Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Zane said Pace put a translator and earring on Treya the day that she married her husband. While I first thought this might mean friendship, everything Zane said coupled with the way Ollie all but refused to go had my nerves frazzled about meeting her. Meeting her and the man whose daughter and granddaughter should’ve been with Zane instead of me, a woman from another planet, a planet that was responsible for the loss of his family.
***
If Zane’s house was a little castle, this place was a palace. It was massive. And it was technically a castle since it was gated and fortified where Zane’s wasn’t, but it was beautiful. Rooms were massive. The artwork, the lighting, the details, it felt like we were in the home of royalty. And Phallyx didn’t have kings and queens but they did have ambassadors for each region and this region, being the largest on the planet and Spar Blackstar being the ambassador was the equivalent to a king. One look at Treya Blackstar and I felt like I was a peasant in the presence of a queen.
We were greeted by her at the massive double doors. I felt short. Dumpy. And my cute dress and my beautiful black high heels with the diamond crusted ankle straps did nothing for me compared to the six-foot-tall woman who looked down her perfect nose at me.
She had long and lush black curly hair. Alabaster flawless skin. She was dressed head to toe in white. She wore a white suede gown that came to her ankles, flaring at her calves, and with a slit directly up the front, cut dangerously high. The upper half was like a white tuxedo jacket, cut very low at the cleavage and framed with satiny lapels that were cut in a deep V that ended just below her breasts.
She wore dark blue gemstones at her throat, her ears, and on her wrists. Her nails were like long metallic blue talons. Her ruby red lips were perfect. Her figure, slender. She looked like a tall, perfect, supermodel.
She looked at me with an evil gleam in her eyes, as if she was sickeningly pleased at the sight of me, and not because I looked like a nice person, a nice person she might become friends with.
She looked at me like she knew she was superior in every way and it thrilled her. But then her eyes darted to Zane, who was dressed in black trousers and a black button-down shirt, looking handsome, as always. When she looked at him, her eyes traveled lazily from his eyes down to his polished black shoes. I felt something ugly crawl through me as she said,
“Zane. Lovely to set eyes on you again.”
“Treya,” Zane greeted. “Congratulations on becoming Mrs. Blackstar after all.” There was just a hint of ambivalence in his voice.
She smiled and shrugged. “Thanks.”
“My wife, Tanya.”
Her eyes drifted from Zane to me and she looked at me and made a face as if she was about to burst into laughter.
“Tanya. Welcome to my home. Come in.” She waved her elegant hand in a way that reminded me of a game show model, gesturing to the new car or the fancy refrigerator beside her.
She didn’t move aside so we had to move single file, though Zane didn’t let go of my hand. He moved past her first and I felt a little green at how it was designed that he’d brush against her.
Then my turn. She looked down at me. Literally and figuratively.
We were in a grand-looking foyer with ceilings that were several stories high and walls and ceilings lavishly decorated with carved swirls and points crusted with gemstones and what appeared to be mother-of-pearl. It was gorgeous.
“Your home is lovely,” I remarked.
“Thank you,” she said, as if taking credit when I knew, for a fact, she’d married Zane’s father-in-law the same day we’d arrived. Zane told me all about her relationship with Daxx, how Daxx got pushed into the engagement and then bailed as soon as our ship arrived because he’d been watching my friend Jetta on the live streams and lusting after her.
Zane promised we’d visit Daxx and Jetta. They lived a few hours away though so it would likely be in a few months when Ollie finished his school semester and would have a month off.
“Hello!” A tall man came from a closed door in a long hallway and approached. I immediately knew who he was by those jade green eyes that were just like Ollie’s.
“Spar, this is Tanya.”
“Tanya. My dear. Welcome!” The tall and attractive dark-haired man greeted, enveloping me into strong arms. He gave me a nice hug and then hugged Zane enthusiastically.
Zane looked thrown by this.
“Come, come.” We were led into a vast room with a full wall of window that overlooked the same grounds where Zane and I had first met a week earlier. This was a different perspective of the space, a side view rather than full-on, but I immediately got goosebumps, remembering the moment when my eyes met those piercing icy blue ones as he ran at me.