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)
Like he’d come back at any moment.
Nearly an hour passed, and I still couldn’t drop my guard. My fingers never loosened on the hilt of my blade. I was ready for a battle that would probably claim my life.
Huntley got to his feet. “Let’s get going.”
I didn’t turn around to regard him, to check if his wounds had healed.
He untied the horse from the branch and brought him close. “Baby?”
It took all my strength to finally pull my gaze away from the last spot where I’d seen him. It. Whatever it was. Once my eyes were locked on his blue ones, the relief swept through. “You sure you’re alright?”
He nodded before he mounted the horse. “I wouldn’t have been if you couldn’t get those arrows out. I would have bled out on the inside.”
“I can’t believe you were taking those arrows the entire time and never said anything.”
He extended his hand to me. “I’ve been through worse.”
“I sincerely hope that’s an exaggeration.” I took his hand and let him help me up. This time, I sat behind him, and my eyes immediately darted back to the tree line where I’d seen him watching me.
Huntley kicked his boots into the horse and took off. “Let’s get home.”
The large gates opened up ahead, and we passed through into the protective walls of HeartHolme. The second we were cocooned in safety, I finally let my muscles relax, finally took my first real breath.
Huntley handed the horse over at the stables, and we walked into the city that had become home. “My mother will want to see me straightaway.”
“I think you should rest first.”
“I’m already healed, baby.”
“Doesn’t mean you don’t need rest, Huntley.”
He stopped to look at me. “I know she’s been worried about me every moment since I left—and now I know exactly how that feels.”
The guilt washed over me.
“I’ll take you home first.”
We walked through the city until we approached the two-story home behind the gate. He got it unlocked then we stepped on to the property, the rosebushes in full bloom. He got me through the front door, and the second we walked inside, it felt the same…but also different.
I looked down to where I last saw Huntley collapsed on the floor.
“I’ll be back in an hour.” He turned back to the door right away.
“Huntley?”
He stopped at the door, his hand on the knob.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Can it wait?”
“No.” I shook my head. “It definitely can’t wait.”
After his eyes narrowed, he shut the door behind him and drew close. “What is it, baby?”
“While you were resting and I was standing guard…I saw Necrosis.”
There was no reaction on his handsome face, as if he’d only gotten one part of the story and was waiting for the rest.
“He had these big eyes…hollow cheeks…and black coloring to parts of his skin.”
Now there was a reaction. A deep breath. A tightness to his face and neck. “What happened?”
“Nothing. We stared at each other for a long time…and then he left.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were incapacitated…and I didn’t want to speak a word.”
His heavy stare continued, his eyebrows shifting slightly as he processed all that. “Are you certain of what you saw?”
“No doubt. I could make a perfect sketch if you want.”
“Why didn’t he attack you?”
“Beats me.”
He was quiet for a long time, thinking all this through. “I think you should come with me.”
“Where?”
“To see Queen Rolfe.”
25
HUNTLEY
It was dark now, the city aglow with torches. Lights from the castle were visible through the windows. There was only one direct way into the castle, over a stone bridge that crossed a gaping hole in the rocky outcropping, and we passed over that to the guards standing watch at the entrance to the castle.
Their eyes were on Ivory, someone they couldn’t identify.
“This is Ivory Rolfe—my wife.”
Her head turned slightly my way, probably because she’d never heard someone say her full name before.
The guards let us pass without opposition, and then we were inside. Guards were everywhere, but they held their silence as we passed through the grand foyer and up the stairs. Lit torches were abundant, highlighting the heavy rugs on the floor, the oil from the paintings on the wall.
We made it to the top floor where my mother’s quarters were located, and Asher was there, like a cold sore that never went away. He rose from the table at the sight of us, his eyes always a little hostile, and he directed his stare on Ivory. He didn’t speak a word, but his look said everything. “I’ll inform Her Highness that you’re here. She’s been worried.” He disappeared down the hallway.
Ivory looked around, admiring the large table in the center of the room. “You think it’s a good idea to have me here?”
“She needs to get used to it.”
A moment later, my mother walked down the hallway, regal in her queen’s uniform. It was gray and tight around her waist and arms. The feathers in her hair were the same color, bringing out the fierceness in her blue eyes. She had a sword on her hip. She was one of the few rulers I’d known to carry her own blades, to fight in her own wars.