Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
“Not that that isn’t the cutest fucking thing I have ever seen,” I said, watching Tabitha crack a wide smile and bend down, giggling, “but what is going on?”
“We can’t get Tabby to sit still long enough to get through a book,” Nyfain said, riveted to his daughter in the arms of a near stranger. Shockingly, the guy wasn’t running down there, ready to tear off Aurelia’s face. “She always wants to move. Yet here she is, in the lap of her new best friend, reading a book that doesn’t even exist.”
“Well . . . that’s probably it, isn’t it?” I held up the painting for Nyfain to take. “Aurelia is making it a lot more fun than some words and a picture. She’s turning it into a live-action, imaginative event. She’d certainly know how. She makes the fucking stuff.” I pointed at the canvas. “Check that out. Also, Finley is going to anger-fuck the shit out of you later if you don’t hurry up. She wants to watch the trial runs of Aurelia’s new product batch. She wouldn’t let Vemar take it yesterday without someone on hand in case something went wrong, so we are going to do it tonight. Also, I need to head up a drinking session—”
“We?” Weston cut in without tearing his eyes away from Aurelia. It was perfectly clear what he was thinking: he was ready for that to be their child.
“Yeah. You know, Vemar, me, Leala, no one else of consequence. By the way, Aurelia is going to be sick later. She’ll be indisposed. Don’t check in on her. Doctor’s orders. Anyway—”
“This is neat. Why am I looking at it?” Nyfain said, frowning at the canvas. “Actually, it would go in our sitting room. The colors match.”
Fucking dragons were always very calm when there were giant problems and insurmountable odds. Was I the only one cracking up from stress? The fucking waterways were open again. Granny’s people knew, without a doubt, that Aurelia was here. They’d either heard about her presence, witnessed the fail-safes helping people, or seen her in the towns—or worse, in the fucking castle. They’d be on their way to tell Granny right now. She’d be showing up to collect very soon. We needed to get into that meeting and talk about all this silly shit before the chance to stop it slipped away entirely. I’d made a good friend, and I would not see her taken back to that hell pit.
“No, probably not your sitting room,” I said, feigning patience so that I didn’t yell at him and get my arm ripped off. I mentally amended my previous statement: dragons were calm in a crisis until directly provoked. And I did not want to be the one provoking.
Belatedly, I noticed Cecil standing off to the side, looking quite impatient. It was clear he wanted Aurelia to go with him but was not brave enough to interrupt the princess when she was having fun, especially not with the king standing down the hall, watching.
What’s his game? I wondered. He didn’t tend to have secrets, but he’d been awfully secluded lately. Now he was getting the captive in person? Since when did he bother?
“Is that . . .” Nyfain looked closer, pulling me out of my reverie. He pulled it back to look farther away. “Is that a cock and balls?”
Crisis or not, I burst out laughing again, drawing the notice of several people, including Aurelia. She looked at Weston, her smile holding all kinds of messages, and then at the king, with probably no idea he was looking at her art. She pointed Nyfain out to Tabitha, urging the little girl to get up and go to her daddy.
Nyfain spat out a laugh and then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “This painting is hilariously lewd. It takes a while to notice, though.”
“That’s the beauty of it,” I replied.
Nyfain passed it to Weston. “That shit is funny,” he told his beta.
“No!” Tabitha shouted as Aurelia tried again to get the little girl to stand up.
“I don’t see—” Weston huffed. “Ah. Clever. It’s pretty well hidden.” He turned to look at me then. “Did you do this?”
He passed the painting back to me. “No, actually. Your lady love did. Liron is pissed. He thinks I put her up to it.”
Nyfain glanced over at Weston as Aurelia stood with Tabitha in her arms.
“A woman of many talents,” Nyfain said.
“When you grow up with zero friends, you get good at hobbies.” I beamed as little Tabby got closer. “Hello, sweet girl! Come here, come to Uncle Haddy!”
She didn’t pay me any attention, not when her daddy was in her sights. She beamed at him, reached for him, and then thought better of it. Her little face screwed up in anger and she pointed at his face. “No!” Her babble was serious and commanding, and she was every bit her father’s daughter.