Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 139178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
“I’m starving.” Elena pointed at the plate of mini pastries in front of him. “Pass me one?” A kiss brushed over his jaw as he turned toward the plate. “You are so gorgeous, I want to bite you.”
Smiling because how could he not, he got her the pastry, then stroked his hand down her back as she bit into it. “Hbeebti?” His heart was a staccato drumbeat.
“Hmm?” Elena finished the pastry, paused, then decided to start working her way through a stack of pancakes.
Their table didn’t usually groan with such bounty unless they had guests—they were both fairly simple in their tastes when it came to breakfast—but Elena had spoken longingly of these items after she stopped crying, so he’d put in an apologetic order with Sivya.
“I’m very sorry for the late notice,” he’d said as he poked his head into the kitchen.
The gentle angel who was their cook had waved him off. “Finally, I get to create a big breakfast. You two must’ve been training hard. I’ll do eggs as well. You can start with that alongside fruit and toast while I prepare the rest.”
Elena had already devoured said eggs and toast.
“Here.” Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, he scooped fresh fruit salad into a bowl and slid it over. “You like this mix with the papaya.”
“Oooh, yes.” Elena stabbed a fork into a chunk of fruit with one hand while picking up a smoothie with the other.
Raphael made sure she was topped up with everything, until she at last sat back with one hand on her abdomen. “Wow, I haven’t been that hungry since my Chrysalis days. Guess the immortal tapeworm is back.” She began to laugh. “Remember how Nisia messed with me about parasi—”
Her eyes going huge, she sat bolt upright and stared at Raphael. “No.”
He winced. “All signs point to a certain conclusion.”
“But I’ve been taking the leaf!” Elena gulped down the rest of the smoothie. “A leaf a day keeps the you-know-what away!”
“You missed a day last month, remember?” Raphael only did so because she’d been joking about playing with fire. “When we flew to visit Jason and Mahiya and you forgot to take it with you.”
“We’d better be careful,” she’d said with a grin even as she let him hitch her up so that her naked thighs clasped his equally naked waist. “Nisia did warn us about a super-parasite after all.”
Elena stared at him, swallowing hard. “I only missed one day.”
“Super-parasite,” he dared say. “We’re very compatible.”
A small, strangled sound from Elena, her hand sliding to her abdomen again. When she looked at him, her eyes held a stark fear that made him hurt for her.
“It will be all right, hbeebti.” He cupped her cheek with one hand, pressing his forehead to hers. “We’re in this together, come what may.”
A gulp of air. “We have to go see Nisia.” Words that trembled. “I need to know.”
“Let’s go now.”
“You have the Cadre meeting,” she began.
“I’ll cancel. This is more important.” No doubt the others would be annoyed—but so be it. It wasn’t as if they were in a time of war or uncertainty.
Elena rose, took a deep breath, and said, “I’m fine. It’s fine. Let’s go do this.” She picked up a pastry on her way out, groaned.
Still, neither one of them gave audible shape to the possibility that hung in the air, not daring to tempt fate.
Raphael spoke to Nisia mind to mind while still in flight, asking her to meet them in their private Tower suite. She arrived as they did and, after taking one look at them, put down the small bag she’d brought along. “What’s happened?” she asked, open concern in her expression.
Diminutive, with soft brown eyes and wings of a deep cloud-gray spotted with white, Nisia’s question held none of the acerbic bite with which she’d lashed them more than once.
Elena’s hand clamped down on his as they stood in their living room in front of the closed balcony doors. “I missed a leaf and I just ate about five days’ worth of breakfast at once and I’m still hungry.” It came out in a rush.
Nisia, to her credit, just said, “Sit in that chair.” Then she took a small device out of her bag. “I could use my healing abilities, but this is highly efficient, especially in the early stages.”
Elena sat.
“Hold out your hand.” Nisia took that hand and touched the medical device to the very tip of Elena’s index finger. Before engaging it, she said, “It’ll take a blood sample. You won’t even feel a prick.”
A tiny droplet of red bloomed on Elena’s finger when Nisia lifted the device, and Elena just stared at it as if she could divine its secrets. The wound beneath it would already be gone, healed over by Elena’s immortal cells.
“How long will it take?” Raphael asked, sweat having broken out along the back of his neck.