Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
I pull the pan off the grill using a thick towel. The eggs are a little burnt, but edible. It’s a minor triumph. I scoop the largest part out onto a plate for Cian. He’s bigger than I am and looks like he can use the calories. I’m going to have to figure out how to fatten him up.
“Thanks,” he says gratefully as he digs in. “My sister likes eggs, but she likes them fried. When she gets up, will you make some for her, too?”
It’s easier to play along than to explain over and over and over. “Of course,” I murmur as I pick up my fork.
We eat in silence for a few minutes. Cian then seems fascinated by the sight of his hand. He holds it up in the light and looks very confused. His head whirls around, and he takes in the cottage.
“This isn’t my home.” Cian looks around the room. He sounds the slightest bit panicked. “Where am I?” He looks so lost. He catches my hand and holds it tightly. “I don’t know where I am.”
If Beck were standing in front of me, I would have clocked him with the iron skillet. Cian needs him, and Beck left. I understand we need money, but it could have waited a day or two. I hold Cian’s hand in both of mine. “You’re safe. I promise you.”
“Is he having a rough day?” a voice asks from the open window in the kitchen.
I turn, slightly startled to see a lovely blonde woman standing at the window. “I wouldn’t know what a normal day is like.”
“Sometimes he remembers, but that’s only when his brother is around,” the blonde explains with a tight smile. “With Beck being gone again, he’ll probably deteriorate. It’s terrible that he had to leave again so soon. He only got back yesterday, and now he’s off to the Vampire plane.”
I feel my heart drop to my toes. “How did you know he was gone?”
I thought the only people Beck saw the day before was an elderly couple on the outskirts of the village. He hadn’t mentioned anyone else. I suppose word could have gotten out, but that meant he told others long before he mentioned it to me.
There’s no small amount of sympathy in the other woman’s eyes. “He told me last night. He asked if I would come up and see if you needed anything. Cian can be difficult.”
Cian stares at the blonde. He comes around and put his hands on my shoulders. Every muscle in his body seems bunched and tight, almost as though he’s ready for a fight. “You shouldn’t be here. Go away.”
“You see. He’s difficult. I hope he doesn’t get violent with you. I don’t know what Beck was thinking, leaving you with him. He can be so insensitive sometimes. You know men.” There’s a slight sheen of tears in the woman’s eyes. She makes a scene of trying to hide them.
The blonde before me is tall and delicately feminine. She has a perfect face, with light blue eyes and cheekbones any model would kill for. I don’t buy the tears, though. Those seem fake. I’ve been around enough mean girls to identify one even on another plane. The woman in front of me has taken special care to let me know she spent time with my husband. “What can I do for you, Miss?”
“I am Liadan.” The introduction comes with a slight sniffle. “I live in the house on the other side of the fields. I’ve known the brothers for several years now.”
“Beck likes her, but I don’t,” Cian says stubbornly.
I don’t like her either. There’s something very cold about the blonde, though she’s putting on a friendly front. “All right, Liadan. What can I do for you?”
She seems put off by my forwardness. “Like I said, last night when His Highness visited me, he asked me to check in on you. He wanted me to see if there was anything you needed. He was concerned about his brother, you see. He told me he brought you in to save Cian. The king loves his brother very much. He is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for his brother.”
“His happiness with you?” I ask boldly because I’m done playing around with the woman who has obviously come to size up the competition.
Liadan gasps. Her cornflower blue eyes narrow. “Well, if we’re going to be plain, then, yes, he’s sacrificing the happiness he’s found with me. We’ve been together for almost a year now.”
“I haven’t been with her.” Cian seems very intent on making it clear he has nothing to do with his brother’s mistress.
“Like I would have you.” There’s a sneer on Liadan’s face as she looks at Cian. It doesn’t go away when she turns back to me. She doesn’t seem so pretty now. “Look, I’ve heard you’re human, so you don’t know how this works. Beck is mine. He has been for a while now. He chose me. Because of his unique nature, he’s stuck with you. He hopes you can keep Cian alive, and he’s willing to endure this marriage because of it.”