Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
There’s Thalia, of course, but he only had a few weeks with her and in a limited capacity. I think it’s incredible how deeply Amell feels for her, even though they don’t know each other all that well.
Regardless, I informed Amell this morning that if he doesn’t find something useful for me to do, I’ll go crazy, and he won’t like me much that way.
He cocked an eyebrow, staring in that imperious way he often does, and God help me, I like it when he does that.
Today I am by his side as he said I would be. He met with nobles in his council room to discuss First Dimension imports. This is an actual “thing” in which he has fae make routine visits into that dimension to bring back all sorts of items, though mostly food. I learned that the types of crops and animals here in the Underworld are edible, but nothing near as good as we have above.
Now he’s giving me the grand walking tour of Otaxis.
“It’s actually a beautiful city,” I say as I take in the clean streets lined with glowing veins of crystal to light the way. The whitewashed buildings with thatched roofs and large windows are actually cozy and charming. Of course, monsters live inside, but it works.
“It wasn’t always,” Amell says as we traverse through a marketplace. “This is really just one large cavern you can’t see anymore because of the night sky. And the buildings were all mud and wood, fallen into disrepair. Kymaris didn’t care about anyone’s comfort but her own. It was dark and dank. The fae were miserable and angry, always at each other’s throats.”
“So you changed it all?” I ask as I look around at the size of this place. Buildings sprawl over hills that rise upward. The city itself has blocks upon blocks of businesses and housing. The marketplace is so big, I can’t see where it ends.
“Zora gifted me with almost godlike powers.” Amell nods at certain fae we pass. Most are exceptionally beautiful like him. Some are the opposite—downright terrifying. Amell explains those fae are from magic and evolution gone bad. Regardless, they give him plenty of space.
“You used your powers to help the residents be… what… happier? Thus a nicer, gentler Dark Fae.”
Amell snorts. “It’s not so much to make them happier but to discourage the desire to want to try a massive escape again. Kymaris had most of the Dark Fae ready to storm the First Dimension to take it over. Why wouldn’t they, just to have the luxuries of that realm?”
“By making it nicer here, you hope to keep them satisfied.”
“That’s the hope,” he mutters, but I can tell he’s worried that the likes of Ariman and Jago could be fomenting an insurrection. “With that said, I am fully prepared to strike down anyone who tries to make another play for the First Dimension.”
I shiver slightly because the malice in his voice is frightening. I never want to be on his bad side. I mean, there was a time I didn’t mind provoking him because I didn’t fear the Crimson River. To me it was no different from the rock bottom I’d already hit.
But now, things are different.
I want to keep this new life of mine.
Amell and I stroll through the market, rows and rows of small wooden stalls or carts of fae hawking food, clothing, and trinkets. Amell tries to get me to sample some grilled meat on a skewer, but I’ve seen the odd-looking animals here and decline.
He laughs and takes my hand, and I try to tell myself to not be so excited over the way it makes me feel, the touch of his palm against mine as we walk. I’ve seen people in love walking this way, the touch of another providing comfort, an affirmation of feelings, but I’ve never had it myself.
It’s nice, and I feel safe.
Up ahead I hear music, and as we get closer, lots of voices raised with shouting and laughing.
We turn a corner and come upon what looks like a pub. A wooden sign hangs over the door with a word on it I can’t read as it’s in another language. The double doors are wide open, and the front is nothing but windows with the shutters pulled aside so we can see in.
Some kind of band plays stringed instruments and drums. A long bar is tended by two beautiful fae females serving drinks poured into carved wooden cups. The party-like atmosphere spills onto the street, and patrons sit and drink around outdoor tables. The crowd includes a mix of creatures, from the beautiful to the repugnant. A creature that looks part lizard and part human has a scaly arm around a beautiful female fae who looks like a Victoria’s Secret model.
A pang of nostalgia pulses through me—this is no different from Crazy 8’s, which was where I was trying to restart my life. Granted, I served humans and these are immortal Dark Fae, but it’s the same fun vibe.