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)
My arms circled his neck, and I stayed against him, unafraid of the dark marks that had spread everywhere. My forehead rested against his, and I closed my eyes, leaning into him with complete relaxation.
He scooped me into his arms and held me there, his breaths fast and uneven, but slowly coming back to a normal pace. The fire burned in the hearth, the heat still warm against my back. As the minutes passed, the darkness in his skin faded, coming back to normal.
I pulled away so our eyes could meet. “I knew you’d never hurt me.”
His eyes darkened as if that was the worst thing I could have said. “You have no idea how close I was—several times.”
“But you prevailed. I want to do it again.”
“You’re fucking crazy—”
“I like being crazy.”
He sucked in a slow breath, still wearing that pissed-off expression.
“It was worth it.”
The anger slowly faded, his handsome face returning to normal.
“You were worth it.”
SIXTEEN
Ivory
“You’re getting a lot better at this.” I pulled back my bow and fired, and Pyre swiped it away with his massive claw. I fired more, shooting off multiple arrows at once, and Pyre either swatted them away with his palm or flung his tail to hit them aside.
I’m gonna make them shit their pants.
I gave a laugh. “And you will. Trust me.”
Storm lay on the grass, eating the sheep that had been given to him for lunch. He was much more advanced than Pyre, either by experience or instinct, and he rarely joined us in our sessions.
Pyre looked toward Delacroix. “Commander Brutus approaches.”
I returned my arrows to the quiver and strapped my bow over my shoulder. “What do you need, Commander?”
In his full armor and weaponry, he stopped in front of me. “Your Highness, King Rolfe requests your presence.”
Your Highness? I would never get used to hearing that. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“It’s urgent.” He turned around and walked back.
“I’ll see you later, Pyre.”
Can I have a sheep?
“Yes. A sheep. Not a horse, alright?”
Sorry about that…
I hiked up the dirt path and headed back to the castle at the top of the hill. I made it through the double doors, up the stairs, and straight to his study—the study my father used to occupy.
When I walked inside, the guard shut the door behind me.
Huntley leaned against his desk, an open scroll in front of him.
“What is it?” I stepped forward. “Has HeartHolme been attacked?”
He tore his gaze away from the missive and met my look—and it was clear he was pissed.
“What happened?”
“I got a letter from Ian. I’m gonna read it to you.”
“Okay…”
He unrolled the parchment and began to read. “Huntley, I hope this letter arrives before your departure, and I hope it’s made it into the right hands as well. Sending you this information is risky and reckless, but it would be even riskier if you were unaware of the truth about the world you now occupy.”
My blood went cold.
Huntley continued. “Despite what we’ve always believed, the cliffs don’t separate us from Necrosis. They’re among you in the Capital as we speak.”
Now it went even colder.
“Necrosis is led not by a single king, but three. They’re called the Three Kings, and the first goes by the name of Haldir. Everyone except King Rutherford and his most trusted advisers is unaware of their presence. I know you’re wondering how they manage to go back and forth between Necrosis and the Capital, and I assure you the answer is utterly terrifying. They can fly.”
“What…?”
Huntley ignored my outburst. “Only the Three Kings have this ability, but this makes them far deadlier than we realized. When Rutherford and Faron planned their coup to take back the Kingdoms, they forged an alliance with Necrosis. The Three Kings agreed to help them with their conquest in exchange for feeding on the blood-rich citizens of the Kingdoms. I know this is a lot to take in because everything we knew about our world is now shattered. Rutherford is no different from Necrosis. As far as I’m concerned, they’re one and the same. We’re all just food and labor to the two of them. They want the world to stay as it is, and the reason Necrosis attacked us in the first place is because they realized we’re a real threat to their order of the world. Be careful, Huntley. I imagine the dragons are powerful enough against one of the kings, but I really don’t know. Good luck.” Huntley tossed the scroll onto his desk and looked at me again, furious.
I was so overwhelmed, I couldn’t speak.
“You owe me an apology.”
My eyes dropped to the rug at my feet, the truth too much to bear. My own father did this. He sold out every person in this world for power. He agreed to be their pawn just to rule. It was the most sickening thing I’d ever heard.