Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
I point at him. “Don’t say learning,” I warn. “I thought you weren’t willing to do that with me,” I add, referencing him declaring himself unwilling to transport me by way of magic.
He slides his coat back into place. “A few feet is not a world.”
“A world? What does that mean? Where are we going?”
“I told you. Someplace safe.” He slides out of the booth and stands, and when I don’t follow, he rotates on his heels and starts walking.
Damn him and his walking off.
I grab my jacket and rush after him. I’m really going to enjoy the next time we fight.
The Sacred Book of Nephilim
The Kingdom of Nephilim is a safe zone, a glorious place where we all wish to roam, but it is not our destiny, it is not where our duty is served. Those who fail that duty will pay a price, and the price is to never see paradise. As for the Elysium, the beauty has a price.
Chapter twenty-four
After fifteen minutes on the road, the cold vanishes and my awkwardness over my body pressing to Micah’s fades, and I actually enjoy the ride, the snow fluttering about as if dancing upon our approach to each new mile. About an hour into the ride, we pull into a small country store for gas, and I’m remarkably agile as I slip off the bike and remove my helmet.
For just a moment, I’m allowed an opportunity to appreciate Micah with that bike between his legs, and the truth is his hotness factor is off the charts. He throws his powerful thigh off the bike and removes his helmet, his dark hair falling in wild disarray, and I like it a little too much. “Can you control how I see you?” I ask. “Like, change your appearance?”
He laughs, a boisterous rumble from deep in his chest. “If I could do that, just think of the games we could play. A Crystal Seer is not easily deceived and that means you. Humans are another story.” He holds out his hands to his sides and says, “What you see is what you get, Ember. Hopefully you like me as I am.”
Only time will tell, I think, but I ask, “How old are you?”
“Sometimes, I think I’m too damn old,” he says and reaches in his pocket to produce his wallet and removes a card. “If you need the bathroom, I suggest you use it. It’s all country roads the rest of the way.”
“In other words, you don’t want to tell me how old you are.” I don’t give him time to counter. “Can’t you just magically fill the gas tank?”
“It’s out of the magical budget,” he jokes, and then says, “I can, but humans cannot, and we can’t protect them if they fear us, and they usually fear anything that is different. Therefore, I’ve learned to live inside their limitations.”
“Like you are mine, right now?”
“Exactly.” He offers me the card, and that magical rush slides over me again. “The tank is full. Get what you want in the store.”
I accept the card, and our hands collide, the friction between us palpable to the point that I cut my stare and focus on just how much he’s taking care of me. “I have money in the bank. If we can stop by—”
“You won’t need it where we’re going, and I have plenty of money for the both of us. Get what you want, Ember.”
My eyes meet his, and I search the blue irises for answers I know I won’t find. “How do you make money?”
“You know the answer.”
“Magic.”
“Yes. Magic. We have no human limitations.”
“I’m confused by that.”
“You won’t be. Hurry. We need to get out of here.”
“What do you want?”
“What do I want?” His voice deepens in a barely perceivable way, but I notice. “That’s a complicated question,” he says. “I’ll go in with you.”
“Then you take your card.”
“Keep it in case you need it.”
“I can’t—”
“Magic, Ember. You aren’t taking anything from me. Keep the card.” He steps to my side, and he’s facing the store while I am not.
I rotate to realize it’s closed, lights out, not a soul in sight, and at this late hour, this is more logical than not. I cut Micah a sideways look. “I don’t think you’ll be putting that card to use.”
“No?”
“No.”
The stubborn man starts walking and doesn’t stop until he opens the front door of the store. He eyes me over his shoulder. “You coming?”
A mix of curiosity and confusion puckers my brow, and I cross to join him, allowing him to hold the door for me. “What is this?”
“Go inside and find out.”
Okay, then, I think. This is weird. Everything about my life is weird now. I step over the threshold, and magic plays almost like music in the air. Suddenly the lights are on, and there’s an attendant behind the counter. He waves at me and then sips his coffee.