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 wouldn’t say she doesn’t affect me,” I said delicately. “I would say that I choose when and how she will affect me.”
Calia’s eyes gleamed. “How strong is she?”
“She is completely untrained and has no idea what she is doing, but when she really panics and she thinks survival is on the line, she’ll rattle your brain with the need to do as she bids.” I put my plate forward for Calia to grab another bite and listen in a little closer. I lowered my voice. “She needs training, Calia. Are fairies the only ones who emote?”
She chewed slowly, her gaze going far away again. Her tongue slid across her bottom lip, lifting any juice she might’ve missed.
“Because you are being honest and forthright, I will too.”
I snickered. This woman was a spy for her court. We all knew it. She didn’t hide it. Her friendship with the royals was based on the understanding that politics would forever be mixed in their affairs. They’d all found a way to work with that. If she was giving me information, it meant it helped her cause in some way.
She went on, “Some demon magic includes emoting. That’s what we experienced in the dungeons.”
“They only have the one form of it, right?” I asked. “Forcing sexual desire?”
She narrowed her eyes in thought. “I can’t recall if there are others. I have to look. I’ve kind of . . . tried to block all that from my brain.”
I didn’t much believe her, but I went with it. That was a very dark time in all our pasts. “I know what you mean.”
She nodded. “Vampires can hypnotize, but that’s not the same thing. Goblins can deflect, in a way. They can make people want to turn around and leave a cave, for example. But to the best of my knowledge, it is just demons and fairies.”
The beta was being really chill about the whole Hannon situation, the only wolf that probably had the control to do so, but he would never, not ever, no matter how much she pleaded, allow his mate to be subjected to sex demons. Never. And if he relented, I’d step in. And if I relented, the royals would step in. No fucking way. They were not welcome in this kingdom, thank the royals.
The only choice for training was the fairies, at least according to Calia.
“How rare is someone who emotes?” I asked, wondering if she’d tell me now, or if I’d have to make her tell me later by edging her for a couple hours and making her beg me to come.
That gleam was back in her eyes. “Not rare at all. We have many who emote. It’s a trait that has appeared frequently.”
I stared at her. She stared back and popped another bit of meat into her mouth. This little fairy wasn’t giving anything away. Too bad I knew how her wheels turned. They might have a lot of people who emote, but judging by her interest, they didn’t have anyone strong enough to turn a dragon against their king.
The fairy king would give his left nut for that ability. The dragon king scared the crap out of that ol’ fairy. He’d shit himself for a way to keep Nyfain minding his manners.
I laughed. “Keep your secrets, little fairy. Let me sweeten the pot, though. Captive Lady made the queen’s head spin earlier today. Your courts’ fairies have magic to make potions and whatnot. The queen has an aptitude of her own, I’ve heard, helping her connect dots that normal plant workers can’t. Aurelia, though?” I shook my head. “She is doing things with plants that no one has ever thought of. Ingenious things. It’s not magic, either—it’s brainpower. She’s more than just someone who can emote. More than a powerful shifter and true mate. She’s a genius, and given half the chance, she’s going to change the shape of the market.”
Calia slowly stopped chewing, studying my expression. “What’s your angle?”
“Aurelia has had it rough, and she doesn’t have a support system like we do. No one has been in the trenches with her. No one knows what her trials have been like. She’s been on her own for most of her life. I want her to have the best chance possible at a bright future, and whether she goes or if she stays—whatever she does—I will be there, guarding her asshole.”
It was a figure of speech, one I’d used for my little buddy. Well . . . for him, it was also literal. He’d been in some precarious situations. Hadriel was doing just fine now, though. He had his community, he had support, and he had powerful people to protect him. He didn’t need me, and neither did the royals, not anymore. Everything had settled down. My position with them was redundant.