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)
The crown was absent, as were the gloves. Whoa. No gloves in public? That was big. Huge. The hand Jokull had maimed, shown to a court that would read it as proof he could be hurt. And I had no doubt he’d done it for me. For skin-to-skin contact.
My insides softened. Authority clung to him, tailored into the rigid line of his posture, every measured movement. He listened more than he spoke, his presence drawing the room into his quiet orbit. Then, he noticed me.
His head whipped in my direction. Our gazes met, and I jolted. This man was anything but calm. Tension etched his features. Brooding over our kiss?
As he drank me in, that tension only amplified.
Good. Let him simmer in his feelings for a bit.
I blew him a kiss, and his lids slitted as if the gesture were a thrown gauntlet.
Guests noticed me and air rippled outward. Conversations stopped. Many heads turned, every eye finding me, then the king, then me again.
Finally, I glided into the room. Time to play my part as royal consort. But I didn’t go to Sebastian. Instead, I headed for the ambassadors gathered nearby.
People parted, and I passed without a hitch in my step. Everyone watched me, wondering what I’d do. Or perhaps they feared Gunnar, who kept pace directly behind—wow. No, Gunnar had vanished, as promised. He was nowhere that I could see.
By the stars. He really was that good.
Oh! There was Lady Anna. I took her hands. “I’m so glad to see you.”
Her eyes got big. “And I you. Thank you for the job. I look forward to serving you.”
“After convergence, let’s have tea.” I intended to have a life with Sebastian once our mission completed. I might as well plan for it.
“I would love that, my lady.”
We shared a smile before I flitted off. “Gentlemen,” I acknowledged when I reached the ambassadors. “The King and I are so pleased you decided to join us for this celebration.”
They did not exhibit shock; word had spread, but they did not seem pleased with my change of title.
“So the rumors are true?” The wolf ambassador looked me over. “You are the kraken king’s consort?”
Being myself meant having fun with this and twisting the screws on Sebastian. “What can I say? The man wants me more than he’s ever wanted anything.”
The griffin ambassador’s raptor-keen features sharpened. At low volume, he issued a warning. “I do not think King Malachi will be pleased with this development.”
Malachi, leader of the griffin berserkers, was known for shady deals, elegant double-crosses and a private ledger of every soul who’d wronged him. Rumor claimed he intended to cross off each name with the offender’s blood. Beautiful, women said. Ruthless, warriors knew. According to Adelaide, he was the kind of male you’d follow into ruin and thank for the view.
I pasted on my prettiest smile. “How about this?” I asked, all innocence. “You see to your king’s pleasure, and I’ll see to mine.”
He visibly flinched. The others displayed equally obvious reactions, especially the adder ambassador, who glared with open hostility. My smile held firm.
A cluster of courtiers slipped from their circle to approach, doing their best to appear casual, as if they’d accidentally stumbled upon me.
“Oh. Bronwyn of Ashmorra,” a young woman said with a smile that was all teeth, menace and saccharine sugar. “What a surprise. I’ve been so eager to meet the woman who currently holds our king’s… attention.”
The gleam in her eyes suggested she hoped the floor opened up and swallowed me.
“For a warrior who’s guarded his heart so long, he certainly fell for me hard and fast. Did he not?” I asked, at my sunniest.
Her forced sweetness thinned. “He… did,” she grated. “Is it true you’ve taken a room in the king’s suite?”
Behind her, someone’s fan snapped open and shut in rapid little strokes. I followed the movement to two octogenarians, each holding a silver coin. With a start I realized these two elders clearly had money riding on my answer.
I gave a tinkling laugh. “What can I say? He likes to keep me close.”
“I heard she makes him laugh,” someone whispered.
“I heard he takes her on missions with him.” Another whisper.
Speculation flowed through the crowd like a wave until it seemed as if my romantic life had taken over every conversation in the room.
Delighted, I moved to the next group. Males and females, all kraken, dressed in opulent finery.
“Hello,” I greeted them with that sunny smile. “The king and I are so honored you chose to celebrate the coming convergence with us.”
Their astonishment put the ambassadors’ to shame.
As they mumbled replies, I continued on, repeating the same welcome to everyone I encountered, daring Sebastian to come stop me. And he would. Soon. I felt his gaze boring into me every step I took.
For a while, I even forgot the importance of convergence. One group did what no other dared: protested. And honestly, I’d expected it to happen sooner.