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)
“But you’re his son,” I say, feeling so much for the tragedies these versions of ourselves had gone through.
“I was his rival at that point,” Lee explains. “For all Uncle Neil claims the king was a decent father, I believe he was merely obsessed with my mother and once she was gone, he shut away the tiny part of himself that could love. I’m his bastard, and I’m someone the rebels could rally around. The last with Quinn blood.”
“So you’re taking his throne?” Dev asks.
“I care not for the throne. Let the damn royals figure it out,” Lee explains. “I want peace in my lands. I want all of the Fae to live in harmony again. He has thrown off the balance of the world, and I intend to restore it.”
“Is Myrddin from this realm?” I want to know if this is the same Myrddin we’re dealing with.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sasha walk into the room. “Your Highness, we must move now.”
“Oh, why would you leave so soon, my love?”
From the opposite entrance, my husband walks in. My not husband. This version of himself practically glows with dark magic. And his smile is the most predatory thing I’ve ever seen.
Unfortunately, he’s not alone.
“Hello, Zoey. I do believe I told you this wasn’t over,” Myrddin Emrys says.
And I know we are much too late.
Chapter Fifteen
Shy
My blood threatens to run cold as the wizard looks us over.
This is Myrddin Emrys. The man who killed my family. He’s standing right there, and the desperate urge to reach for a blade and tear out his throat is almost overwhelming.
“Don’t,” Rhys whispers. “He’s not alone. Can you feel them?”
His hand slides against mine and he moves slightly in front of me, shielding me with his own body. He’s right. I do feel something. There’s something here. Something we cannot see.
“My uncle could do it. He kept a hidden guard with him,” Rhys whispers. “Be careful. You won’t see them until they slit your throat.”
One of the rebels hoists his bow up, aiming at the king, but the space around him twists and turns and he’s pulled into…nowhere.
“I’ve never seen my uncle do that before,” Rhys whispers.
“Would anyone else like to try me?” the king asks, his lips turned up in a cruel approximation of a smile.
“Z?” Neil stares at his queen, his best friend, but he has to be thinking of Cassie and Brendan. His children. There’s a tortured look in his eyes.
Go, Zoey mouths, and in an instant, he’s a wolf again, running past the guards at breakneck speed.
“Leave him. He’s incidental. We’ll take him out later. Everyone important is here with one exception. I told you it would work,” the wizard says, putting a hand on the king’s shoulder like they’re old friends. “I told you I could return her to you. Though you’ll have to take care of him first. I suspect he will object to you taking his wife.”
Devinshea already moved to stand in front of Zoey, his clothes tattered and bloody. “You will not take my goddess.”
“Your goddess?” The king looks her over, his gaze stopping on her neck. “Is that the Goddess Chain? Then you are exactly what Myrddin says.”
“Devinshea, they are no threat to us.” Ostara stands, her gentle voice tremulous. She puts a hand to her chest as though speaking from the heart or trying to work her will. “They are not here to harm us. They simply want to get back to their own time.”
“Oh, they won’t allow that, golden one.” Sasha stares at her with an intensity I rarely see on his face. “They are the ones who sent us here, and that means they will know who we are and how to kill us.”
The Fae guard who had come with Lee all stand at attention, their bodies tense and weapons out. It’s obvious they’re not sure what to do. It would seem like Myrddin and King Devinshea are outnumbered, but we can all feel the wrongness of this room, the unseen threat.
Lee, however, stands and stares his father’s way. “She is not my mother. Not the Zandra you knew.”
The king of this land cannot seem to take his eyes off her. “She will do, son. She is the payment I required from the wizard for aiding him with his plans. And for being an excellent teacher. Shall I show you what he taught me?”
The wizard holds out a hand. “Not yet. I told you we must find the vampire king. He is more dangerous than you can imagine. This is why I insisted on the wards and spells we placed on the palace. They will weaken him. He should already be feeling their power. The Deiniol you knew was weak and gentle. This is a version of him unlike any other. Do not underestimate him.”