Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 132625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
“Because Pretha and Amira are getting married, and they want their favorite people there.”
I snort. “And that includes Skylar?”
“Amira, shockingly, thinks Skylar is incredibly charming.” He turns up his hands. “It must be an empath thing.”
“She’s a badass on the outside and a softie on the inside. It’s true, but she’ll punch you if she finds out you know, so don’t mention it.”
He chuckles and Fancee reappears with a bottle of wine.
“Faerie wine for the special couple.” She fills our glasses and then plops a basket of bread between us. “I’ll get your meal started. You enjoy.”
I trace the rim of my wineglass. “Faerie wine, huh?”
His eyes sparkle. “Only if you want it.”
“Is it wise to lower my inhibitions around you, King Misha?”
He pulls his chair around to my side of the table and leans into me. “You never know.” His gaze drops to my mouth. “I might kiss you, confess my undying love, and trick you into being my queen.”
I lift out of my chair, just enough to press a kiss to his lips. “Sounds like the perfect dinner.”
Chapter Fifty
Jasalyn
“You’re sure you don’t want to take more clothes? Maybe your riding gear or some of the bedding you love so much?”
My sister, the shadow queen, is fussing over me. “I have everything I need. And anyway, I can’t take a bunch of fancy dresses to Elora. You know how it is there.”
The worry on her face morphs to tenderness. “I do. And that’s why I’m grateful to know change is coming—to know you’ll be there to make sure things are better for the little girls of the next decade than they were for us.”
“They will be, Brie. I really believe it.”
“We have the right people in place. I’m not sure it will take a whole decade.”
“Let’s hope not.” I squeeze her hands. “I will miss you, but I will visit soon.”
Gommid appears at my side, ever the prompt servant.
“Take good care of her,” Brie commands.
“I always do,” he grumps.
“Hey, Gommid?” I ask. “Do you know a goblin named Fherna?”
He wrinkles his nose. “What kind of name is that? Fherna.”
“So you don’t know her?”
“There isn’t a goblin named Fherna. If there were, I would know her.” He offers his hand. “Ready?”
I hold up a finger and turn back to my sister. “What would you say if I told you that when I was stuck in stasis with the ring, I think our mother came to me as a goblin to get me to wake up?”
“I would say that sounds like one of the fairy tales Mom would tell us when we were kids.”
Warmth spreads in my chest. “I thought so too. Then she was there again after I walked into the fire. Before I came back.”
Brie shivers. “Do you really think it was her?”
“I think it could’ve been, and when I was stuck in limbo before I came out of the ash, I think I needed to believe it was her. But either way, I know she would’ve done something like that if she could have.”
“Yeah,” she says softly. “How do you remember her so well?”
I shake my head. “I don’t. I just remember her some but then see that magnified in you, which makes me feel like I remember her a lot.”
“Stop.” She waves her hands in front of her face. “Dang it, Jas! Finn bet me I couldn’t get through this without crying and I really wanted to win.”
Laughing, I open my arms and we hug each other tight. “See you soon,” I promise.
“So soon.”
I’ve barely released her and taken Gommid’s hand when the world disappears around us and we’re falling and spinning and lurching into nothingness and then suddenly standing in Amelia’s living room.
“She made it!” she shouts, jumping up from the sofa and running to me.
“Sorry I couldn’t come with Kendrick yesterday,” I say. “I needed to help my sister with a few things in the shadow court.”
“You’re forgiven. But your guy is upstairs and a little grumpy, so you should probably go share those apologies with him.” She winks at me and turns for the kitchen. “Dinner in an hour!”
“I’ll come back down and help in a few.”
“Don’t you dare,” she says. “Tonight, you’re my guest. Tomorrow you can start with chores.”
Warmth fills me. “Fair.” I jog up the stairs and down the hall to the room I shared with Kendrick last time we were here together.
The door’s cracked but I knock on the jamb anyway.
“Come in,” he says, voice low.
I nudge the door open and it creaks on its hinges. “Why so glum?” I ask.
The frown falls off his face and he stands. “Finally.”
“It’s been one single day.” I’m teasing him, but it felt too long to me too, and when he kisses me hello, I decide it’s been much too long.
“But I missed you.”