Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 99529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“I am.” Vibrating with hunger, I dragged my view away from her. “I am. . .”
“Then. . .I will listen, and not push the bond on you.”
“Thank you, Camille. Maybe in the future, the bond will be required, but for now. . .we must protect all things in this. . .strange threesome we have created among ourselves.”
Her blood hummed, singing a sweet song that I could not get lost into right now.
Concentrate. Think of Xander.
Even if he were safe with the Ground Mover right now, I could not touch his queen without his being here. Surely, he would be upset and feel betrayed.
This time, I will do this right. . .for as long as Xander allows me to be a part of them.
The heart was a precious thing, a delicate and beautiful treasure that beat within us, driving us to love and be loved. It was an organ of wonder. A vessel that held our hopes and dreams, our passions and desires. And now, as I had been given a chance at a new love and a new life, I vowed to protect it with everything that I was, even from myself.
“Oh.” Camille pointed at the window and smiled. “They’re coming back. Xander is okay.”
I looked in the direction she was pointing.
Talking to each other, Xander and Leeta walked our way.
A long breath left me.
Good. He’s safe.
But, still I wondered what the Ground Mover could have wanted.
Epilogue
The Time is Now
Ian
Xander and Leeta entered the hut.
The door remained open.
“Thank Ambi.” Camille went over and hugged him. “How was it?”
“Good.” He sniffed her as if making sure my scent was not on her body.
I am not stupid, Xander.
I smirked.
Camille let him go. “What happened?”
Instead of replying to her, Xander put his focus on me. “We should talk.”
I touched my chest. “You and I?”
Xander nodded.
Camille gave a weak smile. “And what are we going to discuss?”
“No.” Xander stepped to the side. “I need to talk to Ian by myself first. Then, you and I will have a conversation.”
“What are you going to talk to Ian about?” Camille asked.
“It’s between us.” Xander gestured for us to walk off.
What could he want to talk about? What had the Ground Mover said to him?
Leeta turned to Camille. “Also, I bumped into them on the way back, and the Ground Mover told me that he wants to try and decipher the writing and symbols on your body. He believes there is a message from Ressi about how to proceed in the next days. I promised to take him to you.”
Camille looked at Xander and then me. “Should I let him?”
Xander spoke, “It may be helpful for us, but you would have to be naked. Therefore, wait until Ian and I get back. I would rather be in the room when you’re naked with another man.”
I cleared my throat and held in the many jokes that rushed to my head.
As if knowing what was on my mind, Xander frowned at me. “Are you ready?”
I nodded. “Let’s go, Xander, so you can get back to her.”
We headed out of the hut. Cool night air brushed against my skin.
Xander led us down a path covered in pink and blue flower petals.
The aromas of delicious food wafted through the village, tantalizing my senses and creating a mouth-watering sensation.
Are they also making dishes for vampires too?
I swore I caught the savory aroma of blood sausage. The scent of roasted meats, freshly baked bread, and aromatic spices filled the air, mingling with the sweet fragrance of the flowers and the subtle hint of lingering magic.
Xander let out a long sigh.
“What is this private conversation about?” I asked as we headed through two stone huts.
Barefoot children wrapped in beads played throughout the pathways of the community.
Xander remained quiet as we continued.
Further in the village, I spotted green lanterns shaped like birds and wolves.
More children chased each other, giggling and shrieking with joy each time they found one another.
“Xander?” I paused near a hut where the bitter aroma of roasted wolf drifted out. “What do you want?”
“I need to talk about two things.” He faced the sky and stared at the two moons, inhaling the air around him. “It’s a beautiful night tonight. I hope it’s not our last.”
“Me too.”
“Come on.” Xander guided me further along until we approached the violet stone pathway we’d first entered before coming in the village earlier. “What you, Camille, and I did last night. . .”
Oh. . .this is what he wants to talk about?
Did something change when Xander and Camille re-established their blood bond?
Did that mean the end of our odd threesome?
My heart twisted with sadness.
I did my best to keep the disappointment within my core silent.
Xander continued down the path. “I’m not sure if we’ll do it again.”
“O-kay.”
“But. . .”
“But?”
“I will look to her blood if it should come up and then I will let her body dictate what’s next.”