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)
Before the timer had run out, another presence pulled my focus away from what I was doing.
I glanced up to find the queen, dressed down in her “work” attire that was still nicer than anything anyone in Granny’s village had owned. Behind her came Hannon, his eyes filled with a strange sort of intensity, and it made my gut pinch. Something about it felt . . . that we were more than mere friends, somehow. More expectant, maybe. Deeper. The feelings made me pause, and my wolf growled within me.
The memory of last night was still so fresh, so delicious. The way Weston had left those secret hints to help me find him had been perfect. The new insight about his thoughtfulness. And the way he’d made love, so tender and careful and devoted, had swept my breath away. Something about Hannon’s behavior right now felt disrespectful to that. It felt invasive in a way I didn’t like.
He caught my wary look immediately, surely feeling all of that. His eyes were as soft as his smile, his understanding plain. It was really handy that he spoke in emotion.
“I’m sorry,” I told him, thankful I didn’t need to explain. I wouldn’t even know what to say. It wasn’t like he’d done anything specific.
Finley looked at me in confusion before realizing I was speaking to her brother. She furrowed her brow at him, shook her head, and went to check on the elixirs.
“Don’t be,” Hannon said. “I enjoy your company. Nothing has to change but the intent.”
“And the flirting,” Finley murmured.
Hannon laughed. “Fine, maybe the flirting. I look forward to our continued non-flirting friendship, Aurelia.”
I stared at him with my mouth open. Was it rude to say I hadn’t been flirting? I didn’t think I even knew how. I’d never done it before.
He laughed again, so I just dropped it. I was relieved he understood, because I really did love talking to him. He was such a rock-solid human.
“I do too, Hannon. I mean that,” I said.
“Her very first real friend was Hadriel.” Vemar lifted his eyebrows at Hannon. “Let that sink in.”
Even Finley laughed at that, and then looked around. “Where is everyone?”
“Gone.” I pointed at the doorway as Hannon did a sniff test of the air.
“What’s that smell?” Hannon asked.
My timer dinged, and I got up. Vemar immediately occupied my place and tended to the fire on the glass canister.
“That, my friend, is poison.” I excused myself around him, then Finley, and reached for the leaves.
“Whoa, whoa.” Finley put her hand out to stop me. “What are you doing?”
“She’s fucking the leaves into the pot,” Vemar said.
“Per Delaney’s instructions,” I added.
Finley’s brow furrowed, but she let me, watching as I dropped the leaves into one cauldron before moving to the other. That done, I checked the fires, just to reiterate to everyone that I was paying attention, and went back to Vemar.
“Look at you! You got the hang of that no problem,” I told him, patting him on the back. “You’re a natural.”
“I think I have found my calling,” he responded.
“Don’t say that—you’ll be killed for it.”
“I’d like to see them try.”
“Sorry,” Finley interrupted, “did you say that smell was poison?”
“Oh. Yes.” I sat down next to Vemar, pulling away the pot lid so the interior could cool. “The toxicity is at a much lower level now, though. It’ll be fine for you to breathe. We haven’t thrown up in . . .”
“A couple hours,” Vemar supplied.
“Yeah, a couple hours. It was a little unbearable earlier, but we made it through using your cure-all dragon weed—”
Vemar held up a finger. “Respect the dragon.”
I laughed. He was fun to poke. “Sorry, cure-all Everlass elixir. Arleth and Delaney left for a bit, but once those products were finished, we were able to air out the work shed. I do think it might be better to put me elsewhere, though. I think I’m too disruptive for their style.”
“It’s good for them. Tell her about the taste of the cure-all,” Vemar said.
“Oh, right. Honestly, I think you should put some spices in that brew. It is incredibly bland, and the aftertaste is not great. A few spices shouldn’t change any of the properties and would make a world of difference on the palate.”
“She would know—she’s an excellent cook,” Vemar said. He leaned back. “There. I think that’s it.”
“Awesome.” I checked his work, agreed, and pulled off the top of that pot to reduce the temperature.
“Sorry . . .” Finley braced against the table and cocked her head. “Can you just . . .” She pointed between all my stuff. “Just take me through all this, would you please?”
“Yeah, of course.” I explained what I’d surmised about Granny’s coating, how she’d gotten the idea, and what I thought she’d likely used to re-create it but make it stronger. “Basically, they just doubled up on some of the ingredients. I think, anyway. I’ve got these here to test.” I pointed at one of the finished products. “I’ve got a lot of other tests, as well. Different ingredients, different amounts. Once I get a similar recipe, I’ll start to refine. Now, the problem is going to be the finished product. I will very likely make a better version of Granny’s coating. It will either be less poisonous or not poisonous at all, and either just as addictive or more so. This is because I know how to do my job, and whatever hack she is employing does not.”