Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“I would like to go home,” Meg states plainly.
“Alas, that is the one thing I cannot give you. I assure you that you will be treated with the utmost respect while we await your husbands.” Roan takes a long breath. “And after the inevitable happens, please know that I will personally ensure your safety. I believe my employer intends to leave you on your own, but I will not allow that to happen.”
“Inevitable?” Meg asks, glancing my way.
I shrug. “When they execute Beck and Ci.”
Meg laughs, her chest bouncing a little with the effort. She has tears dripping from the corners of her eyes. I have to admit, it is funny. Even if they brought a small army with them, I don’t see how this Roan fellow is going to take down Beck Finn.
I know something the rest of the world doesn’t yet. Beck and Cian came into their powers several months ago. Beck Finn was born the greatest warrior of his generation. Now he’s also a Storm Lord. With the flick of his hand, he can call on the power of a hurricane. My cousin doesn’t have perfect command over his gifts yet, but he certainly can handle a band of mercenaries.
Meg bites her bottom lip and nods. “I’m grateful to you, sir. I would rather not have to watch my beloved husbands being executed, if you don’t mind.”
Roan stares down at her and seems to come to some decision. “I can see I’ve upset you. I apologize, but it is necessary. Trade must flow between our nations.”
His hand comes out. It almost touches Meg’s hair.
“Hey,” I say. “Her husbands aren’t dead yet, Roan. You have no fucking right.”
The mercenary pulls his hand back immediately. His face is blankly polite. “Of course. I am terribly sorry.”
“Show me your fangs, asshole.” I have a nasty suspicion. If it’s true, it might be bad for Meg—and it might be a tool we can use.
Roan growls, baring his teeth. It’s exactly as I suspected. Roan’s fangs are curved and thin. Unlike a peasant’s, Roan’s fangs are meant to feed but not kill. Those fangs tell me everything.
“How the hell did a royal end up as a mercenary?”
Now those blank eyes go black and cold. “Even a royal can fall, Mr. Dellacourt. I believe you’re about to find that out for yourself. I will protect the consort. She is merely a pawn in this game. But you, I will allow my employer to slaughter as he sees fit. You’re everything that is wrong with our system.”
The mercenary drops to one knee. He pats it, and Kaja walks obediently to him. His hands slip onto the wolf’s fur.
I really want to slit the fucker’s throat. Even in wolf form, Kaja has a slight glow. In human form, she practically has a halo, but in wolf form it’s muted. I doubt that Roan will notice it, though it’s likely having an effect on him. It’s better that he doesn’t. The vampire is obviously hungry for a consort.
The mercenary strokes across Kaja’s fur. “I’ll take care of this one, too, Mr. Dellacourt. I have a weakness for the beautiful creatures of this world.”
He stands and walks from the tent, Kaja following.
Though it makes me crazy, I understand why she leaves with him. Kaja can learn a lot in this form. She can figure out what they’re planning. She can learn what weapons they have. She can get a lay of the land.
She can also run away from me. She might decide that I’m not worth the trouble. She might decide that Roan will take better care of her.
“Dante.” Meg pulls me from my fantasy about taking William Roan apart with my bare hands. “What the hell is going on? Why is my captor being nice to me even as he talks about killing my husbands?”
“He’s a royal.” If William Roan gets a look at Kaja in human form, he might fall at her feet. “You haven’t spent a lot of time in vampire society. Royals treat consorts like they are made of gold.”
“You don’t.”
I shrug. “Only with you, sweetheart. You’re like my sister now. I don’t treat my sister very well.”
It’s true. Ever since the instant I saw Kaja, Meg kind of faded to the background. She’s where she should be, relegated to the role of a loved relative.
Kaja followed Roan. It rankles.
“She’s playing a game, Dante.” Meg looks at me with sympathetic eyes.
Am I that transparent? “I know that.”
“No, you don’t. But I know exactly what she’s doing. If she wanted to run, she’d be long gone. She’s going to help us. Is this man working with Torin?”
The fight I was so eager for seems to be coming at us like a steam train. “Yes. There’s a faction on the Vampire plane that wants to make a deal with Torin. The royals are desperate for consorts. We age until the moment we take one. You’re kind of our version of the fountain of youth. We’ll still die one day, but as long as we’re taking consort blood, we’ll look damn good when we go, if you know what I mean.”