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 ignore the fact that the slender woman seems preoccupied with eating people. “Who is Megan?”
“Megan is the queen.”
“My brothers bonded?” Torin did everything he could to ensure my brothers couldn’t find a proper bondmate. I heard rumors that great battles are being fought in the arena when a bondmate can be found. The rumors are that vampires and refugee Fae will fight to the death in an attempt to possess one.
The woman nods, a small smile on her face. “A true bond. Your brothers have ascended into their powers. Beckett Finn is a Storm Lord and Cian a Green Man. Though he is not actually green. He is normal looking. I am told the title should not be taken literally.”
Beck and Cian formed a true triumvirate. It’s beyond imagining. “I can’t believe it.”
“They came into their powers a few months ago when they found Megan, as the Unseelie twins ascended into theirs when they bound to their perfect mate.”
“Me.” I’m not sure how it happened, but I know it’s true. It’s right there, that invisible thread I always thought of as an inward sign of my own insanity. I never saw it for what it truly is—the bond between mates. And not any mates. Symbiotic twins. I bridge them, giving them access to the other half of their soul. And apparently give them powers. “Shim is a Fire Lord.”
The wolf woman nods. “I think I heard the word pyromancer used. And necromancer for Lachlan.”
Lord of the Dead. Heat and Cold. Two halves of a whole, and I felt both powers skimming through my system. “Why are you here? Where is Dante? Where are my brothers for that matter?”
My family. I need my family. They will help me sort everything out. They’ll talk to me and make things right. Oh, I long to see my brothers once more.
“Dante is back in the village. I followed you because I thought you might need some time to think about everything that has happened. I was told you were given the fire drug. I know how it feels. It is terrible, and yet there was something wonderful about that first night with my Dante.”
Terrible and wonderful. That’s a good way to put it. I already forgot the pain, but not the rolling need that threatened to boil over. I can still remember how it feels to be one with them. To have Lach deep inside and Shim’s mind binding to mine as he feeds. In those moments, I wasn’t alone. I was loved and whole, and it was a lie.
“What’s your name?” If she’s telling the truth, then I’m being terribly rude.
The woman straightens up, her chin raised in a polite greeting. “Kaja. I am Kaja Dellacourt. I am your cousin, and I would like to be your friend.”
I can’t help but flush a bit. Kaja’s breasts are thrust out as she makes her greeting. “And you are very comfortable being naked.”
The woman laughs, a sweet sound. “Megan thinks it is odd, too, but I cannot wear clothes in my wolf state, so I have none on when I change. Now, can we talk about all the reasons you should come back to the village with me?”
And back to Shim and Lachlan and Gillian, who want me barefoot and pregnant in the Unseelie kingdom? No way. I resume getting dressed, pulling out my most comfortable shoes, a pair of boots Gillian traded the last of her jewelry for.
Kaja doesn’t seem to notice my silence. She continues on. “I do not like that man downstairs. He might not be a bad man, but he seems to have plans he intends to see through with you or without you.”
“That seems to be the order of the day, doesn’t it? Everyone wants a piece of me.” Including Torin.
“But your family wants to protect you,” Kaja insists. “I don’t think that man down there will do much in the way of protecting you. He will protect his plan, perhaps, but his care for you will only go so far as seeing his plan come to fruition. Of course, you could simply wait until your husbands catch up to you, and then they will kill him.” Her eyes light up. “And they will let me eat him. Yes. I very much like your husbands.”
“Then why are you here with me and not off telling them where I am?”
Kaja seems to think about that for a moment. “Because Meg has taught me much. There are many rules on the Fae planes, but the one that is the most important is the Girl Power rule. The queen explained it to me. Girls must stick together because men are all idiots who oftentimes think only with their man parts, and man parts are not smart. Females must show loyalty to one another in the face of man part foolishness. If you are determined to follow this man, who is not your husband or your kin and will likely lead you into something terrible, then I will be forced to follow you because you are my kin, and I cannot leave you to something terrible. And besides, there might be snacks along the way.”