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)
She huffs, a frustrated sound. “You are so slow sometimes. You’re happy when you’re fighting for Beck and Ci. When you’re talking politics and how to help the masses, your eyes light up and you become this different person altogether. That’s your passion. Not numbers and spreadsheets. And I saw you the other night with Kaja. When you thought no one was looking, I saw your fangs and your eyes bleeding out. It was primal, something we try to hide. But you were happy, brother. And that made me happy.”
I try to hide it. “If the press caught me like that, we would all be in trouble.”
“You think I don’t go a little crazy around Colin?” Susan asks. “I know royals try to hide the way consorts make them feel, but it’s stupid. It’s love. It’s how we love. The sharing of emotions and sensations is how we love. They don’t prepare you for it.”
I let a beat of silence slip by before I say, “I can see Kaja’s memories.”
Susan leans forward, surprise clear on her face. “Seriously?”
I know I shouldn’t talk about it, but the temptation is too great. I don’t have Beck and Ci to talk to. And I don’t trust anyone else. “It’s like I’m there. It’s like I’m her. I live out her memories when we’re connected.”
“Wow. That must be her power.” Susan contemplates the situation for a moment. “It must be because she’s different. I don’t get anything like that from Colin. I get a lot of thoughts about how hot I am and how much he loves me, but I don’t ever become him. I’m kind of glad about that. I don’t think working on a farm would be an experience I’d look forward to reliving.”
I sit back, inexplicably tired. “Yeah, well, being an outcast in a wolf pack hasn’t been awesome.”
“Outcast?”
I hope I’m not telling my sister something Kaja wouldn’t share, but I feel like Susan should know. They are getting close. “Her parents are dead. Her siblings were killed because her father tried and failed to be the leader of the pack. She was spared because she was a baby, but they treated her like shit. The pack leader’s son raped her and then threw her out of the pack when he was done with her. They expected her to die.”
“Gods, I had no idea. She’s so open and loving.” My sister’s hand is over her heart. She doesn’t think less of Kaja. Susan loves her all the more for how resilient she is.
“Yes, she’s strong,” I say. “She didn’t let it kill her heart. That’s why I cringe at the thought that she needs to be fixed. She could teach the people of this plane a thing or two.”
Susan nods. “I understand. Let me work with her. You’ll see. She’ll settle in. She’ll learn our ways.”
I hope so. “Please make sure the tutor is a kind woman.”
“I actually was thinking about a man,” Susan begins.
“No.” I’m not leaving my lovely, strong, interesting consort alone with some man.
Susan smiles as though she was testing me and I passed. “Fine. I’ll find a very nice woman to teach our Kaja. Colin can help, too. He likes her. And mother wants to throw a big party for her next month. She’s inviting everyone, including the press. We’ll polish her up, show her off, and then she can go back to being herself.” Susan leans over and hugs me. “But you should think about slowing down and giving a lot of consideration about what you want. Dad talked to me about what he thinks is going on with our government. You know damn well Beck and Ci won’t run. I’ll do anything I can to help, but I’m strictly financial. You can help them in other ways. Mom and Dad will try to tell you to be safe, but you’ve never been safe. It’s who you are. It’s why I love you.”
I’m shocked at the tears in my sister’s eyes when she kisses my cheek and stands to go.
“And I need those reports tonight, Dante.”
The doors closes behind her, and I have a lot to think about.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kaja
I stare at the machine. Like everything else on this plane, I find it confusing and difficult.
“What would you like to drink, mistress?”
Though the machine has no face, it still speaks. It still asks questions I am not sure how to answer. Everyone does that here. Everyone has questions. I can still feel the press of the people called reporters from earlier in the day. I was out with my mother-in-law shopping, and the reporters found our vehicle. When Alana and I got out, there was a rush to surround us. To my shame, I changed out of sheer fear.
I can still hear the shocked shouts and see the flashes as the reporters took pictures and video.