Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Klaus didn’t acknowledge my mother, as if she wasn’t even there. This was between him and me. “She’s what I want, Huntley.”
My hands squeezed the reins tighter. The possessiveness was sickening. He couldn’t possess something that didn’t belong to him. She was my wife, and she belonged to me. “Give me back my wife—or I’ll kill you this very moment.”
His eyes narrowed. “Your wife?”
“By keeping her, you’re declaring war against the Runes. If you want to avoid that, then you better oblige, because I’m not bluffing.” I kicked my horse slightly and brought myself closer to him, in case I wanted to pull out my dagger and nick the artery in his neck.
“War is pointless, because I don’t have her.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me—”
“They escaped last night. We’ve been searching for them ever since, but their tracks have gone cold.”
“They?”
“She and two others. My cavalry isn’t here to intercept you. It’s for her.”
The pride in my chest was indescribable. I’d amassed an army to free her from this freak show, but she was long gone before I could even assemble my forces. She didn’t need me. “Abandon this mission. It’s over.”
His eyes shifted to Queen Rolfe. “Her Highness gave her to me as a peace offering—”
“That was before I knew my son had wed her,” Mother said. “Now that I’m aware of their connection, she’s one of us, a Rune. Don’t waste your resources searching for her—not when she belongs to us. Is that understood?”
Klaus stared, like he was tempted to open his mouth and show his razor-sharp teeth.
“You attacked the outpost, a declaration of war, but I’m willing to pardon your actions if you withdraw your search party.”
Klaus shifted his gaze back to me. “She knows the way.”
I kept a straight face.
“And you know she knows it.”
“She was lowered from Delacroix—”
“Lies.” He snarled. “I’ve tasted her blood. It’s royal.”
Tremors ensued down my arms, and my hands latched on to the reins tighter so I wouldn’t undo all this diplomacy we’d just established.
“There’s a path to the top of the cliffs, and she knows it.” His eyes remained steady on my face, and he hadn’t blinked once since this interaction had begun. His body didn’t have the same needs as ours did, not with his eternal life. “A Rune would never marry one of them without reason. She’s priceless—and don’t pretend otherwise.”
“Queen Rolfe has commanded you to withdraw your forces. Do that now, or there will be bloodshed.”
His stare continued, reserved just for me. “From this moment on, we’re even.”
My eyebrow cocked.
“The attack on the outpost is absolved, in exchange for my withdrawal.”
That put us back to where we were—and that wasn’t exactly reassuring.
Klaus pulled on the reins of his horse and retreated to the line of his men.
Queen Rolfe watched him for a long time before she shifted her gaze to me.
I felt it burn my cheek, felt her anger melt my flesh.
“I hope she is worth it, Huntley.”
“We both got what we wanted. You got peace—or whatever the fuck you want to call it—with Klaus. And my wife is free. Yes, she is worth it.”
She pulled on the reins of her horse to turn the other way. “We will scour the land until we find her. She’ll be heading to the tunnel that leads back to Delacroix. We can intercept her on the way.”
“That’s not where she’s going.”
With a perfectly straight posture that exuded her power, she regarded me.
“She’s going to HeartHolme—to find me.”
“For the first time, she’s free to go where she wants. And you’re the last place she’ll go.”
“You’re wrong.”
The corner of her lips kicked up in a sarcastic smile. “She’ll return to Delacroix and warn her father what has transpired. The path to the top of the cliffs will be destroyed—and you’ll never see your wife again. She’ll leave you here to sacrifice your soul to Necrosis so she’ll never have to sacrifice hers.”
I didn’t believe that, not one bit.
“And then you’ll realize that I was right—as always.”
15
IVORY
The dinner Ryker caught filled our stomachs, and the berries Effie found in the wild were enough to wet our mouths and give us some hydration. But nothing could replenish the sleep that we’d lost, and we were all exhausted.
We stuck to the tree line as we ventured toward the cold. I could feel the temperature plunge a little deeper with every passing day, and then I realized a problem I hadn’t foreseen earlier. “Once we get to the snow, I’m not going to survive.” Ryker and Effie had warmer clothes than I did because that was how they were dressed when they came down here. Ryker lost his armor, but his warm pants, tunic, and jacket were still on him.
“We’ll share our clothes with you,” Ryker said up ahead. “And if I see a bear, I’ll take his fur.”