Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
But me sitting with them earned me the first hug I’d received from Queen Calisa, and a pat on the cheek while she murmured, “I’m very proud of you, Laura.”
And with that, as I suspected every royal family in Night’s Fall did throughout history, no matter what was going on…
We got on with it.
In this case, we went to dinner.
Even though the table was full of normally interesting, lively people—those being the king, queen, all three princes, the princess, me, the Truelocks, the Vinestrongs and Monique—the mood at dinner was somber.
I specifically noted how Queen Calisa’s attention frequently turned to Aleksei.
It wasn’t hard to understand why, since mine did as well, considering his mood seemed to deteriorate palpably as the night wore on.
Before the desert course, a male walked into the room, directly to the king, bent and whispered in his ear.
The king stood immediately and left with him.
Aleksei didn’t hesitate to follow.
I made moves to do the same, but Mr. Truelock, who was my dinner partner, took my hand.
“In a time like this, my lovely, one must tread cautiously around a male shifter,” he advised.
Considering the last “time like this,” Aleksei had acted like a big jerk (though, understandably, still…), I saw the wisdom of this and kept my seat.
It wasn’t long before Aleksei came back.
He stood in the door, his eyes beckoning me.
“Go,” Mr. Truelock murmured.
I got up and went to my mate.
Wordlessly, he took my hand and guided me through the Palace.
We came out on a balcony on the south side.
I heard it before I saw it when he opened the door.
I only took two steps out before I halted.
The mingled sound of wolves howling and big cats and bears roaring was a low din that carried across the water to the Sceptred Isle.
And the air was rife with dragons.
“What’s happening?” I whispered.
The king turned to me, and my breath caught when I saw the fierce expression on his face and his eyes glowing gold.
“Their True Bride was threatened. The shifters of Night’s Fall prepare for war.”
Farging farg.
Chapter 34
Suite
It was still dark the next morning when I felt Aleksei pull from my arms and leave our bed.
When I heard the door to the bathroom close, I turned to my back and stared into the murky room.
We’d both had a restless night.
Not a surprise.
It was also the first night since we lived together where we did not make love.
That wasn’t a surprise either.
Then again, Aleksei had been called away, so I’d gone to bed alone and had been so dead asleep, I hadn’t felt him join me until I woke due to him shifting.
Commence our restless nights.
And as I lay there, I thought much the same thoughts as had assaulted my brain over and over through the dark hours.
Primarily, remembering one of the last things Antheme said on this earth was that she was going to protect me.
Yes, she’d been referring to the Masque, but the message was the same.
Our conversation wasn’t me sharing how much I liked her, gruff and distant and blunt as she was, or the fact that her being gruff, distant and blunt were big reasons why I liked her.
It wasn’t about how much I appreciated her looking out for me.
We’d shared throwaway words. Nothing important. Two females walking to a craft and talking.
And then her lifeless body thudded to the pavement on a city street, and she was no more.
I wanted those last moments back for so many reasons.
To grab hold of her and pull her down with me so she would still be here.
To shift time so Antheme, or Fannon, or someone saw the shooter and stopped them before they released the blast.
Or simply to have our final conversation be about something meaningful.
To shut down these thoughts, I turned to my side, claiming Aleksei’s pillow and holding it close, breathing in his scent.
I felt that nearly imperceptible shift of the bed when a feline lands on it, and sensing my mood, Comet shared none of his usual complaints when he approached. He just allowed me to add him to the pillow I held in my arms.
The cats had been brought from the penthouse (obviously), as had a ton of my clothes, and other things I’d need.
Palace staff moved me in.
Seeing as I didn’t want my fur babies to get lost in this palatial maze or get stressed at another big change, the cats were sequestered in Aleksei’s suite, which was more like a flat, and not a small one.
There was the vestibule, and the sitting room. There was also a study, which was large, and a library, which was small.
The library had three walls full of books (yes, real ones, but they were so old, I was afraid to touch them for fear they’d fall apart), a comfortable armchair, foot stool, lamp and table, and that was it.