wraps a hand around my throat and lifts me in the air. I struggle to breathe as I claw at her arm, feeling the breath dwindle from my lungs. Her lava-like eyes bore into mine as her smile grows wider.
“If…you…kill…me…” I say with my remaining breaths, “you’ll…never…get…to Caz.”
At that, she softens her grip and places me on my feet again, but she doesn’t release my throat. I can breathe though.
“He’ll know I’m dead as soon as you end my life,” I tell her, breathing raggedly. “And when he feels it, he’ll probably kill himself. He won’t want to live without me, and I know it’s him you really need. If he dies, you gain nothing.”
The ballroom falls silent for seconds that feel endless until someone clears their throat.
“If I may, your majesty,” Callista interjects. “What she says is a large possibility. We’ve studied Caspian for quite some time, and he can be suicidal. He cares nothing for his life and only continues to live it for her sake. If she’s dead and he’s gone, the blood and the seed he carries will go to waste and your sisters will continue to have the upper hand.”
Finally, Selah removes her hand from me completely and takes a step back, drilling those orange orbs into me. “You’re clever,” she states with a sneer.
I rub my throat and inch backwards. She has so much energy inside that I can feel it humming off her skin. It’s hot and dangerous…just like her.
“Fine.” Selah flips around and sashays up the staircase to reach the throne again. “If I am to beat at least one of my sisters right now, we must take a journey.”
“We?” Callista questions.
“Yes. Every single person in this room,” Selah declares with a sly grin. “Why not make it a festivity?”
When Killian is on his feet, the room melts away. The marble floors and columns are replaced with open air and water, and when I look down, I’m hovering above the ocean.
And that’s when I scream.
THIRTY-FIVE
WILLOW
Killian clutches me as we take in our surroundings.
A laugh erupts behind us, and I peer over my shoulder to see Selah and The Council floating nearby.
“You will not fall unless I want you to,” Selah says, sauntering past us. She’s walking on air, and The Council are doing the same.
I’m too afraid to move, but Killian tests it out. He’s able to take one step and then another. He gives me a nod, and I follow his lead.
The ocean roars beneath us, the water slapping into jagged rocks and stroking the cliffs. The sky is gray and the air is humid.
We don’t stop until Selah reaches a coffin suspended in the air.
“They really thought I wouldn’t find him.” Selah waves a hand, and the lid of the coffin flips open.
My breath hitches at the familiar sight of dark hair, pale skin, and the hawkish nose. His eyes are closed, but that takes nothing away from the wicked look he carries, even while resting.
Decius.
Selah plunges a hand into his chest and rips out the piece of Trench tree wood Korah had shoved into his heart. Then she rubs his forehead, smiling down at him like he’s a harmless child.