Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
I…I also couldn’t remember how we’d ended up like this, sitting silently on a cold floor, his golden gaze never straying from me.
I took a shallow breath, catching the delicious scent of roasted beef wafting from the tray on the table. My stomach shifted, the gnawing emptiness there as painful as the one in my chest. I wanted to move toward the food the male hadn’t even touched, but he sat between it and me, and I was afraid.
Not of him.
I was afraid of what I might do to him if I got too close.
I didn’t know why.
I just knew.
The pounding in my head thundered as my gaze fell to his jaw, which, based on its hardness, might as well have been carved from granite. Although his corded muscles were relaxed, I sensed that was just a façade—that he could spring into action at the mere hint of movement. The whispers confirmed that suspicion.
I found myself staring at his throat. The skin there was bruised, and I remembered a taste in my mouth. A sweet flavor that had long since faded. It had been his.
I couldn’t think his name. I couldn’t think too hard about anything. If I tried, the pain worsened, dragging me to the edge of consciousness. And I couldn’t allow myself to fall into oblivion again. A primitive sort of intuition told me I wouldn’t sleep like the dead. If my thoughts vanished—as unhelpful as they were—I would rise from my position against the wall but not as blood and bone. I would rise as wrath and retribution and wouldn’t be in control.
That’s what the whispers wanted. Control.
That same primitive intuition warned me not to allow it.
My eyelids felt heavy, but I forced them open, my gaze shifting to the floor. Only a handful of minutes passed before it found its way back to him.
I couldn’t stop stealing glances.
The gods knew I’d tried, because it hurt to look upon him for any length of time. The whispers were always the loudest then, telling me the male couldn’t be trusted. That he would make me weaker.
But I wanted to look at him.
Despite the pain, doing so calmed me—at least until the yearning came. I wanted to be closer to him. To feel his arms around me and the warmth of his body against mine.
But I couldn’t.
If I did, I would—
A series of sharp, loud raps echoed through the chamber, causing me to stiffen, and my heart to plunge. My gaze darted to the door.
“It’s okay,” the male said, his tone soft and reassuring.
My mouth was dry as I met his gaze. Was it the other one? The…the one who made me think of a large, fawn-colored wolf?
I sucked in a harsh breath as pain sliced through the area between my temples.
“We can ignore whoever it is,” the male said.
The knocking kept coming.
And coming.
Anxiety built as I tightened my hold around my legs.
“It’s okay,” the male repeated, his lips curving up. The smile didn’t reach his eyes, though. It didn’t cause a—
Pain arced from temple to temple once more, forcing a stilted breath past my lips.
His golden eyes turned luminous as his nostrils flared, almost like he felt my pain.
The knocking continued.
And continued.
Then came a voice. “I know you’re in there.”
My gaze shot to the door. There was something familiar about the feminine voice.
“And I’m going to keep knocking until you answer,” she promised. “I have all day.”
“Fucking gods,” the male muttered under his breath, briefly closing his eyes.
“I have all night if it comes to that,” she tacked on.
A muscle flexed in his jaw just as the hot taste of anger filled the back of my throat. “I’ll handle this.” He rocked forward—
I locked up, fingers going numb from how tightly I was clutching my knees. I no longer felt the soft material of the robe beneath them.
He halted, his eyes closing once more as he swore again. “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t know what he apologized for.
I watched as he stood slowly. My gaze tracked over the taut muscles of his back as his long legs ate up the short distance between him and the door.
Gripping the handle, his shoulders rose with a deep breath I thought he took to calm himself, but it didn’t seem to work. He cracked open the door. “Tawny.”
That…name…
“Hawke,” she replied, mimicking his bland, dry tone. For some reason, my lips tipped up. “Oh, I’m sorry. I mean…Casteel,” she continued as a sharp ache pierced the area behind my eyes. I breathed through it and squeezed my legs until my arms felt like they’d snap. “Or should it be Your Highness? Or do you prefer Your Excellency of Many Names? How about Your Majesty—?”
“Cute,” the male interrupted.
“Thank you.”
His sigh could’ve shaken the walls. I wouldn’t have been surprised in the least if it had. He tilted his head. “And where were you?”