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)
“Sol,” someone calls from the hall to my left. I freeze. “Where have you been? I’ve been hunting for you all morning.”
I turn slowly and have to focus on keeping the shock from my face when I realize it’s Konner. “Hello.”
He grins. “Come with me. I have a surprise.”
I grimace. “I’m in the middle of something. Surely it can wait.”
What do I do? I ask Misha in my mind.
“It can’t, though,” Konner says. “It won’t take long at all.” He takes my hand and tugs me along like a little boy excitedly dragging his mother toward some new toy. “You want to see this. I promise.”
Calm down and use your gift, Misha says in my mind.
Using my gift is what got me into this mess.
Not your Echo gift, the other one. Feel out their relationship. How does he feel for Sol? Is this just professional or is it personal?
Misha’s right, and I’m more than a little embarrassed I didn’t think of it myself. Konner seems almost giddy as he pulls me through the halls, and I realize my thought of him as a little boy was coming from their connection. She’s like a mother to him. Interesting.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I say, forcing a smile. “I’m just busy today.”
“I promise this is worth it.”
I let him lead me down the hall, then follow him into a room at the back of an isolated corridor. When he opens the door, I’m met with sunshine and the smell of clean laundry and milk.
A young fae woman with long, dark hair sits in a chair by the window, a babe with white curls cradled in her arms. Her eyes light up when she sees me, and though she strikes me as familiar, I can’t quite place her. “Did you tell her?”
“I thought she might want to see for herself,” Konner says.
I look back and forth between them, trying to act as natural as possible. Who is this female and why did Konner bring one of the Seven to see her and her baby? “See what?”
Konner laughs. “You are distracted today, aren’t you? I think this is the first time I’ve had you here that you didn’t immediately demand to hold her.”
The female brushes her hair behind her shoulder and spins the baby to face me. The infant’s chewing on her fist, drool rolling down her chin.
“Act like you’re leaving, Mom,” she says.
Mom. That is why she looks familiar. I saw them in my dream. She’s Sol’s daughter, and this is Sol’s grandchild—Konner’s daughter.
My niece, I realize with a flip in my stomach.
I reach toward the door behind me and open it, pretending to leave, as instructed.
Konner lifts the baby from the mother’s arms. “You have to wave and say bye,” he instructs me.
The baby girl looks up at him with wide eyes and says, “Bye-bye!” opening and closing her chubby little fist.
“That’s right,” Konner coos. “Tell Mamaw bye-bye!”
“Bye-bye,” the baby girl repeats with a giggle.
“Precious,” I breathe, and heat pricks my eyes.
“See why I didn’t want you to miss it?” Konner says, but his full attention is on the child in his arms.
“She’s so beautiful.” I do want to hold her, just as Sol would, but I’m afraid if I do I’ll never be able to convince myself to let go.
These people are my family. No matter how I feel about the Seven or my brother, that will always be true. They’re my family and this might be the only time I ever get to see my niece.
“Now all we need is Konner’s sister to do her thing and maybe we can stop hiding,” the child’s mother says.
“She’s scared,” Konner says. “The oracle told her that her brother would die if she killed Erith.”
She presses her lips into a thin line. “You are her brother.”
He looks almost sad. “Not in any way that counts.”
“I still think we should tell her about Leia. Maybe she would help us to protect her.”
Konner shakes his head. “We can’t trust her. No matter how much we might want to. She was raised by our enemies and brought up to believe that the Seven should be abolished.” His throat bobs. “You should’ve seen how quick she was to kill Orlen. She wouldn’t have done that if she was interested in understanding me or capable of believing that we’re all not like Erith.”
The young female looks to me and I realize I’m just staring at them—staring and trying to piece everything together. “Mom, what’s wrong with you? Isn’t this where you usually go into your tirade about how the concept of the Seven has been corrupted and how you have a vision for the future that brings it all back to where it belongs?”
I swallow hard and sigh. “I’m feeling a little off today,” I say, hoping this response isn’t completely out of character.