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)
As was I.
Sometime in the middle of the night, I stirred. Sleep evaded me, and I went to the armchair in front of the enormous window. The lights lit up the city and the empty streets, and far into the distance, I could make out the outline of our enormous dragons, curled up and asleep on the field, guarded by my men who surrounded them.
I could use a drink, but I didn’t want to wake up my wife.
Thirty minutes later, her quiet voice pierced the darkness. “What are you doing?”
I kept my eyes out the window.
“What happened to sleeping like a baby?” She left the bed and came to me, wearing my clothes to keep warm. When she moved to the other armchair, I grabbed her hip and tugged her into my lap.
“I’m a grown-ass man. That’s what happened.”
Her arm slid around my neck, and she folded her legs underneath her to keep warm. “Bad dream?”
“No. Just anxious.”
“Anxious for what?”
“To reach the Capital and smash Rutherford’s skull in with just my fist.”
Her fingers moved into my hair, and she lightly brushed through the strands, her sleepy eyes on my face. “We’ll get there.”
“I don’t want to wait.”
“You know we need the other Kingdoms first.”
“And I’ll take them. Just wish I could take a shortcut.”
Her fingers continued to caress me. “I know.”
My head turned away from the window, and I looked at her head on, watching her love me despite my uncontrollable blood lust. She caressed me like I was a gentle soul, not the barbaric murderer I’d become. “A queen has never accompanied her king in war—at least not here in the Kingdoms.”
“I’m glad that’s changed.”
I wanted her to be safe, but there was nowhere safer than by my side. I couldn’t leave her at Delacroix when the Capital could storm it. I couldn’t let her return to HeartHolme when Necrosis could attack any moment. Right here on my lap was where she belonged.
Her hand cupped my face, and she leaned in to give me a kiss. “Come back to bed.”
My hand slid up her thigh and underneath the fabric of her shirt, feeling the warmth inside the clothing. I inched up, finding the cotton of her panties that I wanted to yank down again. “I’ll come back to bed—but I’m not tired.”
EIGHTEEN
Ryker
The Capital was exactly as I remembered it.
The salty air blew in from the ocean and combed through the heat of the city. The harbor was filled with sailboats after the fisherman finished their catch for the day. The city was a mix of homes and olive trees, of cobblestone streets with markets that sold the best produce in the Kingdoms. The homes closest to the water were painted solid white, just like the castle. At night, you could hear the waves beat the white sand of the shore.
Effie was amazed by it all. “It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
“It is.” We rode our horse right through the streets even though it was prohibited, bypassed the guards who tried to stop us, and then made it to the main gate that led to the entryway of the castle. That was where we were stopped, but after a quick explanation, we were granted entry.
Effie remained close to my side as we entered the castle and made our way upstairs. The castle at the Capital was far grander than the one in Delacroix. With chandeliers made of crystal, expensive rugs, jewels on the walls, it was a place of luxury. All the portraits we passed showed King Rutherford and his family, none of his predecessors. There were individual portraits of his sons, some of the queen. I’d seen it many times, but it had a new meaning now after everything that had happened.
Effie looked at everything with paleness in her cheeks, looking just as terrified as she’d been when we were trapped with the Teeth.
Once we reached the top, we met with Rutherford’s right-hand man, Scoros. He guided us into the throne room where King Rutherford was waiting. Once we stepped inside, I could feel the tension, feel the stares of everyone in the room. His sons, his queen, and the other advisers and servants who served him.
I approached the throne with my heart in my throat, terrified to come face-to-face with this man. I was a spy in their midst, and the second they realized that, I would be dead. Effie, too.
I stopped several feet away, Effie at my side. “Your Majesty, I bring terrible news from the south—”
He raised his palm to silence me, regal in his king’s uniform. A crown sat upon his head, filled with so many jewels that the endless sparkle was distracting. He was a decade older than my father, and his face hung a little lower because of it. He was also heavier, enjoying sumptuous meals that we didn’t have in Delacroix. He rose to his feet and approached me.