Total pages in book: 208
Estimated words: 209645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1048(@200wpm)___ 839(@250wpm)___ 699(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 209645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1048(@200wpm)___ 839(@250wpm)___ 699(@300wpm)
“You cannot tell me who I can spend time with.”
“I just did.”
She studied him a long moment before she whispered, “Are you mad?”
“I am not. I am Prince Regent. I will be king. But for you, most importantly, I will be husband.”
Elena was still whispering when she said, “You are mad.”
Cassius didn’t deign to respond.
He was marrying a Nadirii.
He knew that.
But she was marrying an Airenzian.
She knew that too.
They would make compromises in their life together.
However, these would not be among them.
Her voice was vibrating with fury when she declared, “You need to leave now.”
“No True,” he stated. “And you will hang up your bow unless you use it for parade or to teach our daughters how to string theirs for interest and the fullness of their education. That is all. But in the now, you will kit yourself out, however that needs to be, while I wait, and we will walk together to join the procession.”
“Get out,” she demanded.
“Get sorted,” he returned.
“Get out or I’ll force you out.”
“You couldn’t manage that,” he scoffed.
Her voice was chilling when she replied, “You do not wish to try that.”
Cassius held his arms out to the side. “Again, you cannot know that.”
She didn’t hesitate.
She attacked.
Her attack was a surprise, even if it was not.
What was truly a surprise was that, in no time, she had him down on a knee and almost had his arm up his back in a way it would be difficult, and painful, to extricate himself.
And might even break a bone.
Or at the very least dislocate his shoulder.
Therefore, he had no choice but to use her hold on him to swing her around.
This took her off her feet, but before she hit ground, he surged up and caught her in his arms.
He then tossed her to the bed.
She bounced up instantly with grace borne of knowing every inch of her body and how to use it. She thus gained her feet on the mattress and launched herself back at him, front to front.
He caught her again, and she used her arms and legs around his torso to wrench him into a painful twist.
Thus, he was forced to move with the rotation, and he did. After, he backed toward her bed, dropped to it, and rolled onto her.
“Enough,” he clipped when he’d subdued her.
She bucked under him at the same time she tried to find purchase on his hair.
And this meant he had to catch both her wrists and hold them to the bed over her head.
Gods bloody damn it, she felt good under him.
And her smell…
“Enough,” he barked in her face. “You cannot possibly win hand to hand which is my bloody point.”
“Get your broadsword and we’ll see about your bloody point,” she retorted, breathing heavily from exertion and fury, which did not make it any easier to lie atop her and not grow hard, something he was struggling mightily with already.
“We’ll continue to discuss this later when you’ve calmed the fuck down,” he growled.
“We won’t be discussing anything at any time. We’re done, Cassius. You are Regent. You will be king. You can do anything with your realm. Including allowing your daughter to assume your throne. You need no heir. You have an heir. I will be your wife. We will battle the Beast. And then I will live in my treehome in The Enchantments with Dora and carry on with my life as I wish, and you will do whatever you will, just without me.”
His chest did not feel tight with her declaration.
It burned.
“We’ve already made our bargain, my warrior,” he reminded her.
“No, you made your decree. Heed this, my warrior, you may be able to best me hand to hand, but you will never cow me to your whim.”
“Do you wish to test that?” he asked.
“I think that question is better asked of you,” she retorted.
He dipped closer and whispered, “I can smell your excitement.”
Her chin dipped into her neck and he saw the truth of his statement flash fleetingly in her eyes.
Cassius did not relent.
“You like sparring, verbally, physically. You like my weight. You want my mouth on you. You want my hands on you. You yearn for it, Elena. I can feel it. I can smell it.”
“That’s absurd,” she hissed, but her breath was coming even faster.
“So you wish to test that.”
“Get off me,” she snapped.
“I see,” he murmured, studying her mouth. “You don’t wish to test it for you know I’m right.”
“Get off me, Cassius.”
He looked to her eyes. “Has True had your mouth?”
“Yes,” she bit.
“Liar,” he whispered.
She turned her head to the side and he watched her swallow.
It looked painful.
He didn’t like that for her.
Therefore, it was then he relented.
He kept hold on her wrists, but he did it using his thumbs to stroke the apples of her palms.
She swallowed again, for a different reason this time, and he spoke.