Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Chapter Eleven
Shy
The air suddenly feels tense, and I realize I have mere seconds to convince the queen that we’ve found ourselves in the wrong damn timeline, and a deeply dangerous one at that.
“He’s really not the king.” Clem stands beside me. Shea completely disappeared, apparently happy to have a chimera corpse to play with, but Clem left her rock and followed me. She’s a calm spirit, if still a bit pissed at how she died. I got a bit of that story when we were locked in Rhys’s protective…there’s really no other word for it…cage.
“I told you,” I say under my breath and get close to the queen. “Your Highness, we’re in danger. These men believe the high priest is their king. Their king who slaughtered his mother and brother to take the throne and has apparently been brutal with his subjects. I don’t understand everything yet, but I know they will not take it well if they figure out he’s not who they think he is.”
The queen’s jaw tightens, and then she obviously makes her decision. “Ask her if I’m his wife on this plane.”
“Eoin, you jokester. It’s good to know things haven’t change.” Rhys’s father is smiling like he half expected something like this.
“He has no wife,” Clem says. “Though he sleeps with any woman who catches his eye. He’s a professional when it comes to debauchery.”
I shake my head the queen’s way.
The head of the guard stands, his eyes narrowing. “You sound different, Your Majesty. And you’re early. We did not expect you for several months. Where is your guard? Who are these… I don’t think some of them are sidhe.”
And that was a problem for this dude.
“You know well who my partner is,” Dev says with a laugh. “Where is my brother? Tell him I’ll kick his ass.”
While Devinshea is looking at the guard, waiting for them to spring the joke, Zoey moves to his side and proves she can act a part. She places a hand on his arm and looks up at him. “Your Majesty, I think they know your brother is dead and that you bravely took him out so all of Faery could be under your…kind rule. Don’t pretend we’re in some other timeline. You’re the one who is joking with them. Your guard is obviously steadfast and true and would never joke with the king.”
He frowns down at her. “Zoey…”
Rhys moves next to me. “What’s happening?”
“Your father is either going to catch on or we’re all about to die,” I whisper.
“Wouldn’t it be funny, Your Majesty?” Zoey has the bubbliest look on her face. Like there’s not a brain in her head. She blinks her eyes, and I swear at some point when I wasn’t looking she undid a couple of buttons of the flowy dress she wears. “If we made a mistake coming back and found ourselves in a kingdom where you weren’t the ruler of everything? That would be so weird.”
I see the moment Devinshea realizes what has happened and damn, but Rhys’s papa is good at acting as well. His face loses its quizzical expression and a decadent darkness takes over. A faintly cruel smile plays on his handsome face. “Yes, my dear, that would be, as you put it, weird. And wrong. Eoin, why exactly are you here? I certainly did not order you here.”
“Well, at least now I understand why you came back early. I should have known.” Eoin’s gaze is still suspicious. “You are supposed to be on the outer planes preparing for your marriage. We were surprised when Ostara’s oracle told us you were here. She was a bit surprised. She believed her fiancé would take more time. If you ask me, I think she’s attempting to avoid the marriage, Your Majesty. And you are going to give her a reason, it seems. I thought you were done with this.”
Rhys leans over, his arm around my waist, and whispers in my ear. “What the hell is going on?”
Devinshea’s eyes go hard, and I swear he gains an inch or two as he moves in and stands in front of the head of his guard. Well, the head of the other Dev’s guard. This is going to get confusing. “I didn’t ask you, Eoin. Did I? Do I typically ask the opinions of guards? Have I been gone so long that you don’t remember?”
Eoin’s eyes find the forest floor. “No, Your Majesty. I have not forgotten. I was merely surprised. I truly did believe you were going to be gone for much longer.”
“Well, he’s got the nasty bastard down,” Clem says, her hands on her hips. Her skin resembles the bark of a tree, peeling up in places. “You’re sure he’s not tricking you?”
The forest is quiet, so I simply shake my head. She’s a good two feet shorter than me so I can’t speak out loud for fear I’ll gain the guards’ attention. As for Rhys, I can whisper. “According to the spirit I’m talking to, we’ve landed on a plane where your father killed your grandmother and uncle and took the throne. He’s been slaughtering non-sidhe creatures, and there’s possibly a rebellion against him.”