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)
His father was shocked at the state of his sexual purity and horrified at what it might mean now that he has all the power of a season at his fingertips.
I move into his space since that distance between us is absolutely contributing to his control issues. I put both hands on his cheeks and look into those glorious green eyes of his. Right now there’s a light in them that’s almost wild. I can’t stand the thought of him losing the control he’s fought so hard to gain. Like me, he was left to fend for himself when it came to his powers. Oh, he had parental figures, but the one who could truly understand his power was taken from him. “I would never say that, Rhys. I’m nervous about going. I’m nervous I’ll cause trouble for you, but if you want me to go, I’ll go.”
“Trouble? You won’t cause trouble.” A root breaks through the surface of the earth, popping up like a sea creature rising. “If they do, I swear…”
“Shy, he might need more than words. He’s on edge and has been for days.” Dev starts to move toward us, but the king stops him.
More than words. Well, it isn’t like I don’t enjoy what he needs. I go on my toes and brush my lips against his. “I’ll go with you,” I whisper.
Then his hands are on my waist and the nape of my neck, holding me in place while he kisses me like I’m the last woman on earth. I can feel a wave of heat roll across my skin. It comes from him. That wave is seduction and affection and need. The need of a god for his goddess.
Unfortunately, I am no goddess.
Still, I let him kiss me, let the intimacy of his mouth against mine cocoon us in a place that feels warm and infinitely safe. Our space. If only we never had to leave it.
“Shy, uhm, I hate to tell you this but the whole kissing thing is revving the Green Man up,” Josie says. “Not that I mind. You know one of the fun parts about being dead is the wide and never-ending opportunities for voyeurism, but I’m hearing some panic among the lesser beings. Something’s coming.”
And that’s when I hear it. The clanging of an alarm.
The alarm that tells us Myrddin is coming.
Chapter Two
Zoey
“I have intelligence that places Myrddin’s witches around both doors to the Faery plane,” Sasha Federov says as he sits at the conference table. The big Russian vampire is awake and seems to enjoy being a daywalker since I gave him Alexander Sharpe’s ring. I took it from his ashes when I killed the fucker. Sasha’s eyes go down to the ring he wears on his left hand. On his ring finger. “Your Highness, I think we should consider postponing the trip.”
My Fae husband frowns. “I think it’s important to get Rhys to Faery. I’m worried about the state he’s in since his deeply unexpected ascension.”
I have to wonder if he blames me for that. I was there with Rhys when it happened. Naturally, like most of my life right now, we were in terrible danger, and not wanting to watch his recently returned mother be murdered by a troll had caused him to accept his power. The trouble was his power had turned out to be way stronger than any of us dreamed.
My son is Walking Spring. Sounds innocent, right? Like how can being able to grow flowers be a destructive power? You wouldn’t think it if you saw what Dev can do. On many occasions he’s used the trees around us to stab our enemies or the roots to drag and hold them underground. We’re still not certain what all Rhys can do, but it’s been raining a lot lately. Raining in a pocket world that shouldn’t have much weather. I think we can safely say it’s not Lee or Evan.
Who chose Kelsey.
I try to shake off that invasive thought. When the Nex Apparatus and I decided to split our group for these missions we’re on, I knew she would need her son Fenrir with her, and where goeth that wolf king so goeth Evangeline Donovan-Quinn. Kelsey is trying to save our friend we found on another plane. His name is Dean Malone, and according to prophecy, he is going to help my son, Lee, destroy Myrddin Emrys. So beyond the fact that I like the kid and don’t want him to die, we kind of need him. It’s one of those dire, this-is-the-only-way prophecies that prophets like to give us.
I often think the universe would be way more fun if instead of prophecy leading us, we could do one of those Mad Lib things and figure out how to save the universe that way.
So Kelsey is on the Hell plane trying to steal a feather from Lucifer Morningstar with the help of two of my kids, and I’m sure Rhys would have tried to go if his papa hadn’t told him absolutely no. Not that his papa’s views would mean a thing. It was only when my vampire husband, Daniel, pointed out the Hell plane might be disturbing to someone with Shy’s powers that Rhys agreed to come to Faery with us.