Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
“Won’t they see it?”
“This is a blind spot to their towers.” We tossed the logs on top and got a steady fire going.
I took my seat across from him, tired from all the riding, missing my bed at home. I leaned my back against a tree and stretched out my legs in front of me, my ankles crossed. During the darkest part of the night, there was always a deep chill, but it was welcome after sweating all day.
I played with my pocketknife, shaving the skin off a twig I’d found on the ground. I sliced it into a point, a makeshift weapon that could do little damage. My eyes were down, but I could feel his heated stare.
I ignored it for a while, but when it didn’t abate, I lifted my eyes and met his look. “Yes?” I wasn’t sure why I was so pissed off. Was it because my pride was wounded? Was it because it was the first time I’d been rejected? Or was it because I was so painfully disappointed that my feelings weren’t reciprocated?
With his forearms resting on his knees, he sat with a straight back, the fire lighting up the masculine features of his face. “It’s nothing personal.”
“Nothing personal?” I asked, my eyebrow cocking. “Not being attracted to someone is very personal.”
He looked away, his shoulders falling with the breath he released. “It’s not you—”
“Grow some balls and just say it—”
“I want to eat you.” He looked at me again, and this time, his eyes were deadly, like the desire coursed through his veins that very moment.
I shut my mouth.
His stare continued, fixed in place, unblinking.
“You said you weren’t hungry.”
“I’m not.”
My sword was right beside me, but I didn’t reach for it right away. But I was ready to slice his head clean from his shoulders.
“When we came together, I could feel it.”
“Feel what?”
“Your soul. It’s like a bonfire. It has the energy of all the gods in the heavens. It’s brighter than the stars that light up the night sky. It’s the single most powerful thing I’ve ever come close to. I’ve never felt anything like that in my life, and when I felt it…I wanted it for myself.”
The disappointment hit me harder.
“You and I…it’s never going to happen.”
I was in danger that very moment, but I still didn’t feel as afraid as I should. “Do you want to eat me right now?”
“A little bit.” He looked away, as if too ashamed to look me in the eye as he said those words.
“Have you always felt that way?”
“No.”
“So, it was only after—”
“You drove me fucking crazy against that tree.” His eyes remained averted, looking into the shadows of the trees around us. “I only stopped because I had to. Only stopped because I was afraid if I didn’t, I would suck your soul right out of your chest and leave your dead body on the ground.”
“Is that how you always feel with your lovers?”
“I’ve only been with Necrosis—so, no. But if I were with a Rune or a Plunderer, I doubt that would happen.”
“Then why did it happen with me?”
After a long pause, he turned back to me. “Because you’re strong. Because you’re fearless. Because you’re unlike any other woman I’ve met.” His eyes remained hard, just like a drink of scotch. “Because I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you.”
Bumps formed up and down my arms, but they weren’t provoked by the chilled air. It was an internal discomfort, an anxiety that started in my stomach then slowly seeped out.
“It’s not every day you meet a woman who can forge weapons better than any man. A woman who can hit the bull’s-eyes in darts every time. A woman who can hustle men twice her size to pay their debts. I respect Queen Rolfe and consider her to be a selfless ruler. I respect Huntley and Ian as well. But you’re by far the smartest one out of all of them. I knew you were the only one who would consider my words with logic rather than fear.”
I’d felt this heat between us the moment we met, noticed the way he stared at me every time we spoke. There had been a tension in the air almost immediately, but it also felt as if we’d always known each other. There was a familiarity that shouldn’t exist, not when I was alive and he was dead.
“I had no intention of ever pursuing you. But I didn’t anticipate you would ever pursue me.”
“Why wouldn’t I? Look at you.”
He held my gaze for a long time, his hard gaze etched in stone.
“I know you heard what I said to Victor.”
He still didn’t give any reaction. “You know what I am. You know I’m dangerous.”
I gave a shrug. “How many times have I told you I’m not scared of anything?”