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)
I stilled and held my breath.
Then he opened his arms and embraced me with a hug.
I let out the breath before I was ready, and my lungs deflated with a squeeze.
“My scouts told me the news. Delacroix has fallen to foreign invaders.” He pulled away, his hand still on my shoulder. “I can only assume that means your father has been executed.” Fatherly affection was in his eyes, like he viewed me as a son.
I couldn’t say the words, so I just gave a nod.
“I’m sorry. Faron was an honorable man.”
My heart gave a twinge for a different reason.
He dropped his embrace. “Tell me what’s happened.”
“The Runes took the city. They have two dragons—so there was nothing we could do. We weren’t prepared for an attack, and even if we had been, we had no defense against such beasts. The gates were open.”
King Rutherford gave a nod. “How did they make it up the cliffs?”
I wasn’t sure if my father had told him about the secret passageway, and I couldn’t be caught in a lie. “I don’t know. They have dragons, so obviously, some of them flew.”
He didn’t seem suspicious.
“My dad told me to run, so I did.”
King Rutherford glanced at Effie. “We can put her to work here. We always need help in the kitchen and the gardens.” He must have judged her based on her clothing, which was modest compared to mine.
I didn’t want us to be separated, and the only way I could ensure that was by telling a bald-faced lie. “Effie is my wife. We married last week.”
I couldn’t see Effie’s reaction, but I bet her eyes doubled in size.
King Rutherford couldn’t contain his surprise. “I didn’t realize you were betrothed.”
“It was spontaneous. My father wanted me to marry Elizabeth, but I’d already fallen in love with Effie. My father didn’t approve, obviously. So, we wed in secret. I know he was hurt when he learned the news, but he quickly accepted her as a daughter.”
King Rutherford addressed her differently now. “The two of you are welcome to stay in the castle until we reclaim Delacroix. You’re officially the duke now. When the Runes arrived, did they have your sister with them?”
I shook my head. “Haven’t seen her. I assume she’s dead.”
He gave me another pat on the shoulder. “You’re probably right. I’m sorry for that.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Now, I need you to tell me everything you know about these people—because we’re going to destroy them when they arrive.”
We were given a spare bedchamber, and the servants brought both of us clothes to wear. Once the door was shut and locked, Effie rounded on me. “We’re married? Are you crazy?”
“What else was I supposed to say? And keep your voice down. We can’t afford to let anyone hear us.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, dirty and weary from our travels. “What happens when they find out that’s a lie?”
“How will they find out? We wed in secret.”
“All secrets come out—one way or another.”
“If I didn’t do it, we would have been separated. Servants don’t have the same rights as we do, so you would have been raped or beaten. I wouldn’t have been able to protect you at that point.”
“Well, if the Capital wins, we’re going to have to stay married forever.”
“That’s fine with me.” The words tumbled out on their own, like a boulder released from the top of a cliff.
The irritation left her face instantly. Now her eyes were wide again, pregnant with emotion.
My relationship with Effie had started with a bolt of lightning. We’d been moving at full speed since, galloping through time with the speed of the fastest stallion. We’d been through so much, survived so much, and that created a relationship unlike any other I’d experienced. The suffering bound us together—at least it did for me.
She remained stunned.
I gave her time to process what I’d said, because in the last five minutes, we’d gotten married, and now she was a duchess.
“Then maybe we should actually get married…”
My heart skipped a beat when I heard those words.
“But Huntley and Ivory have two dragons… I imagine they’ll burn this place to the ground. It won’t matter then.”
“I’d still like to get married…if you do.”
“Did you…did you just ask me to marry you?”
“I did…if your answer is yes.” I didn’t have a ring to offer her. I didn’t even have a home to share with her. Right now, I didn’t have anything but myself.
Her eyes shifted back and forth between mine, as if she didn’t believe the question was sincere. “You could have a lady—”
“I don’t want a lady. They’re stuffy and boring.”
“But I don’t have anything to offer you—”
“I don’t have anything to offer you either. Not anymore, at least.”
Her eyes softened. “That doesn’t matter to me.”
“Does that mean your answer is yes?”