Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
My lips curved up as I eyed her. That’s my girl.
“She didn’t care about being a Queen or leading an army. Her only thought was getting to you,” he told me. “But she knew she couldn’t neglect her duties. Knew everything happening was bigger than you—than both of you. She understood that if she went straight for you, not only would she be jeopardizing your life but also endangering the lives of countless others. She pulled herself together because her heart was—her heart is—big enough for you and the people. And you’re not that different. You care about the people of Solis.”
I opened my mouth.
“I know you. Shirking your duties will get to you,” he continued. “Maybe not right now, but it will.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
“You are a King, whether you prepared to be one or never wanted a crown. It’s in your blood,” he said as my gaze tracked the sliver of moonlight falling across the foot of the bed. “You need to see what happened to these Ascended.”
Rubbing my hand over my brow, I exhaled heavily. “You must be getting really tired of being the one to keep both Poppy and me in line.”
Kieran chuckled as he approached. “Someone has to do it.”
“I…” Drawing my lip between my teeth, I shook my head. “The idea of leaving her side…”
“I know.” His hand curved over my shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to her. Nor will Delano.” He paused. “And if she happens to wake while you’re gone, I could simply knock her out before she realizes you’re not here.”
I snorted. “You would never.”
A slight grin appeared. “Depends on whether she wakes up asking a bunch of questions.”
I laughed. “We’d truly be blessed if that’s the…” I sucked in a sharp breath, realizing that we may not be blessed if that happened. Poppy could wake up with questions driven not by her curious nature but because she had no knowledge of who she was.
We both fell silent as our attention fell on Poppy. Those unspoken thoughts hung in the air like a thick, choking fog.
“Go,” Kieran said quietly. “She will be safe. And if anything happens, I will make sure you’re notified at once.”
I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles and briefly closed my eyes. I knew what I had to do.
Neglecting my duties to the realm would eventually get to me. I had responsibilities—several million of them. It took repeating that a few times for me to convince myself it was true—or at least get me to move. I may not have needed as much convincing before Poppy. But now, she was the only duty I felt obligated to see to.
I rose and leaned over, softly kissing her slightly parted lips. Then, I did what I didn’t want to do but had to.
Because Kieran was right.
I was a King.
Whether I wanted to be or not.
The auburn-haired Elemental Atlantian riding beside me was surprisingly quiet—and he was never quiet.
Emil had joined Hisa and me as we left Wayfair, and a tart and lemony taste gathered in my throat when I glanced over at him. Unease. I couldn’t fathom what could’ve happened to the Ascended that would’ve bothered him or Hisa.
My gaze flicked up to the city as the Golden Bridge came into view, its gilded sides glimmering in the fractured moonlight. Jacaranda trees lined the road, their normally pinkish-purple blossoms taking on a paler, silvery hue in the moonlight as the rows of stately homes appeared.
Something in the air shifted as thinner, arrow-straight trees replaced the jacarandas, and we got closer to the Luxe. It felt…heavy. Not with humidity, but like Setti was trudging through pea soup.
“You feel that?” Hisa asked, speaking in a soft tone I’d never heard from her before.
“Something’s definitely off,” I said, adjusting the hood that concealed my identity. “Can’t put my finger on what yet.” I glanced at Emil as thick clouds moved in, blocking the moon. “You?”
He nodded as Hisa surveyed the shadows clinging to the courtyards’ stone walls. “I do.” He lifted his head slightly. “It’s almost like they can feel it, too.”
My gaze followed his, and I felt myself stiffen atop Setti when I saw about a dozen or so mortals standing in small groups on verandas, wrapped in their house robes. They spoke in hushed tones to one another as they followed us with their gazes, some stares worried while others were openly hostile.
I knew how Poppy felt in crowds.
One look in their direction had concern swamping me while bitter anger pooled in my mouth. Pulling my gaze from them, I quickly constructed a thick wall in my mind, shutting them out until only my emotions resided inside me.
I didn’t know how Poppy did it. If I didn’t already know how to put up mental blocks, the emotion they projected would have choked me. And she’d had to learn how to shut herself off through trial and error—no one had been there to teach her. I knew my wife was strong, but gods, the reminder was a blessing in a way. If she’d gotten through life so far struggling to block out others’ emotions, she could return to us as she was before.