Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 156907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
He found himself confronted with the only thing at that time that could set him to smiling.
His girls.
All three of them.
Three beauties.
Thus, he smiled.
“Uncle Aramus!” Aelia shouted. “I touched a shark!”
Aramus stopped smiling.
“You what?” Xi growled.
Suffice it to say, Aelia as Aelia was, Dora a budding warrior fascinated by those who had already bloomed, thus hero worshipping all his men, along their voyage, the two girls had earned themselves five new uncles.
Five new protective uncles.
“A shark!” she shrieked, as Aramus rose from his throne and walked to the edge of it to stare down at her as she arrived at the bottom and danced around his men, such was her excitement.
He then looked to his queen.
“Wife, explain,” he demanded.
“It was a little baby one,” she said.
He did not feel much better at this knowledge, even having it knowing she could likely communicate with the creature.
It was still an animal with animal instincts.
Undeveloped thus unrestrained animal instincts.
“It was caught in a tidepool,” Ha-Lah shared.
“Yes, and we released it,” Dora bragged. “It was amazing.”
It was in this moment, for the first time, he wished he had not encouraged Cassius to take Nero with him rather than sending Aelia’s personal guard with Aramus.
He had felt Cass would need all his men about him.
And he had felt he and his men would be entirely prepared to protect them.
He had forgotten about his stubborn wife.
“As I promised my friend that I would give my life to protect those of his daughters,” Aramus began slowly, his eyes locked to his queen. “I’d prefer not to have to explain why one of them got their hand bitten off by a baby shark.”
“It wasn’t going to bite us, Uncle Aramus,” Aelia informed him. “I think it wanted to play with us.”
“You promised Cass to protect us with your life?” Dora breathed.
Ha-Lah gave him big eyes.
Aramus tore his from hers, ignored what she was communicating, and looked down at the girl.
“Yes,” he answered.
“Aramus,” Ha-Lah murmured.
“He made you promise to protect us with your life?” Dora asked.
“Yes,” Aramus told her, for he felt she should know how Cassius felt about her.
“Aramus,” Ha-Lah hissed, for she felt she should not be frightened, when that was not a concern as he’d let nothing happen to any of his girls.
“But…you’re a king,” she said.
“And you’re a daughter, and when you have one, you’ll understand which is most important,” Aramus shared.
She stared up at him with her lips parted.
“All right, well, we came to save you from your citizens for a spell while we had luncheon with you, but if you’re feeling unable to rein in the honesty, we should let you eat alone,” Ha-Lah stated irritably.
“Perhaps we should have a moment alone,” he suggested to her.
“Perhaps we should take that moment later, after dinner, when the girls are down,” Ha-Lah retorted.
When the girls are down.
Would he and his queen have girls?
He’d like girls with her ringlets and those crystal eyes.
Therefore, he decided, they’d keep going until she gave him just that.
At least two.
Or, perhaps, three.
“My queen, I did not say—” he began.
“We’ll discuss it later,” she interrupted.
“Ha-Lah—”
“Don’t worry, Auntie Ha-Lah,” Aelia singsonged, dancing to his wife, taking her hand and tugging on it. “Nothing will happen to Uncle Aramus or you or me or the boys,” she threw her other arm out to indicate “the boys,” in other words, his men, “or anybody. I mean, Uncle Aramus is the king of the seas. And you control its beasts.”
Aramus’s vision turned white.
“Shh, Aelia!” Dora hissed.
She’d told them.
And she’d told them to keep it a secret.
But…
She’d told them.
“Everyone out,” Aramus ordered.
“Uh-oh,” Aelia whispered.
“Out!” he thundered when no one moved.
“Let’s go, minnows,” Nav murmured, beginning to herd the girls.
Ha-Lah looked as if she was going to assist in that endeavor.
Therefore, Aramus stated what he thought was the obvious, his eyes pinned to her, “Not you.”
“Uh-oh,” Aelia repeated.
“It was a secret, dummy,” Dora snapped under her breath.
“I forgot,” Aelia replied.
Dora took her hand as they made their way across the expanse, and Aramus heard her mumble, “It’ll be all right. Auntie Ha-Lah will make it that way.”
Aramus was not certain of that.
“My king—” Ha-Lah began.
“In a moment,” he gritted, turning on his boot, stalking to the stairs behind his throne, and by the time he was down them and arrived at his wife, the doors at the end of the hall were closing behind the others.
“They’re girls,” she said the minute the noise of the closing doors finished ringing around the room. “They’re no danger.”
He looked down at her. “I see I have failed impressing on you—”
“Husband,” she said softly, leaning into him and putting a hand to his chest. “It is not an issue.”
“Aelia shared it openly.”
“Yes, to you.”
“In a way she would do the same to anybody.”
“And if she did it to anybody, she is young, those anybodies who do not know of what she speaks will not understand what she’s saying.”