Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
“A power that’ll kill me,” Daisy said.
The simpering smile was back. “Yes, that is the drawback. Eternal life doesn’t go very far when the highest form of power ultimately kills. It keeps things fresh. But look, you have a resource to keep you alive. The very same creature who granted you the power in the first place. This whole journey has been so very interesting.”
“Fascinating, definitely,” the other male said.
“That is why your gold ink has turned to crystal,” Elysara said with a beaming smile. “To correspond with your fated match. To proclaim yourselves to the world!”
Daisy’s heart soared. It felt like it filled her whole person to bursting. She was glad it had turned out the way it had. Because of Tarian’s dire situation, that in turn had affected her, they’d fallen in love the hard way. They’d had to deny their attraction as much as possible until they’d earned it. Until they’d learned to trust each other and depend on each other.
She’d go through it all again to end up at his side—and hate his gods just as much.
Tarian’s thumb stroked Daisy’s shoulder. It was a reminder that the gods weren’t done with them yet. She could fall into this new information later. First they had to secure a future.
“You kept me alive so I could find my fated mate…only to kill her?” The tremor this time was in anger.
The other male chuckled. “With great love…comes great tragedy.”
Elysara sighed dramatically. She leveled Tarian with a flat look. “It was the only way some of us would agree to see this out—”
“At the peril of Faerie,” the god of the afterlife said.
“But if you proved yourself true,” Elysara went on, “and used the power to do your duty as a prince, future king, and Guardian, then it was decided that she’d be returned to you.”
“Yet that fucker tried to cock-block me to do just that,” Lexi said angrily.
“Okay, okay.” Hades materialized off to the side, his hands out. He glanced over his shoulder at the Faerie god of the afterlife. “Let’s not piss him off and get me into a fight, okay?”
Daisy felt Tarian tense in confusion. She was damn surprised to see Hades, as well. And now she was damn glad for him. They hadn’t needed these horrible gods to save her. They’d needed Lexi…with a little help from the god who had granted her the power.
“No, no. I enjoy her spunk.” The god of the afterlife sat forward. “My children should be able to employ magic similarly to what she does, but none of them have figured it out. I’m intrigued.”
Hades put out his hands. “I mean, I helped, hello? What am I going to do, leave all the tricks up to the humans to figure out? Half of the magic would go unused.”
“The problem here is, he didn’t think of it,” Elysara said with a smirk. “It’s not the children at all, is it, Nvran?”
He ignored her. “I would’ve returned her…after the prince had given up hope. That would’ve won me the bet. As it was, I think helping the humans counts as cheating.”
“Oh ha! Who was cheating?” Elysara asked, outraged.
“Umm…” Nvran pointed at Black Hair. “Did she think we’d miss her in the games?”
“I didn’t care if you did or you didn’t,” Black Hair spat. “All of you were cheating in one way or another. The chalice showed more promise than most of the fae. She didn’t deserve any of this. Neither did the prince. I swear, if you’d spend more time amongst the star children, you wouldn’t find such a need to torment them.”
“Amongst them?” Equilas lifted her eyebrows. “Is that what you’re calling it?”
A few of them snickered.
“Anyway.” Equilas lowered her hand to the throne arm. “Tarian, you have a choice. You’ve always had a choice, and if the issue with your mother hadn’t come to pass, I think you would’ve been given it. Will you be king of the Diamond Throne, or will you let Nvran take you to the afterlife? You have one chance. Choose wisely.” She paused. “Choose to be king. You’d hate to waste all of this. All you’ve been through. You’d hate to lose her again.”
Tarian looked down into Daisy’s eyes. “She’s human. What would become of her if I were king?”
“Weren’t you listening? She is the crystal chalice, boy. Human or not, the crystal chalice is of high status in Faerie. We have made it so. She would be at your side as queen. You would use her magic in tandem with yours to be mightier still.”
And when his back was turned, she’d forever be a target. Forever in danger. People would seek to use her or cut her down so his magic wasn’t so indestructible. Besides, chalice or not, to fae, she’d always be just a human and would never fit in this world, just like a Chester didn’t fit in magical San Francisco. If she were also in a position of authority, even as a figurehead, the grievance would be more insulting still. She’d never find a moment of peace. She felt that in her core.