Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 661(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 661(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
“I think they were just horny.” Dante Dellacourt has a smirk on his face as he leans against a wall.
“Well, you would know.” Lach seems to be in a ridiculously good mood. I’ve never seen my brother so relaxed.
Dellacourt stands up straight. “Is my cos all right? Goddess, I can’t believe Bron’s alive. Can I see her?”
“Bronwyn is fine. She’s perfect. And she’s tired. She’ll be down in a little while,” I reply, though I’m not completely sure she’s fine. She seems very disconcerted. We need to talk, but I would prefer to do so while we hold her, bonding with her, skin to skin. It’s necessary. We were close to her mind for so long that she doesn’t trust our physical presence. “Though she’s sure she’s lost her wits.”
Lach puts a hand on my shoulder. “She was confused by the potion.”
“Potion?” Dellacourt asks.
Gillian takes her eyes off Roan and frowns Dellacourt’s way. “Your sweet cos was nearly executed today for being a witch. It was only my brothers who saved her.”
“As was right. We’re her husbands,” I point out. “And we knew she was in danger. We’re bonded. We can feel her. Dellacourt, tell me you can’t feel your consort.”
Dellacourt frowns. “Most of the time, though she’s good at shielding. It pisses me off. She tends to do it when she wants a spanking. But I understand what you’re saying. I can feel my Kaj.” He smiles a bit, his eyes losing focus. “She’s happy right now. She’s also curious about the village around her.”
I turn on the vampire mercenary. He doesn’t understand them. He can’t. “See? You don’t have a consort. You don’t have the bond. You can’t understand.”
Roan laughs, a disdainful huff. “No, Your Highness, I don’t have a consort. I haven’t had the cash or the connections to keep one. But that will change.” His eyes go right back to Gillian.
She hugs me. “Stop baiting the mercenary, brother. I will try to do so as well. He’s only here to help. And I’m grateful since otherwise we have nothing but you and Lach to protect our precious Bron.” She smiles, her face vibrant. “She’s wonderful, isn’t she? When I first came to negotiate your marriage, I worried she was far too young and spoiled, but she’s been magnificent through all of this. You should know I have come to love the girl dearly, and I will kick both of your asses if you cause my Bron a moment’s pain.”
I like that my sister is so protective of our wife. “We love her, Gilly. We’ve been lost without her.”
“But we have some work to do with her. I’m worried she’s angry at you,” Lach says, his eyes going back to the stairs.
Gillian sighs. “I am sure she will be. I thought it best to simply be her guardian. We kept to ourselves. We’ve met so many nobles here who would have used her as a rallying point.”
Dellacourt’s foot taps as he thinks. “Not just a rallying point, I would suspect. Bron is the last Finn on the plane. And she’s female. If I were a betting man, I would lay a lot of gold on the fact that noble families here would see her as a way to take the crown. Oh, wait. I’m actually quite a good gambler. I also bet that’s what you were doing here in the first place.”
“I was attempting to negotiate a proper, advantageous marriage for my brothers,” Gillian replies. “When the coup occurred, I protected the princess. She died. Do you understand that, vampire? She was dead, but my magic brought her back to life. I was the one who used magic to cover up the fact that she was alive. She’s here today because of me.”
Gillian is wrong about her magic. It was me and Lach who brought her back, but I keep my mouth closed. Gillian needs all the help she can get with the vampires.
“And you intend to use her to unite the crowns.” Dellacourt’s voice is without a touch of emotion. Bland, even. But there’s a shrewd ruthlessness in the vampire’s eyes that lets me know he has an angle to play. “It might work except for one small fact you’ve overlooked.”
“Really? I don’t think I overlooked a thing. When Torin falls, and I will see that bastard fall if it is the last thing I do, Bronwyn will assume the crown and my brothers will be kings. My father will step down and the triumvirate will rule both planes.” Gillian makes her announcement with a brutal practicality.
“That will be interesting to see.” Roan crosses his arms over his chest and smirks, his fangs peeking out.
Dante sighs a bit before making his point. “I believe Their Majesties, Beckett, Cian, and Megan Finn, will have something to say about that when they reclaim their throne. Or were you planning on Bronwyn going to war with her brothers? I assure you I love my cousin, but I will not allow her to claim her brothers’ rightful throne. Certainly not when she would be an Unseelie puppet. But then your brothers would be puppets, too. You want to be the power behind the throne.”