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)
Aurelia had nobody that would drop everything and see where this journey led—besides the beta, of course. But the beta was a rule follower. He believed in his superiors. It was what made him damn great at his job.
I, however, didn’t give two shits about authority. Aurelia needed someone at her side who was happy to blow shit up just to see what made it tick. I hadn’t figured out all her bells and whistles just yet, but I was learning. In the brief time I’d known her, I was positive she was someone I wanted to stand beside, and I knew Hadriel would be happy I took the job. At the end of all this, whatever the outcome, Aurelia would know she was wanted, and she’d know she was in charge of her future. I couldn’t wait to see her sparkle.
Calia studied me for a long moment, grabbing more food. I’d always thought she wasn’t a big eater; apparently, she just didn’t like the castle’s cooking. She was certainly cleaning my plate in a hurry.
She opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes widened. Ooohs and aaahs came from the gathered eaters looking all around. Little light bugs were drifting in slowly as the night settled over us. Not just a few, like I’d seen in the woods, but hundreds. They filtered through the trees and spread out over the grounds, drifting in the air like dust motes. They moved and swayed almost as one, lazy and tranquil, utterly magical.
I lowered my plate, entranced.
“This always happens around her,” Dante was telling someone close by. “When we were traveling, a day or so after abducting her, these bugs were always around like this. They are her warning system. If danger comes, don’t worry, these fuckers take off. Aurelia knew a damn bit sooner than the sentries that we were going to be attacked. No shit.”
Calia turned, paused in her eating, to look Dante’s direction. She stared thoughtfully for a moment, and then chewed in a hurry.
“Excuse me, I need to go.” She hurried by me, brushing my shoulder before starting to jog back to the castle. The bugs swirled in her wake.
I’d never seen her frazzled. Something about a bunch of pretty bugs hanging around was apparently the proof she needed, and I knew it could only signify one thing:
Power.
Chapter 25
Aurelia
“What are they?” someone asked, noticing the emberflies drifting in.
The insects had found me, it seemed. I’d wondered if they would. I hadn’t seen any since we’d gotten here. I hadn’t been sure this place even had any, and it was a comfort to see they did. It meant I’d get some warning if or when Granny’s people came for me.
I wondered if she’d realized whose ship I was on. Where I’d been taken. It wouldn’t be easy snatching me from a palace with dragons soaring overhead.
I sure fucking hoped not, but knew deep in my bones it wouldn’t deter her. It might take her longer, but she’d find a way. Her determination rivaled mine.
“Are these insects not usually found here?” I asked Sixten, who was working on her second plate of food.
She shook her head, watching them drift in across the grounds. “Not like this. We have them, sure. I’ve seen a few hanging around the woods. But they have never gathered like this.”
“Really?” I frowned at that. I’d never seen them not gather like this, not since I could remember, at any rate.
“I wonder if that’s a fairy thing. Bug charmer.” She grinned at me.
“Somehow I have a feeling they won’t be in any hurry to get me a special fairy knife for that type of magic.”
“Then we will just have to steal one.” She winked. “Oh, the beta showed up.”
I followed her gaze, and my stomach dropped out. I barely recognized the man who’d taken me from my village. He’d cut his hair, the sides short while the top was kept longer, styled in a sort of sweep so the ends spiked up. The change let me see more of his face, highlighting those sharp cheekbones and the delicate curve of his eyebrows. His thin nose cut down to his deliciously lush lips, and his almost severe jaw was dotted with a dimple in the center of his chin. He wore a crisp black top with gold embroidery around the collar and along the shoulders, while charcoal-gray threads swirled around his torso. The perfect cut of his black slacks showed off his muscular thighs, ending in shiny black shoes. He walked with confidence, his presence authoritative, a commander amongst his subordinates.
I’d known he was handsome—of course I had. I’d stared at his face often, traced the lines of his body with my eyes, my hands, my mouth. But my appreciation had been tempered by an initial meeting seeped in dislike. My perception of him had changed, but I realized that, before now, I hadn’t entirely gotten over the feelings from our first encounter.