Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
My mother will no doubt hear all about it tomorrow. But that won’t be my problem anymore. I can’t wait to be out of here. The plan is to spend months decorating our new apartments within the palace and fill them with all the lovely things I’ve squirreled away over the years. I even have a few gifts for Sabine’s baby boy, Nathan. She will surely be over the moon to get some human toys.
Mother’s standing by the door, watching every box. She warned me that I better make sure I’m only taking my possessions. She seems smaller, and so much less imposing now that she holds no power over me. She’s just a lady in her forties in a canary-yellow cardigan, with short blonde hair, and a golden cross around her neck.
I try to ignore her altogether, because she yelled at me when I appeared. Both over being gone for over a month, and for arriving without warning with the intention to move. Though she later mumbled something about it being appropriate that I lurk at night, since I’m the spawn of Satan.
When one of the servants passes us with a box of books, I grab Dracula from the top and show it to Kyran.
“Look! The book I told you about. I can’t wait for you to read it.”
He strokes the gold-embossed letters of the title and leans in to kiss my head. “We should give it a better cover,” he says, which likely means that he wants the paperback rebound in leather. He is the Lord of the Nocturne Court after all, so why not?
“Could you at least have the decency to refrain from lewd behavior in public?” Mom says in the loudest of whispers.
Kyran frowns at me. “She must be exceedingly bored to care about trivial things like other people’s romantic habits.”
“I can hear you!” Mom raises her voice. I think she’s frustrated that something is going right for me for once. She wants me to be as miserable as she has always been.
I spread my arms. “Good!”
“Where shall I put these, my Lord?” One of the servants asks, presenting him with a box of old soap and shampoo bottles which I don’t have the heart to admit are pretty much worthless.
“You can put them in the main wagon, just make sure they don’t spill over the other items,” Kyran says as if all of my belongings were precious. I love him so much.
“Lord,” Mom scoffs, shaking her head.
I square my shoulders. “Now you have a problem with my husband’s title?”
She wags her finger at me. “The only Lord you need is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!”
At my side, Kyran stands straighter. “Who is he?”
I swear, this entire trip is worth the expression of utter bewilderment on my mom’s face.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny. Be a darling and practice your atheism off my property,” she says with a disgusted sneer.
Kyran lifts his chin, pulling me a little closer, and his protectiveness makes my heart melt. “I don’t know what that means, but I could easily take on this lord of yours in a duel.”
I snort and turn my face into Kyran’s shoulder, because I might disintegrate from sheer amusement.
“You can’t duel Jesus Christ!” My mother raises her voice, all serious, which makes the exchange even more surreal. “I am done here! I don’t care if you ever come back,” she yells and walks into the house, slamming the door.
Which is extra awkward because one of the elven servants is still inside, and looks at us through the window, unsure what to do.
Moments later, Mom opens the door for him, but in a way that allows her to remain unseen, and slams it right behind him.
Kyran hums and wraps me in his arms, affectionate as ever. “She’s certainly… a character. But she was the one to mention the local lord. I did not start it.”
I stroke his chest with a grin. “You did not.” I give him a kiss in front of the spying neighbors and turn to the carriage.
Flap is inside, in a large cage, and I want to reassure him that we’re almost done, but Kyran pulls on my arm.
“I have something special for you.”
I love being showered with his thoughtful gifts, so I grin with excitement.
He leads me to the large trunk at the back of our carriage with a satisfied smile, as if he’s particularly proud of himself. He lifts the lid, revealing… a chained and gagged man.
My instinct is to step back, but as I stare at the bruised face, recognition seeps into my bones, and now I realize why Kyran was asking about my old teacher last week. The teacher who I seduced, yet who shouldn’t have gone for it with a vulnerable sixteen-year-old. He should have helped me instead of abusing his power.