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)
I nodded slowly. “The dragon king knows something of pushing back on parents. I can ask him to speak with you. He can probably help with your state of mind.”
She huffed and then put her hand to her ribs. “Don’t be absurd. I’m a captive and a criminal. A commoner. The dragon king isn’t going to speak with me.” She shook her head. “I am glad Granny is alive. I know you wish it wasn’t true, but I am, and despite all she has done to hurt me, I will do everything in my power to keep it that way. But I can’t shake the terrible feeling that I am doing something fundamentally wrong, that a violent punishment is coming, and when I figure out a way to stop that coating, it will be considered a declaration of war. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to . . . travel this journey.” Tears leaked out of her eyes. “I wanted her to truly love me and treat me as such. To realize that she probably never did . . .” She blew out a breath, clearly trying to calm her shaking body. “It’s a lot, all of this. Being willing to stand in judgment—to decide to go with you when she is still around—will be seen as a betrayal she will want to kill me for. She does not suffer those who are disloyal.”
“When you were on the pier, it was my call to keep you moving. You had no choice at that moment, and you have no choice at this. You will go to stand in judgment. It is beyond your control.”
“I could have left.”
“You tried. You were . . . rescued by them and retaken by us. Or you would’ve died. Either way, they wouldn’t have gotten you. This wasn’t your fault. It was me and my people.”
She turned her head, focusing her gaze on me. “Yes. You and your people.”
I braced. Here we go.
“Your people hated everything I stood for, hated me, and yet they treated me with respect. Mostly. I stuck an axe in some of them and they forgave me for it.”
“Truthfully, Dante hit you over the head and nearly killed you for that. Then I forced you to share my bed. I hardly think we treated you with the utmost respect.”
“I was part of the reason I had to share your bed.”
“You’re quick to take blame.”
Her smile was slight. “A lot of practice, I guess. You were the enemy and you never punished me. You never lifted a finger to your people or had to threaten them to do your bidding. You don’t control them with violence.”
“That is because I am an alpha.”
“I’d thought Granny was an alpha.”
“She is. A pretty strong one, actually. She and your product gave me some trouble near that port city. Not all alphas are the same. I lead by example. She’s chosen to lead a different way.”
“She doesn’t have a unified pack like you do.”
“She does, it just didn’t extend to your village. Her guard and her protection, the people on the perimeter of the village—they were a pack. Not as unified or as connected, no, but they were connected.”
“Ah.” She looked back to the ceiling and nodded, more tears falling.
I knew what she was thinking—she wasn’t privy to that connection because she hadn’t thought she’d had magic, something else Granny had been keeping from her.
Unable to help myself, I slid next to her, needing to be closer. Needing to feel the heat of her proximity.
She looked my way, and I drank her in: her beautiful sunburst eyes, glassy with emotion, the black and blue on her cheek, that luscious, heart-shaped mouth, the delicate curve to her neck.
“Do you want me to release your animal?” I asked softly. “I can do it right now. It’ll help you heal. It’ll make sure you are never alone again.”
“Hadriel has told me he will make sure I am never alone again—at least until the dragons kill me. He thought that was a great joke.”
I couldn’t help but stiffen. I didn’t comment. That would never happen. I’d stand against the dragon king if he ever sought to harm her, a battle that would undoubtedly begin as soon as the ship docked.
“It’s why I trust him.” Her tone was subdued. “He might joke, but he’s always been upfront about the situation. You’re certain I have magic? An animal?”
“Absolutely certain. I can prove it right now.”
She hesitated. “As much as I want that—and I have, my whole life—I want to ask someone with the same magic level as Granny or less. I want them to pull my animal out, or at least tell me I have one.”
“Dante, Tanix, Sixten, Nova—they can all do it. They are all strong enough. If you want an alpha, the captain of the ship counts. He is the leader of the ship crew. He has not met you before.”