Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 139662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 698(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 698(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Misha nods. “He does. That’s not why they’re coming. We need to make plans for the queen’s first attack.”
“You’re sure it’s coming?”
“Her guard has been spotted moving east through the Goblin Mountains.”
“So Finn is coming to request your help? And . . . you’ll give it?”
Misha’s brows shoot up. “Have I given you any reason to think I’d be willing to let that monster have any more control than she already does?”
“No, but—”
“Even if I didn’t care about the atrocities she’s committed in her short life, I have my own people to think of. The queen will no longer settle for extending her territory to the other side of the Goblin Mountains. Now she wants the entire Unseelie Court as part of her own, and if that happens, my own lands will be next. It’s my duty as a king to protect the Wild Fae, but it’s my duty as a faerie to do everything I can to stop the queen from getting even one more ounce of control. And I plan to, Abriella, with or without your help and with or without the Unseelie Court’s alliance.”
I frown. “I thought you already had an alliance with Finn.”
Misha arches a dark brow. “With Finn, yes, but as we’ve established, Finn is no more in control of that court than Mordeus is from his grave.”
Which is why Misha needs me. When I arrived, I couldn’t imagine aligning myself with another member of faerie royalty, but now that I know more about the queen, now that I’ve seen her camps and Misha’s settlements, now that I’ve heard the terrified screams of one of the children she’s sent into those caverns, everything’s changed.
“They don’t know you’re still here,” Misha says. “Though they suspect. They wouldn’t have known at all if Sebastian hadn’t accused Finn of bringing you here. What happens next is up to you. If you’d like, you can sit in on our meetings, listen as they share what they know, and help us make a plan. Or, if you’re not yet ready to assume a role in our discussions, I can hide you temporarily. I think you could be an important part of the meetings—both because of your power and your perspective—but it is your choice. Either way, Finn and the others are unlikely to stay long. The Lunastal holiday is quickly approaching, and it will be the first in twenty years that Finn’s been able to spend in his homeland.”
“Why?” I ask.
Misha arches a brow. “Why what? I’m afraid I don’t understand the question. Your shield is working rather well today, I might add.”
I acknowledge the compliment with a smile. “Why give me this choice? It’s been two weeks since you first told me that you want me to help Sebastian and Finn work together, and I haven’t agreed to anything. Why are you being so kind to me? Why would you deceive your sister and your allies for my benefit?”
He lifts his chin. “Ah. That.” With a sigh, he leans back, somehow still looking regal as he settles into the chair’s fluffy cushions. He’s quiet for a long time, and I think he might not answer at all when he finally says, “I need your alliance as much as I need Finn’s. I don’t know what the queen is planning, but any course of action that gives her more power is one that hurts my kingdom. I need people on my side who will fight against her, and whether you’re ready for that fight now or months from now, I know you’re going to be part of it.”
I cock my head to the side and study him. “And how do you know that? You barely know me.”
“Like you said, we all have our motives.” He gives me a gentle smile. “And don’t forget I had access to your thoughts those early days of your visit.”
“And sometimes now,” I say. We both know I’m still learning and not that skilled at shielding yet.
“And sometimes now,” he admits, shrugging. “It’s not the same as knowing someone’s heart, but it’s the next best thing.” With that, he pushes himself out of the chair. “You don’t have to decide now. You can tell me in the morning.”
I stare at the words of my book as his steps grow distant, but they all blur together. “I’ve already decided,” I say, then turn to see if he heard me.
He stops in the library’s arched doorway and slowly turns back to me. “Don’t leave me in suspense, Princess.”
“I want to be part of the meetings.”
“Even if it means trusting people who have deceived you in the past?” He tucks his hands into his pockets. “I wasn’t sure you could forgive Finn.”
“Finn used me, but he’s not the one who broke my heart.”
Misha arches a single brow, and I brace myself for an argument, but instead he says, “Join me for dinner so we can plan for this meeting? I have some ideas.”