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)
“The bigger the child grows in your womb, the stronger they will become, Willow. Think about that. You were birthed from a Mythic, and you are Cold Tethered. But even Mythics and Cold Tethered can’t defy the odds of a baby born from the seed and blood of a Regal. Hassha will tell you there is a possibility because, just like you, she relies on hope and thinks she can fix everything. But as someone who does not give a damn about hope, I am telling you right now, the birth of this child will kill you if you feed it any more of our energy.”
My heart slows in rhythm as I stare at Korah. She stares right back, refusing to look away.
I drop my chin, and anger floods through me. I squeeze my hands into fists so tight my nails pierce my palms.
“Willow, please.” Caz’s cool fingers press to my chin. When our eyes connect, his are glossy, pleading.
Damn it.
I hate seeing him like this. Torn. Hopeless.
“I just…I want to be able to help, Caz. That’s it.”
“Help us by staying alive. Can you do that?” he asks.
My throat feels raw, but I answer anyway. “It won’t be enough.”
“So fight,” Korah suggests. I turn my attention to her, and she’s gesturing out of the room. “If you want to do more to feel prepared, come with me to Monarch Terrain right now.”
“It’s the middle of the night.” Caz frowns at her. “She hasn’t even rested.”
I step away from him. “I’ll go.”
“Willow—”
“Wonderful,” Korah says, cutting him off. “Let’s find you some armor.”
SIXTY-THREE
WILLOW
I’m still annoyed with the idea of being useless, and I channel that into sword practicing.
Korah teaches me various techniques, telling me to repeat them with better form, and despite my aching limbs and heavy eyes, I keep going.
It isn’t until the moonlight has been replaced by golden rays that we take a full-length break.
Four days to go.
“Any symptoms so far?” Korah asks, eyeing my belly.
I adjust on a patch of thick grass, guzzling water from a canteen as she stands before me.
“Not many. Maybe more emotional and pudgier in the midsection, but that’s about it.” I squint as threads of sunlight peek through the sloping treetops. “Can you tell how far along I am?”
“Eight weeks,” she answers matter-of-factly.
“Eight?” My eyes expand. “Wow. All this time and I had no idea.”
“Yes, well…” Korah swipes a finger along the blade of her sword, removing a smudge. “It seems you don’t even want the child.”
“What?”
“Actually, allow me to rephrase. It seems you don’t want the best for your child.”
I frown at her. “How can you say that?”
“Willing to kill yourself so the child can live strongly but without a mother? That’s selfish, Willow. You know firsthand how hard life is without a maternal figure.”
I hesitate with my response. “I wasn’t thinking about it that way,” I return, bottling my frustrations. “I was just thinking about the baby being safe from your evil-ass sister. Besides, Juniper and Maeve will be here.”
“This is what she wants, you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Selah. She wants to cause a divide. She wants you and Caspian to bicker and argue so you are distracted, and you are letting her win. You had one nightmare from her. Why do you think you have not had any more?” When I don’t answer, Korah says, “Because we are protecting you. You have doubts about that, but I guarantee you, I will not let my sister fuck with your head.”
Wow.
I think that’s the first time I’ve heard her use the word fuck.
“You can’t protect me forever, especially not when you’re in the middle of a war. She’s going to come for our baby, Korah. I won’t be able to live with myself if that happens.”
“She won’t touch a hair on your child’s head, Willow.” Korah’s eyes harden with intention. “Not while I live and breathe.”
I lift the canteen, guzzling down the remainder of water. “She’s like the devil, I swear,” I mutter.
Korah chuckles at that. “Believe me, the devil from Earth holds no comparison to her.”
I laugh, wrapping my arms around my legs. The black flowers in the field sway gently with the breeze, and the sun rises higher in the sky, causing the dew on the grass to sparkle.
I feel Korah looking at me, but I can’t look at her right now. There is so much going on, not only inside me but outside of me too. Vakeeli is a mess, and everyone is on edge because one woman—one Regal—wants to kill us all.
Say we do win the war, but Caz dies? Or one of his cousins? What if I die somehow? Not only will I be gone, but the baby will be too, so either way we’re fucked.
Sighing, Korah tucks her sword away, removes the strap from her back, and tosses it on the grass. When she’s seated next to me, she takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.