Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
He stepped forward, his feet moving of their own accord. Paling, she shrank into herself. He jolted and stopped, annoyance and resolve overshadowing everything else. Did she fear him, like so many others?
To his surprise, she quickly blanked her expression and assumed a come-at-me pose. Hmm. She might be afraid, but she was also brave and determined. An improvement, considering she hadn’t screamed.
As Elena protested, he stalked toward Red. Anyone in his vicinity bowed as he passed. A lot of anyones. With might and cunning, he’d assembled a vast army. Together, they had destroyed monsters and conquered hordes of trolls and centaurs. They had eradicated goblins. He and his people had eventually swallowed up every village in the Dusklands until Micah was the last viceroy standing. At that point, there’d been no reason not to crown himself king and forge his own fae court. The Forgotten. A homage to his first home.
The people didn’t care for him—never had, never would—and most had no desire to be his family, but they served him willingly. He ensured they prospered at every opportunity. Had built an indestructible palace and constructed villages that fed into a central marketplace. He’d given the citizens what no one else had been able to: peace of mind and safety.
Until Kaysar and Cookie invaded.
Micah waggled his jaw left and right, loosening taut muscles. When he caught a whiff of Red’s scent, the sweetest fog filled his head. Sunshine, florals and citrus. His greatest weakness.
“Bow,” his second-in-command told her. “Show respect to our king. He may be a chimera, but he’s the best male in the land.”
“I bow to no one.” She raised her nose and glared at Micah. “What’s a chimera?”
Her voice. Soft and raspy when she wasn’t screaming. A caress to his ears, its unique tenor reminding him of music.
He ground his teeth as he halted in front of the pair. “Let her go, Norok.” An undeniable order, even as his focus remained steady on Red.
The warrior hesitated only a moment before complying. “Is she the one you’ve searched for?”
“You searched for me?” she asked, arching a brow with a frustrating combination of smugness and pleasure. “Is there a reward for my capture? Because I might turn myself in willingly to collect.”
He ignored each question and asked his own. “Do you know who I am?”
“Yep. I heard your soldier.” She squared her shoulders. “You’re the king head honcho of this village. King Micah.”
He double-blinked at “head honcho” but affirmed the information with a clipped nod.
A sugary sweet smile bloomed on her too-beautiful face. “Well. You’ll want to be a good royal and offer me food and a willing farewell. Your kingdom won’t survive what happens otherwise.”
A threat? Tensing, he scanned the area. Had belua accompanied her?
Though he noted no sign of them, he barked an order to Norok. “Gather our fiercest units and surround the camp. If a single belua nears, attack, provocation or not.” He hoped the trees neared. Many nights, he’d dreamed of torching every leaf and branch.
Again, Norok hesitated before he obeyed, stalking off and barking directives at others.
Many kept their attention on their king. Micah scowled and clasped Red’s arm, tugging her forward, only then realizing her wrists were bound behind her back. Without a hitch in his step, he unsheathed a dagger, sliced the rope and stored the weapon. As she rolled her shoulders, he readjusted his hold to her hand.
His breath hitched. The softness of her palm...
“I won’t thank you,” she snapped.
“Don’t want your thanks.” As he marched her through the heart of camp, he forced her to keep pace or be dragged behind.
Red snorted. “Liar! Everyone seeks praise.”
They shouldn’t. “Those who require praise for doing what’s right lack character.”
“Yes. Well. What’s a chimera? You never said. And where are you taking me?”
His brow furrowed. How did she not know the meaning of chimera? Those like him were rare, but parents often used his kind to frighten their children. Do what I say, or the chimera will come while you sleep...
He pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth. “We’re headed to my tent, where I’ll ask questions and you’ll provide answers.” How he wished he had retained ownership of the palace. Instead, Kaysar and Cookie had moved in. Another crime they’ll answer for. “In case you’re curious, I’ll start the interrogation with this. Why did belua protect you?” The others never guarded anyone but themselves.
“Because they wanted to. Why else?”
A glib response that told him nothing. He ran his tongue over his teeth.
Anyone who spotted him—meaning everyone—bowed in acknowledgment of his title if nothing else. To this day, those he neared wished to peel the flesh from their bones, inch by inch. According to Elena, the sensation had only worsened over the years. Red probably suffered with the sensation now. Not that he cared.