Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
I’m practically gaping at Raighne by the time he’s done laying into Brenna.
I know he’s my guardian, but not about the part that he gets the final say in my life.
What does that mean?
His eyes snap to me. “It means nothing in your life happens without my approval.”
“Like hell!”
“Not now, Alchera,” he snaps. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Anger bubbles in my chest, and I decide to walk away before I say something I’ll regret.
Heading to where Storm is standing, I take deep breaths to cool my temper.
When Storm glances in my direction, a smile tugs at his mouth. “You didn’t look well earlier? Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I mutter. Stopping near him, I cross my arms over my chest. “I’ll get over it.”
Just like I’ve had to get over everything else.
Storm glances around us, and his eyes stop on Luna. When he stares for a moment too long, my eyebrow lifts, but I don’t say anything.
“We’re not stopping here,” he mentions. “We’ll camp near the waterfall.”
“Oh, I’ve just been there. It’s pretty.”
He lets out a chuckle. “It’s where we’ll bathe.”
Surprised, I gasp, “Like, all of us?”
When he nods, I start shaking my head. “I’m not bathing next to you.”
A burst of laughter explodes from him. “Stop stressing. We’ll take turns.”
I give him a playful slap on the shoulder. “Now is not the time to joke with me.”
He shrugs. “Hey, at least I made you smile.”
Locking eyes with Storm, I say, “Thanks. I needed it.”
Everyone starts to move to their horses, and it has him saying, “Let’s move out so we can set up camp.”
“See you at the waterfall,” I tease him before I turn away and walk to where Raighne’s adjusting the straps on the horse.
When I reach my grumpy guardian, he doesn’t even bother looking at me as he mutters, “You and Storm seem to get along really well.”
I shrug. “He’s a good friend.”
His eyes flick to me for a second. “Just a friend?”
I narrow my eyes on Raighne. “What’s with the twenty questions?”
He lets out a sigh before climbing onto the horse without any effort. “Forget, I asked.”
He reaches down to me, and when I place my hand in his, he pulls me up to sit in front of him. Instead of sitting sideways, I straddle the horse with my back to Raighne.
“Comfortable?” he asks as his arms wrap around me to take hold of the reins.
I glance down at his forearms and shamelessly drink in the sight of the veins snaking beneath his tanned skin.
“Alchera,” he says to get my attention. “I asked whether you’re comfortable?”
My cheeks flame up, and I nod quickly.
Praying to all that’s holy he didn’t pick up on me drooling over him, I ask, “Did Roark train you as well?”
It’s the first question I could think of.
“No.” He nudges the horse to start galloping, then answers, “I was trained by my father.”
Hearing the love in his voice, I say, “It sounds like you respect your father a lot. I’ve heard only good things about him.”
“He’s the greatest guardian there is.” There’s a moment’s silence, then he adds, “He’s the only one who’s faced Adeth and lived to tell the tale.”
Feeling Raighne’s solid chest behind me and his thighs hugging my hips make it hard to focus on the conversation.
I can’t stop myself from leaning back against him as I ask, “He faced off with Adeth?”
“The day before your sixteenth birthday,” he murmurs near my ear, making goosebumps scatter over my body. “She tried to kill you, but she underestimated my father. Don’t you remember?”
I shake my head.
“I grabbed you and took you to Janak and Aster while my father fought her. That’s partially the reason why we sent you to Earth.” I feel as he takes a deep breath and exhales. “It’s said the ground shook from the fight.”
It’s so nice talking to him that I don’t want to stop, so I think of another question to ask.
“Are you okay with being bonded to me?”
He answers without any hesitation, “Of course. It’s an honor.” I feel his breath stir strands of my hair. “Our souls became one when we were bonded. You’re my other half.”
God.
Raighne wraps an arm around my waist, holding me tighter, and I practically melt against him.
I’m enjoying being close to him when a worry trickles into my mind. Before I can stop the words, they burst over my lips, “What happens when you fall in love?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be happy sharing my man with another woman,” I say, already regretting that I asked the question, but I push through because I’m too curious for my own good. “Surely you’ll have to put your girlfriend or wife first.”
He removes his arm from around me, then says, “I’ll never marry.”
“What?” I gasp, and when I glance over my shoulder to look at him, it puts our faces an inch apart.