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)
The gravity of his tone, in his eyes, sobered me. I licked my lips, thinking about this.
But what was there to think about, really?
“I say I’ve always wanted to live amongst the fairies because they seem so ethereal and magical,” I said. “Which, honestly, Calia does a great job proving is the case.”
“She does.”
“But the other half of that dream was to have a little house all my own with a loving mate and a wagonload of children. It was to have friends who would sit with me in the garden, or to be cooking dinner for a large gathering. What I really wanted was a community that welcomed me. That was it. I latched on to fairies, I think, because I’d never met one. It was easy to dream that they would treat me differently than the shifters I met every day, and that they were less . . . icky than the demons or goblins or vampires. I latched on to them because they were my best hope at a community.”
“You didn’t even think about the dragons.”
“I didn’t.” I leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t tell them. They’ll just get pissed.”
He laughed and kissed me. “They don’t need much of a reason for that.”
“No, they don’t.” I cuddled close.
“You have time to think it through,” he said softly.
When you ultimately choose your path, you need to choose what will make you the happiest. You need to choose what you’re most passionate about. With hard work and perseverance, everything else will fall in line.
“I want to make those medicines,” I told him. Or maybe I was telling myself. “I want to speak with people and come up with ways to make their lives a little more manageable. I want to work with Vemar and play jokes on Hadriel. I want Leala to teach me how to wield a whip, because how cool would that be? I want a family with you, and I want to be claimed. The public part of that is a little daunting, but it’s not like we haven’t done it before. Do you know what else I want?”
“Should I be writing this down?”
I laughed and snuggled against his neck. “I want to create a business that eclipses Granny’s. I want her to see that I wasn’t just good at making drugs—I am good at many things. I want to show her that I have more value than what she gave me the barest of credit for, and I want to do it after I have driven her business—the business I was integral in building—into the fucking ground.”
His lips crashed down on mine, and relief soaked through the bond. “Thank fuck. I was worried you’d want to go to the fairies.”
“I mean, I do want to visit someday, if they’ll have me. I want to see their land. It sounds beautiful.”
“We will. Once life settles down and the threats are exhausted”—the last part was a growl, clearly referencing Granny—“we’ll follow Calia home and let her show us the gardens and the countryside. Maybe we can keep you from meeting the king and tarnishing your love of the lands.”
I laughed and smacked him. “You didn’t mention that I wouldn’t like the king!”
He chuckled. “He’s fine. Like any other royal. Nyfain is an exception.” He kissed me again, gentler this time. “I love you. I need to organize the timing with the royals and ready the pack for it, but once the particulars are sorted . . .” He pulled back to look deeply into my eyes. I felt his heat run through me. “I will claim you for all to see and show the kingdom that you are now, and will forever be, mine.”
Chapter 34
Aurelia
The next morning, I was a woman on fire. I gave Vemar a thumbs-up as I exited Weston’s room and passed him by.
“Hello, Captive Lady,” he said, catching up to me with a laugh. “Damn fine morning, isn’t it?”
“Damn fine.” I stopped by my room and grabbed the notes from my journals. “Change of routine for today, Vemar.”
“I love changes in routine.”
“Take me to the royals.”
“Very dangerous to disturb them so early in the morning.” He pointed to indicate our new trajectory, and we started walking. “I can’t wait to see what happens.”
“Dragons,” I murmured with a smile.
He took me right to their door, and I didn’t miss the warning looks of those we passed on the way there. I knocked, hoping to holy hell I didn’t wake the baby. If I were them, I’d punch me in the face if I did.
A fierce-eyed Finley swung the door open—hair wild, robe open down the middle exposing bare skin, and war imminent.
“Is the king awake?” I pushed into her room, on dangerous ground. I was a fairy, though. It was my right to be arrogant. At least twenty-five percent so.