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 they can trap Dev?” I know the answer. Dev’s soul is mortal. It will linger until it’s ready to leave. It can move but not right away. If he dies, he could suffer the fate of the rest of the dead in this palace.
He puts a hand under my chin and forces me to look him in the eyes. “I love Dev, but it’s Bris Myrddin wants. It’s Ostara. Those ancient souls could serve as real fuel. You know what he’s trying to do, right?”
I nod. He told me as much. “He’s going to use that power to close the door since the plot with Gladys didn’t work.” I use Kelsey’s name for the Sword of Light. It fits her better anyway. “I can’t stand the thought of Devinshea being tortured.”
“Well, he’s not tonight.” Danny sits back against the big bed that dominates the room, drawing me close. “We’re causing some trouble. Myrddin really wants to catch me so the servants are helpfully giving reports on where they’ve seen me and the damage I’m doing. According to the grapevine, there are only three guards on the dungeon, and they are simply there to keep me out.”
I raise a brow, silently asking the question.
“And again, I don’t know what wards I’ll be up against,” he says with a sigh. “And you have to get that amulet. I know we wanted to ask the ancestors about how to find Sarah, but now we have another question.”
How to return safely to our own time.
“Why don’t they fight back?” It’s what I don’t get. “There are more of them than there are of the king’s guard. I understand that he’s powerful, but I would fight.”
“Would you?” Daniel sighs, and I lay my head back against his chest. His hands go around me, one on the gentle curve of my belly where our tiny abomination sleeps. “From what I understand it wasn’t like Miria and Declan were great. They caused their own damage. The lesser Fae thought they could wait it out. If they were quiet and polite. When the king took out the scarier creatures, they thought he wouldn’t come for them. Ogres can be violent. Large trolls can be dangerous. Not them. They’re helpful. Why would he burn gnomes and brownies?”
“Because he’s a fucking monster.” Tears are right there again. I know my Dev. It’s awful to realize what he could have been. What any of us can be with the right pressure put on us.
“All I’m saying is that fear can lead to dangerous hope. The hope that things will work out even if you don’t put yourself on the line and fight. It’s all fear in the end, but at least the palace lesser Fae seem ready to do what they can. Sometimes what a rebellion needs is a sign,” Danny says. “If we can break Dev and Ostara free, it might be what they need. I promise, I’m not leaving Dev in there one second more than I have to, but he would also want you to be safe. I already tried to get into the king’s rooms. Myrddin’s been there. He warded the place against pretty much everyone, and they locked up the servants’ entrance after a couple of attempts on the king’s life, so I can’t get to him.”
“But I can tomorrow,” I say with a sigh.
“I have the utmost faith that you can and will,” he replies. “And by then Rhys and Shy will have moved to the rebel village, and we can find a way to join them. I promise you, we will get out of this. We will get home, and we will take Myrddin down.”
I sit against him for a moment, simply breathing in his strength. He’s the center of my world, he and Devinshea. I don’t know…can’t begin to comprehend what I would do without either of them.
“Myrddin said if I don’t play my part he’ll tell the king about our baby.”
Daniel whistles softly. “He really needs whatever the king has. Once he has it in hand, he’s going to kill the king, and then he’ll go after you. He’ll try to take you into custody because he knows I’ll turn myself in.”
I shake my head. “No, he’ll kill me because he’s afraid of Harriet.” I told my husbands what happened at the Council House before I blew it up, but I don’t think it sank in yet. “He believes she’s an abomination with the potential to kill the world or something.”
Daniel is quiet for a moment.
“What do you know that I don’t?”
He sighs behind me. “When we got back I talked to the academics about what happened off plane. I explained how you got pregnant.”
I’m not sure I want to know what they said. “You talked to Henri?”
“And Hugo. It is not unsurprising that sometimes a latent vampire knows a companion during their human lives. They are often attracted to each other. It’s not unheard of for those pairings to produce children.”