Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“That won’t solve anything. It will only make things worse in the end. There was a reason Beck and Ci didn’t go down that road the first time. They have people depending on them.” Her hand tightens in his. “Torin isn’t going to leave us be, is he? He’ll try again.”
“Yes,” I reply. It’s a hard truth. No matter how much Beck and Cian want a peaceful existence, it isn’t going to happen. Torin has to kill the twins or he will never feel safe. He’ll never be able to open the plane again. Torin was patient, but it appears his patience is at an end.
“Dante, I’m scared.”
I put an arm around her shoulders. We’ve been through a lot together, Meg and I. It looks as though we’re going to go through much more. “Beck needs to get serious about alliances. My father has been working to move the council toward repudiating Torin.”
“It hasn’t worked in thirteen years. The council is closer to acknowledging Torin than they are to repudiating him.”
“Only because we need the trade. Royal vampires need consorts. If the council realized Beck and Ci were serious about taking the throne back, I think they would change their minds. We need to talk to the Unseelie. King Fergus will never acknowledge Torin.”
“He knows what’s happening,” Meg mutters. “Torin is enslaving the non-sidhe on the Seelie plane. He believes the Unseelie are impure. If Torin gets strong, he will go after the Unseelie on their own plane. Fergus doesn’t want that. But you know Fergus has sons, too.”
“Yes. I’ve heard the rumors,” I reply carefully.
“They aren’t rumors.”
Prickles of trepidation ride up my arms. The Unseelie keep to themselves for the most part. Their borders are heavily guarded. Trade flows, but the king of the Unseelie never leaves the plane. It is said that he has sons. Twin sons. “Are they symbiotic?”
Say no. Say no. I don’t want to think of super-powerful Unseelie twins. Beck and Cian were raised in the light court. I can’t imagine twins with their power raised by monsters.
Though I’m rapidly realizing sometimes monsters come in many forms.
“Yes. Their names are Lachlan and Shim,” Meg explains. “They need a bondmate. They aren’t as far gone as Beck and Ci were when they found me, but it’s getting bad. It’s why Fergus reached out to us. He believes placing Beck and Ci on the throne is the best shot he has at saving his sons.”
My mind is racing. Fergus would need to be dealt with carefully. The Seelie and the Unseelie never exactly got along. The Unseelie sent an emissary thirteen years before, Fergus’s daughter, Gillian. She died when Torin slaughtered the royal family. Fergus sent assassins after Torin but had no luck getting to him. It’s said he won’t risk his sons in a war.
But what if Fergus blames all the Seelie? Will Beck and Ci be in danger if they walk into the Unseelie sithein? This is the break we’ve been waiting for but there’s much risk. After so much waiting, it’s all happening fast. There’s a lot to consider. I should sit down and strategize with Cian. If Torin is making his move, it’s time to get serious. Beck and Ci won’t be allowed to hide anymore. They will win or they will die.
I intend to make certain they do not die.
And how will I do that from the desk of my lovely office? Who am I kidding? I got married to preserve my cushy future. I’m not about to throw it all away to go to war. I’ll make certain my cousins have all the money I can throw at them, but I’m not a warrior.
Some odd emotion makes my chest feel far too tight. That beast that Kaja always seems to bring out in me is right there, pounding at my walls. I’m not a warrior.
But I could be.
“Dante, don’t worry about it,” Meg says with a sad smile, as though she can read my thoughts. “You need to worry about Kaja right now. We’ll figure all this out.”
Gods, I’m sick of being treated like a kid. I’m thirty years old, and everyone acts like I’m a fucking teenage boy who doesn’t need the stress of real life.
Maybe if I start acting like an adult, they’ll treat me like one.
That beast inside is starting to annoy me. If only the beast didn’t make so much sense. “I want to help. This is my family, too.”
“Well, I thank you for that,” Meg replies. “We need all the friends we can get. I can’t tell you how much it terrifies me. We don’t have an army.”
Oh, but they will. If rumors are correct, they will have an army of peasants waiting for their return to Tír na nÓg. Peasants can be dangerous. I can’t help but think of my plane’s own history. “We need to find Torin’s weaknesses. We need to get on that plane and start getting the people ready for the true kings’ return.”