Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
So he’d called me out. So what? Who wouldn’t leer at him?
I swallowed hard and forced my attention to the mark he’d referenced. Inked into his skin, faintly azure, glimmering in sync with the water stirring outside the kingdom, as if the sea itself answered to him.
“I took this bond, and the kraken crown, at thirteen.” His thumb traced the rune’s edge, the light beneath it dimming at his touch. “Too young to command berserkers who worship strength. But they believed I’d driven out the primordial with the convergence rune, doing what they couldn’t, so I was the only candidate worth considering.”
“Even still, soldiers challenged you for it,” I guessed.
He sighed. “At every turn.”
Berserkers attacked any perceived weakness. I’d watched it happen after Olyssa first began her reign.
“I always won,” he continued, “but it was often by the slimmest margin. To put an end to it, I found a way to make myself invaluable to the kingdom as a whole while also protecting the people, my people, from threats.”
“And that’s why you decided to merge your life with the dome,” I said.
“My grandmother performed the ceremony. Jokull wanted her for his own. When she refused him, he took my parents and me. By the end, I was all she had left, and the losses... changed her. She would have done anything to stop the primordial. Even risk my life for a bonding we weren’t sure would hold.”
I pressed a hand to my belly. Time to focus on the bad. “What happens if all three layers of the dome fail?”
His features darkened. “Everything we know will be destroyed, never to be repaired.”
Well. That certainly hit like a concrete block. The sooner we defeat the primordial, the better. “We have three days until the convergence. I’ll do whatever you need me to do to prove successful.”
For some reason, my reminder erased his teasing edge, welcoming the return of his fury. “Já. Three days.” He stood, unfolding slowly. “For your protection, you will remain in this room, be at my side, or with Gunnar. Day and night.”
I frowned. Sharing a bed, when nothing had been decided between us? “Our rooms are connected. There’s no reason to relocate me.”
“I’ve already moved your clothes into my closet.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Let me have this, Brona. I… need it.”
My eyes widened. For a warrior like him, used to needing nothing and no one, that kind of admission cost him greatly. “Ja,” I rasped. “I’ll move in with you.”
Relief glittered in his eyes as he turned toward the door. “Gunnar will collect you in one hour and escort you straight to me. There’s kingdom business to attend to.” At the threshold, he paused only long enough to say, “If you need me for anything, just call my name. I’ll come.” Then he was gone.
That man… oh, that man. I climbed to my feet and padded barefoot to the bathroom, pleased to find no lingering soreness. But oh, my stars. The en suite rivaled the bedchamber in size and austerity, carved from the same dark stone, its surfaces smoothed to a near-glass sheen. Veins of deep blue mineral traced the walls and floor, glowing faintly, as if the stone had trapped the light.
A massive bathing area dominated the far side of the room, enclosed by crystal panels etched with swirling sea patterns. Inside it, twin shower heads were mounted opposite each other, forged from blackened metal. Functional yet commanding.
I stripped and entered the stream, hot water relaxing my muscles. Puddles collected briefly at my feet before vanishing into narrow channels carved into the floor. The faint echo of flowing currents hummed through the room, a melody I quite enjoyed.
How I longed to dance to it. Not that I was foolish to attempt a routine on such a slick floor. But maybe later, I could sneak away from Sebastian long enough to use the barre in my room. My old room.
Nerves fluttering, I used the toiletries neatly arranged on a stone counter. His and mine side by side. A sight that momentarily scrambled my wits. He hadn’t tucked my things away or set them apart. He’d mingled them with his own, as if my presence here wasn’t temporary or negotiable.
Dazed, I finished the shower, wrapped myself in a huge, warm towel as soft as clouds, and entered the closet. Sure enough, my new gowns hung alongside his suits and battle gear. Silk and steel sharing the same space.
I… liked it.
“Halló, halló,” a familiar voice called. “Princess Bronwyn? I brought breakfast.”
Soley. I smiled despite my worries. “In the closet,” I called back. Befriending a servant went against Adelaide’s advice: Many are trusted confidants. Some are spies. A few are both. Be nice, but always keep an inner distance.
Maybe I was being reckless, but in the moment I didn’t care. Soley had offered me friendship from the moment we’d met. “I could use your help to pick something to wear,” I told her. “I’m not sure what I’m about to do with the king, only that it’s quote unquote kingdom business.”