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’s not thinking about Granny right now. She’s thinking about her product and how to help people through it. She’d do it at any cost.”
“She said that and I believed it, but now she is proving it. I think this will go a long way to convince the court of her position in all of this.”
“She was bound to prove it at some point. This is a clever move on Granny’s part to find her location. She clearly wants her drugmaker back, and she’ll do whatever it takes to get her.”
“It is. She’s known for being cunning.” He paused. “Listen, Weston, since I have you—when I first met Aurelia, I didn’t know about the true mate bond. I’d only heard about her connection to Granny.”
“And after you found out?” I growled.
If it wasn’t for the current situation with the kingdom, that smile would’ve been enough to send me over the edge. She’d accepted me, and now I would allow no challenges to my claim. None.
“Simply put, she needed the connection, and I was happy to provide it. She wasn’t ready for your bond. I assumed you knew that.”
He’d feel my affirmation, so I didn’t bother voicing it.
He nodded. “I welcomed her attention not just because . . .” He cleared his throat. “Well, not just for personal reasons, but because I didn’t want her to bestow attention upon someone else who was too afraid of you to let her. They would’ve turned her away, and I felt like she’d had enough rejection in life. Ultimately, I gave in to my own desires because I knew it would also help her. If I’d been interfering, I would’ve bowed out before she asked me to. Please believe that.”
I stopped and faced him, unable to help it, unable to contain my boiling rage.
“You gave in to your own desires? What the fuck does that mean?” I took a step forward. “Did you touch her?”
He flung up his hands. “No! Not at all, no. Nor did she want me to. I gave in to my desire to talk to her and flirt. I did not touch her. I knew that would be crossing the line. She’s a remarkable woman, Weston. I’ve never before been jealous of any man in my life, but I am jealous of you. Take that as the compliment it’s meant to be.”
It took every ounce of strength to stand down.
I let out the breath I was holding. “She’s made her choice. The flirting is over.”
“Agreed.” His hands were still raised. “It’s over. We will still talk, as friends, but she made it clear that she has no interest in anything else, and I respect her wishes.”
I stared him down until he lowered his eyes, submitting, before I turned.
“You walk a very fine line, Hannon.”
He caught up with me, so fucking nonchalant. He always had been, even before he’d known he couldn’t stay dead.
“Sometimes that is on purpose,” he said. “I did it with the king, as well. Power feeds me, as you know. Sometimes, I do it for someone else. This time I did it for her. She needed an outlet. I was happy to provide it.”
“She seems to have created a lot of loyalty in a short period of time.” I couldn’t help feeling pride in that, and I hated that my connection to her could possibly undermine the truth of that statement.
“She’ll make an excellent half of an alpha pair if you’ll trust her with the role.”
And now he was telling me my business, sparking my longing for exactly that. It was not easy being around a phoenix when you’d spent most of your life concealing your emotions. It felt like there was nowhere to hide.
“What’s taking you?” Hadriel asked as he half jogged by. “Fuck, I’m running again. Clearly something has gone wrong with my life when I find myself exercising.”
The royals were in the dining room, Arleth and Delaney included. Half-finished dinners had been pushed away, and Finley had her elbows on the table, her head in her hands. No matter how hard she tried to eradicate Granny’s product, it always seemed to work its way back in.
“Hey. Cheer up.” Hadriel put a plate of Aurelia’s cooking in front of Finley and one in front of Nyfain. “Eat that, it’s delicious. What’s going on?”
Finley summarized what Hannon had told me, ending, “Micah heard about all your exploits, Hadriel, and wanted to join in on the fun.”
“What fun? Granny’s?” Hadriel asked, picking up the fork and putting it in Finley’s hand. “Eat that, love, trust me. It lifts the spirits. Did Micah not actually listen? Everyone knows it wasn’t Granny’s drugs, but Aurelia’s product.”
“No, actually, they don’t, Hadriel, and now he’s sick and in need of help, and Nyfain doesn’t feel comfortable giving it.”
“I don’t want to accidentally kill him,” Nyfain said, leaning over the plate but staring at nothing. “Micah has been pushing the limits again, his dragon more so, and my dragon is ready to force dominance. If we do it like this, that could get ugly.”