Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 111898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
“Do you or do you not value speediness? Don’t worry. I’ll kiss your boo-boo and make it better.” She bent her head and licked the pulse racing at the base of his neck, a good distance from his wound. “See? You’re already healing.”
He grew rock-hard in a blink. That soft brush of her lips. The gentleness. The dip in her voice. He only craved more.
As she straightened to meet his gaze, he noticed her eyelids had dipped, too. Better, her pupils expanded, eclipsing the vivid amber he’d come to lo—like.
Uncertainty pricked him, and he released the oracle to scrub a hand over his face.
“Guess playtime is over, huh?” With an exaggerated sigh, Neeka stood.
“Playtime never started,” he grumbled. When he noticed her attire, his jaw went slack. Harpy perfection. Clad in a raven-hued gown, with a metal corset pushing her breasts skyward, she utterly stunned. The waist cinched in and the skirt billowed in free-flowing grace to kiss her ankles, with twin slits riding the length of each leg, parting with every movement she made. Bloodred stilettos hugged her feet, revealing toenails painted to match and igniting a brand-new foot fetish in him.
Had there ever been a creature more exquisite than her?
She’d pinned up her hair, displaying an elegant neck free of jewelry. He was glad. He had an unobstructed view of her racing pulse, every thump sparking a new burst of heat.
As he rose and took a step in her direction, needing...more, she hurried to a nearby coffee table to gather a stack of papers. “You’re probably curious about everything that’s been going on in the sixteen hours you’ve been asleep,” she blurted out, looking anywhere but him, ensuring she couldn’t read his replies.
He inhaled a deep breath. Exhaled slowly. Fisted and unfisted his hands. But take another step in her direction? No. She’d mentioned a bone. Lore, once the mate of his dreams.
His dream. That’s right. He’d dreamed a memory. Meeting Lore. Until replaying their introduction, he’d forgotten the finer details. Hades’s initial warning. Rathbone’s estimation of Lore as a status symbol. The gleam of satisfaction he’d spotted in her eyes. Now that he knew her better, he couldn’t brush it off. He’d viewed that same gleam every time he’d pleased her. But what did any of it mean?
Neeka’s words penetrated his riotous thoughts, and shock pummeled him. The second she glanced his way, he asked, “I slept sixteen hours?” Truly?
“You did. Here’s the rundown of what happened while you were out,” she said. “I learned you’re an omni-shapeshifter, so you can stop trying to hide it. And I’d kinda appreciate an explanation about why you haven’t shifted into, oh, I don’t know, an Astra, then snuck into their midst and killed them all?”
“I hate shifting into people,” he grumbled, his insides bracing as if preparing to jump out of his skin. “I become the other person on a molecular level, which leaves a mark. But more than that, I need their blood to do it.”
She gaped at him. “Are you saying you can access their thoughts and memories if you shift into their image?”
“I’m saying it messes with my head, leaving me feeling as if I’m me but not me, even when I return to my own skin.” A weakness he rarely shared with others. Rarely? Ha! Try never. Not even Hades knew. So why had Rathbone just handed the information to Neeka? “Why? Is there something you don’t wish me to learn?”
Her features softened. “First, that sucks for you. It’s hard enough being ourselves, yeah? Second, no. Read their minds if you wish.”
That was why he’d done it. She got him. “I’ve enjoyed being myself lately,” he admitted. Since meeting her. A fact he almost...feared.
“Yes. Well.” She cleared her throat. “Moving on. Azar poisoned you, but I saved the day by acquiring the antidote. Yes, I’ve added an unnamed boon to your bill, and you will pay. I’ll tell you what I want when I decide. Now, I’ll give you fifteen minutes to clean up, then we’re leaving this little paradise whether you’re ready or not.”
“I’ll take however long I need, carrot.” Which would be fifteen minutes, and not a second more. He scanned the paradise in question. An unfamiliar house with colorful walls, tons of windows, and bedazzled furnishings. Through the glass, he spied a lovely purple ocean lapping at pink sand. “Is this your home?”
“One of them.”
He liked it. Felt comfortable here. Her personality shined through. Vivid, wild, and bright. It struck him as a place to rest and recharge, more of a home than the palace had ever been.
He rubbed the sudden ache in his sternum.
“Here. This is yours.” Neeka reached into a pocket in her skirt, withdrew a small glowing orb, and tossed it in his direction.
Lore’s hiding place. The ache worsened. He held his wife in his palm, yet he’d never felt less connected to her. Why? Why was he irritated by even the thought of dealing with her right now? Because of his doubts?