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)
When Kieran and Cas return with Poppy in stasis, Emil tells them that the wolven are guarding the premises with Hisa and the Crown Guard, and he’s made sure no staff will interrupt them.
He asks Cas what he wants to do about the Ascended and acknowledges when Cas says to keep them under house arrest.
Emil asks about Valyn and Cas tells him to send word to Padonia but to leave out the parts about Poppy.
Before he leaves, Emil tells Casteel to let Poppy know she has his everlasting devotion and utter adoration when she wakes. Cas calls him a fucker and he laughs and leaves.
When he returns later with Kieran, it’s to find that Cas has shifted into a spotted cave cat and seems about ready to eat him. He takes the hint and leaves when Kieran urges him to go.
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ~ EMIL’S LETTER
Dearest Netta,
Let me start by acknowledging I risk both life and limb by writing you if a certain overprotective brother of yours intercepts this message. May we both pray to the slumbering gods that doesn’t occur, as I do prefer my heart and other—far more exciting—parts remain intact and fully functioning.
But what I have to say is worth the risk.
I know you enjoy my company. Or, more notably, what you once called, and I quote, my profanely wicked and talented tongue. And I also know you believe that my interest in you is nothing more than physical. While it is definitely on the physical side, I’ve come to the realizations that it is about more than not spending the night alone or getting off.
It started when I discovered that, as soon as I left your presence, all I could think about was how you tasted and your sighs. Your kisses. Your slick heat. Your laugh. Gods help me, I’m starting to sound like Cas, but it’s true. I can taste your laughter. It’s soft and sweet with a hint of spice, and while that sounds utterly ridiculous, nothing about the way I felt when the floor gave way beneath you in the tunnels could be described as such.
My heart stopped.
It fucking stopped, Netta.
I’ve never felt such fear before—not in my entire life. And trust me, I have partaken in many things that have caused me a great deal of fear. But nothing could compare to the thought of never hearing your laugh again, seeing you smile, or even being on the receiving end of one of your clever, cutting insults. There’s nothing passing about that.
I care about you, Netta. Deeply. And because of that, I feel that I must be honest before we find ourselves seeking pleasure from each other either while home or on the road. I want more than just a few passing hours. I want you. Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. I want to see what the future has in store for us.
Admittedly, I am a bit afraid of sharing this with you. Doing so could bring an end to us before there is even an us. But I cannot continue as we have been if you don’t find yourself also wishing to see what a future could look like.
If not, I will respect and honor your wishes. But as much as my libido is cursing me for admitting this, I don’t think I can continue on as we have been. I believe that my feelings for you would only increase, and that would not be fair to either of us.
So, where do we go from here, Netta? It is up to you. I figured it would be best to avoid any unnecessary awkwardness. If you do not visit with me in the near future, I will safely assume that I have your answer.
Yours,
Emil
VONETTA CONTOU
Click here to see a full-size image of Vonetta by art.bymikki.
Admittedly, Vonetta didn’t feature as more than Kieran’s sister for me for the longest time. However, when she started accompanying Casteel and Poppy on their missions and ultimately became Crown Regent, I started seeing more and more of her, and suspect that will continue.
Hair: Black cornrows—tight, narrow braids—that reach her waist.
Eyes: Wintery blue.
Body type: Tall.
Facial features: Skin the color of night-blooming roses. Sharply angled face. Broad cheekbones. Full mouth.
Distinguishing features: Throaty feminine laugh.
Other: Sixty years younger than her brother, so about one hundred and forty.
Personality: Easygoing. Kind. Suffers no fools when it comes to men.
Habits/Mannerisms/Strengths/Weaknesses: Loves candied fruit and demands it from Kieran when he annoys her. Terrible cook. Quick with a blade. Found it hard to believe that anyone in Solis was innocent until she met more Descenters.
Preternatural traits: Fawn/sand/tawny-colored in her wolven form but smaller than Kieran. Imprint is woodsy, like white oak and vanilla.
Background: Spessa’s End Rise Guard. Helped Casteel remember who he was and remind him that he wasn’t a thing after his imprisonment.
Family: Mother = Kirha Contou. Father = Jasper Contou. Brother = Kieran. Sister = new infant not yet named. Aunt = Beryn.