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)
Nyfain laughed, heading back toward the castle. “Calia seems sweet and nice, but she is cutthroat. If she deems Aurelia’s magic valuable, she’ll offer Aurelia the world. If Aurelia accepts, Calia will take her out of here right under our noses. She won’t even say sorry when I call her on it. I know this because if the roles were reversed, that’s exactly what I would do. Inter-kingdom politics are a battlefield, and though Calia is a strong ally, she also makes an excellent foe. As for the shifter element of Aurelia’s magic, I’m guessing her power is as strong as yours.”
“Yes, and when we merge in the bond, our combined power doesn’t just double—it grows exponentially.”
“We’re looking into her father. My mother has already identified a few possibilities. She sent a note to her contacts to get more information, as did Hadriel. It’s safe to say it is someone powerful.”
“Yes.”
“They’ll want her bloodline, and they’ll pay handsomely to get it. She’ll have a real family again—a biological family. That’ll be attractive for someone like her.”
Cold dread seeped through me. “This is turning into more than just one problem.”
“I’m bad at counting.” He paused, then looked me in the eye. “I need to know, Weston. If she goes to another kingdom, will you go with her? I’ll do everything in my power to keep her, but you know the reality of her situation. The people here . . . aren’t fans.”
I didn’t want to be anywhere else. I’d found a home here, a job I loved, people I was honored to serve. The fairy court was sly and crafty and wouldn’t want me to lead anything. The other wolf kingdoms were shortsighted, and ruled by leaders I didn’t respect. I wouldn’t be happy in any of those places.
But she was my future. She was so close to realizing it. I wouldn’t say no to her.
“I don’t know,” I answered semi-honestly. She would still have to ask me, and she wasn’t there yet. Not quite. “She might not even want me to go. She isn’t ready to accept my claim. I’m not rushing her. I want her to come to me on her own.”
“Noble. A word of advice—be nice to her. Show her how much you like her. I know from experience that running hot and cold just pisses them off, and Aurelia is not one you want to piss off.” He smirked. “She’ll have the whole fucking castle trying to kill you.”
Chapter 22
Aurelia
Ifelt worlds better after the bath and the pep talks from Hadriel and Leala, who hung around as I soaked. It helped that they told me stories of when the queen was new and giving the king hell. Really helped, actually. I wasn’t nearly so bad by comparison.
A knock sounded at the door, and I found myself hoping it was Weston despite the lack of sensation in the bond. Turned out it was Dante, book in hand, annoyance on his face.
“Really?” he asked as he barged in. “You’d rather spend all day blowing yourself up instead of finishing this book? We’re halfway in—we need to see what happens!”
Tanix, Sixten, and Nova followed him in, looking around as they entered.
“Sweet place,” Sixten said, plopping down on the couch. “It feels like you. Did the beta set this up?”
“Yeah, he decorated and everything.” I peeked out the door to make sure no one else was there before I shut it. A maid down the hall saw me and startled, clutched some sort of fabric to her chest, and hurried away.
That couldn’t be good.
“He’s thoughtful like that,” Sixten commented, fluffing a couch pillow.
“Stop.” Dante froze, staring at the kitchen, book in hand with thumb in its crack to mark his place. “Stop right there. What is happening?”
“Ooooh.” Tanix clapped Dante on the shoulder as he neared, staring at the kitchen. “She’s cooking. Good call on barging in, brother. This is officially your best idea.”
“She’s cooking?” Nova, who’d been busying herself by looking through the opened book on my dining nook table, walked over. While the beef braised—Hadriel had gotten yelled at and chased out of the kitchens for trying to steal some lamb—I’d been doing some necessary research. I had a million ideas racing around my head. “Is there enough for everyone?”
“If not, I’m happy with just a bite.” Dante raised his hand. “Just a little morsel would be fine for me.”
“There’s . . .” I pursed my lips as I thought over everything. “There’ll be enough for an appetizer if we all share. I want to save a plate for Weston, but Hadriel and I can get dinner from the kitchens.”
“No, Aurelia.” Tanix gave me a stern look. “You’re not going to do all this work just to feed everyone else and not yourself. We’ll eat from the kitchen.”
“No, no, it’s really okay. I love cooking—it relaxes me. The castle has plenty of hot food. It’ll be great. I have a hankering for cheese, anyway.”