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)
She looked over her shoulder; he had been in the crowd of people and now watched her go. “He’s really nice. And smart. And easy to talk to.”
He was also, quite obviously, smitten with her. He was doing nothing to hide it. She didn’t notice the signs. Because of an upbringing where no one wanted to talk to her, let alone woo her, she was completely oblivious. It made the whole exchange fascinating to watch.
And poke a little fun at . . .
“And handsome,” I drawled. “With a nice body. And big . . . feet.”
Crimson spots bloomed on her cheeks. “He’s friendly, that’s all. He listens really well. He always gives me his undivided attention, like he’s fascinated by every word that comes out of my mouth.” She shrugged. “He’s a friend. I hope. He’s someone I’d like to be friends with, anyway.”
“A handsome friend.”
The blush intensified. “It’s just . . . There’s no history, you know? It’s nice getting to know someone that doesn’t already know so much about me.”
“Ah,” I said, nodding. That made sense. If I had a history like hers, and with the reactions we’d all given her, I’d probably want to start from scratch as well. And honestly, after the curse, I kind of did, didn’t I? We’d had a big influx of new people who’d had no idea what it had been like before. I remember it being . . . refreshing. I could relate to her on this one.
Just for a little extra poke, though, in the name of fun . . .
“So it has nothing to do with how handsome he is, then?”
“His appearance is just . . .” Another shrug. “I mean, fine, sure, he’s nice to look at, yes, but so is the king—” She shivered. “The king is too scary. I take that back. But so is Vemar—he’s really handsome. And so is that dragon commander, even though he looks like he wants to punch everyone he sees. And Finley is really beautiful; Calia too—there are a lot of attractive people here. He’s just another one of them.”
“First, I am hurt that my name wasn’t mentioned in that list . . .”
She nudged me with her elbow. “Of course you’re on the list. That goes without saying.”
“I’ll accept that. So, to summarize, he’s nice to look at, but you don’t want to fuck him.”
Her whole face was beet red now. “I’m just trying to get by. I’m not looking to bang my way through the castle. I wouldn’t even know what to do in an orgy.”
“Orgy?” I put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “Who said anything about orgies?”
She rolled her eyes, brushing past. “It was that cornhole guy—Liron. He stopped Hannon and me on the way out to the garden and asked if we’d like to attend. Thankfully, Hannon got a little scary and shut him down, so I didn’t have to deal with it—”
“That fucking toolshed.” I rolled my eyes with her this time. “Don’t worry about that. Hannon likely solved the problem.”
Hannon was as easygoing as they came, hardly ever ruffled, but when he reacted to a threat, it was extreme. Liron had probably shit himself. Served him right.
“Yeah. It’s actually kind of nice that he can read emotions,” Aurelia said. “I didn’t have to say anything. When I got uncomfortable and started arguing with my wolf, who wanted to kill him, Hannon stepped in.”
“Then you must also enjoy the four-way bond.” Again, I watched her expression closely. “Since, you know, Weston will always do the same thing for you.”
Her expression softened, her posture suddenly demure, a little smile playing across her lips. “Yes, that is nice, actually.” She was also smitten, but not with Hannon. She was starting to come around.
I pushed a tree branch out of the way. “Now, I want to switch gears for a moment. What the fuck is with you blowing things up and getting glass embedded all in you? And what, gods help me, is up with wandering around covered in glass and blood and burn marks, of all bloody things, like some sort of horrific monster? You look scary enough to make iron stomachs churn. You’ve scared the whole fucking castle, my darling. Don’t bother walking around with a knife—people will fucking run from you. Thank the gods’ left nipples that Leala is your lady’s maid. She is incredibly turned on by your high threshold for pain. She’s itching to use that whip, I tell you, but don’t let her. She’ll fuck you with the handle, and you really don’t want to know where it’s been.”
“Goodness gracious.” She gulped and tugged at her collar.
“Exactly. Oh, and also, don’t mind her if she lingers when the beta starts hammering that cock into you. I told her how spectacular you guys were to watch. She wants to see. She’s not intrusive, though, so don’t worry. She’ll wait to wank until after she’s left the room.”