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)
“Take her to the dungeons. I’ll send for her when I have a craving for her flesh,” he said with haughty command and disgusting arrogance.
Something withered inside her, even though she knew he had to play his part as well. Her personality rushed to the surface with unstoppable force. “Go fuck yourself,” she blurted, then went with it, spitting at him and accidentally hitting Gorlan instead.
Gorlan barely flinched, then tensed, stopping himself from recoiling. She would’ve thought that funny if not for the cold indifference in Tarian’s eyes. Kayla and the beautiful, curvy woman grabbed her upper arms, holding her tightly between them. Tarian studied her like he might a finger painting done by someone else’s child. No humor moved behind his eyes. No kindness.
“Do that again, and I will whip you unconscious before I toss you into the dungeon to rot. Do I make myself clear? You are nothing here, human. Less than dirt. Remember that.”
Cold crept through her insides. Steel entered her gaze. Her bearing. A smile pulled at her lips, and she let it. Then she coaxed it into full-fledged laughter.
“Whatever you say, boss,” slipped from her mouth, flippant and willful and challenging without completely crossing the line.
He was acting like one of the court members here, and they were probably real assholes. Let the record show that she was calling his bluff. Your move, Highness.
His eyebrow twitched up slightly. A tiny crease formed at the corner of his eyes, though she couldn’t tell which emotion that might be. Then he was giving directions to his Fallen. Before he left, his voice slithered into her mind.
Stay alive, little dove. Kill first, ask questions after you hide the body.
The feeling of lips ghosted across hers. Phantom hands held her tightly. Then he walked into the darkness with all but two of his Fallen, taking his protection with him. She was on her own.
5
Kieran
“Just don’t…” Bria held up her hand to Lexi as the crew stepped out of the vehicles at the portal site. “Don’t fly off the handle. Let Kieran handle it.”
The portal waited just up ahead, and the surrounding area was certainly something. It was like a superstore for realm crossers. Horses swished their tails or ran around their large enclosures. Goats and sheep roamed. Wagons were in neat rows off to the side, and three huge barns spread out on the other side, with tackle and other supplies. People in actual uniforms waited near a saloon. Across from the wagons, he could just see a counter within a rectangular building, someone ringing up a purchase.
This wasn’t just attendants helping; this was a business. The Chesters, who were often wary of or outright hated magical people, and who tried to separate themselves from magic, were opening their arms to fae. To a race ten times more dangerous than a magical human ever would be, at least now that this world had the Accords and the many drawn-up truces between magical and non-magical societies.
Fucking idiots.
“Don’t fly off the handle?” Lexi mumbled, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white.
“We need supplies—”
“Oh, we’ll get the supplies. Don’t you worry about that.” She walked beside the pen for the goats, looking in. “Why the fuck does anyone need a goat? What, do they want fresh goat’s milk to go with their breakfast as they journey to their lands?”
“At least they give milk—why the sheep?” Jack asked, following closely behind Lexi. His anger at the setup was palpable. Everyone’s was. “The journey is supposed to take a day at a moderate pace—are they planning on knitting a sweater in that time?”
Zorn cut right to Kieran, falling into step. “What’s the plan?”
What he was really asking: Should we let Lexi kill any fae she comes across?
If she didn’t, Kieran damn well would. It was time to ensure the fae knew they were not welcome here. As far as Kieran was concerned, it was time they figured out a way to not just monitor the portals but destroy them altogether.
“Leave the humans alive, but make it very clear that if they speak one word about our crossing, we’ll make them sorry. I’ll want information from them when we get back.”
Zorn nodded and peeled off to the side, motioning for Henry and Amber to accompany him. They were the best at shutting people up in a very short amount of time.
“Hey there.” An attendant sauntered toward Kieran as another headed to greet Lexi, their eyes scanning Kieran and Lexi’s people.
Kieran had only brought their inner crew, nearly a dozen people. Even that might be too many. They needed to get through the Faegate and then through Faerie without drawing too much attention. No one would’ve stayed home, though. Not even Mordecai. He’d threatened to come on his own if they didn’t take him.