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)
“This was the last time,” he said sincerely. “The very last time, I promise. I didn’t want to mention the message I intercepted from Calia because there was a chance her king would’ve changed their offer. Or denied it, even. I didn’t mention Nyfain’s intended offer because I didn’t want to add my weight to it. I just . . .” He ran his hand down his face and took a deep breath. “Aurelia, I want you to be happy, baby. You fought so hard to survive, and then I ripped you from your home, your life. I want to make that right, to make sure you never suffer again. I’ll do whatever you think will make you happiest. I’ll go wherever you want to go. I’m with you, always.”
My eyes were glassy as I resisted the urge to go sit in his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. There were still decisions to be made.
“So you agree, we’re in this together?” I wiped the tears I couldn’t stop from my eyes.
“Yes.”
“Okay then.” I nodded and crossed my legs, ready to get down to the nitty-gritty.
“You look really pretty, by the way.”
I lit up inside and my heart melted, feeling the truth of his words through the bond. I soaked in his handsome face.
“Thank you,” I murmured, suddenly bashful and feeling so in love with this man. “No one has ever told me I was pretty before. Well, except my mom. But she doesn’t count. I never had clothes to dress up in in Granny’s village—”
“This isn’t you dressing up, this is you making do. We’ll get you a fancy dress and sparkly jewelry and everything you could ever want to feel beautiful.”
Resisting the urge to sit in his lap suddenly became a lot harder.
“Right, time to discuss those offers. Let’s go in order.” I cleared my throat. “What would be the situation with my biological father . . .”
“Without me, you’d be admitted to that court because of your power and your bloodline, but the fact you have fairy magic would dilute your bloodline in their eyes. Plus, you’d be a half-sister to siblings who don’t know you exist and a horrible reveal to a mate who wouldn’t want to see constant proof that her mate was unfaithful. Bottom line, you wouldn’t be well liked or received, and would very likely be miserable.” He paused. “Assuming you allowed me to go . . .” He smiled at me. It didn’t reach his eyes. “I’d be admitted to that court and handed the beta job in a split second. I’d be offered a lot of gold. More than here. I don’t know if they’d allow you to be a beta pair with me, given your tainted blood—”
“Just stop.” I lifted my hand. “Stop, please. It was never even a consideration, but now it just sounds . . . awful.”
“Your biological father and the current beta would try to sabotage me, as well. I’d be stealing their positions—”
“Stop, seriously. Just stop. It’s a no.”
This time his smile made his eyes glitter. “Good. I really didn’t want you to think that was the most appealing offer.”
“And you thought that was a possibility how?”
“Family. Blood relations.”
“You are my family. Moving on.” I inhaled deeply as his soft eyes drank me in with that comment. “Have you been to the fairy kingdom? The Narva kingdom, I mean.”
“Yes. It’s beautiful. It is stunning, truly. The castle is gorgeous, the grounds are amazing, and, despite her best efforts, Finley is failing to compete with their gardens. It’s really annoying her.”
“They said my drug making—because I’m not really a plant worker, more like a plant burner—could be a wonderful hobby.”
“They want you solely focused on your magic, then?”
“Yes. But to receive training, I’d need to accept their offer.”
He didn’t react to that. He must’ve expected it.
“What are the people like?” I asked.
“I don’t know many of them personally. I was in the demon dungeons with Calia and her sister. She is lovely. Her position as a foreign dignitary, which basically means a spy, doesn’t allow her to be genuine with us about some things, but she makes it clear when she is acting in her professional role. The others I met seem . . .”
“Spit it out.”
“Arrogant.”
I scoffed. “Dragons are arrogant.”
He laughed. “Yes, they are. Fairies are also snobbish. Status is a huge thing in their kingdom. If you have it, you are afforded a certain level of reverence and respect. You are seen as your position. You’d have it, so you’d get deference, the best placements at theaters, invitations to formal dinners, the works. You’d have the best clothes, the most servants, things like that. You’d be expected to procreate, and you’d be expected to don that arrogance if you met dignitaries and the like—which is guaranteed, because they’d want you to exercise your powers as an Emoter to influence outcomes. That would be your role, I imagine. You would help the king get what he wants. Don’t hold that against him, though—all royals are the same. They play politics, always. It’s their job.”