Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
He does, using his shadow tendrils to heighten her pleasure. He tells her that he loves her and says he’s not sure when it started. She shakes and says she thought she’d die without ever knowing what his love felt like. He says he couldn’t and wouldn’t allow that. He tells her he’ll spend eternity making sure she knows how he feels.
Nektas asks if they’re okay, and Ash threatens him. Sera realizes that she somehow Ascended without dying. The embers are her. She’s the Primal of Life. The Queen of the Gods.
She says as much, and Ash says he’s her Consort. She says he’s the King.
The King fucks his Queen.
And it was glorious.
She asks if she’ll ever get used to her fangs, and he assures her that she will. She wonders if any Primals Ascended without getting their memories back and he tells her about those who had trouble and mentions that Kyn never did.
As they begin to have sex again, Sera finds herself tensing when he goes to feed. He tells her it’s okay, and says he sensed her unease, even though it’s harder to read her now. Plus, he says they need to behave because they have to talk. She says they should discuss Kolis, and Ash agrees but says not now. He tells her that every Primal felt her Ascension and says they’ll deal with whatever comes. Together.
He comes clean about why he didn’t take her as his Consort initially. Part of it was to keep her unknown to Kolis, but also he had a dream the night she was born. It was her at her lake, smiling at him. Then, he saw her dying, and him… He chalked it up to imagination until he saw the lake for real. He kept track of her. The vision terrified him so much he had his kardia removed right before he brought her to the Shadowlands.
He laments what her life was like because of him. Insists he was a coward. She denies it, but he tells her what the vision showed him of after she died. He destroyed everything. It showed he’d fallen in love. So, he tried to stop it. He tells her he fell in love anyway, and she tells him she felt more than love when he held her in the lake. Ash says there’s only one reason for that. They’re heartmates.
He talks about how when the Arae see threads of fate joining, they cannot intervene. He says their joined souls created the first-ever Queen of the Gods. Sera remembers Holland telling her that love is more powerful than the Fates. They talk about the Arae toeing the line of what’s allowed and what’s considered interference, and she goes out onto the balcony, seeing life returning to the realm. She stopped the Rot.
As she rests, she sees a box by Ash’s bed and opens it, finding all the hair ties he took from her when he undid her braids. It makes her heart swell.
When Ash returns, they share sweet nothings of love, and he tells her that he wants them to trust each other, telling her he’ll always see her as strong no matter what. He hints that he thinks he knows what happened to her in Dalos, and they talk more about Rhain. She urges Ash not to do or say anything about what happened when her plans were first revealed.
She assumes that Holland knew everything and tells Ash what the Arae really said to her. That love is more powerful than the Fates. They think and talk about how powerful life is, and Sera figures she should be concerned about things and be thinking about the future, but only one thing is on her mind.
She asks Ash to tell her again that he loves her, and he does. Repeatedly. And then…
They make love.
PRINCESS/QUEEN EZMERIA “EZRA”
Hair: Light brown.
Eyes: Brown.
Facial features: Stubborn, hard jaw.
Personality: Kind. Compassionate. Smart. Clever.
Habits/Mannerisms/Strengths/Weaknesses: Seems immune to heat and humidity. Spends a lot of time doing charitable work. Doesn’t know how to defend herself. Doesn’t like talking about the deal King Roderick made with the gods. Wears jewelry often. Rambles when she gets nervous. Believes you can’t hate someone you’ve never met. Loves chocolate scones. Likes iced tea. Likes to read, but not misery fiction.
Other: Is at least nineteen years old.
Background: Princess of Lasania who later becomes Queen.
Family: Father = King Ernald †. Brother = Tavius †. Stepsister = Seraphena. Stepmother = Queen Calliphe. Consort = Marisol Faber.
EZMERIA’S JOURNEY TO DATE:
Ezmeria was one of the few who did not treat Sera like a bargaining chip or something to be used. She treated her like a person instead of a cure. For this, I appreciated her.
Ezra is present when Seraphena comes before the Primal God of Death to honor King Roderick’s deal—something Ezra hates. Nyktos denies her, creating all sorts of uproar amidst those in the know.