Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
There’s always a voice whispering to me that the bed is a nice place to be. It’s better than eating or being up and about. I can drift away if I only allow myself to.
I manage to soap my hair before my mind shifts again, and I forget what I’m supposed to be doing. My body has become used to the chill of the pond. It’s a simple thing to float on my back and gaze up at the sky.
The sky above me is a vibrant blue. Puffy white clouds take on various shapes and forms. Some of the damn things remind me of equations. The shapes can be described mathematically. I always wanted to study math. Father promised me when I turn nineteen, Beck and I can go live with our aunt for a while on the Vampire plane. Beck is going to learn their fighting techniques and make political contacts. I’m going to the university. I’m going to study. It will be marvelous. I can’t wait to meet other students and talk to professors. I won’t be going to the same school as my cousin, Dante, but we’ll be close.
I’m going to be surrounded by books.
And I’ll be able to get away from the stuffy old court. Someone is always watching me, waiting for me to screw up and break the rules. I’m not good at following protocols or behaving in a matter befitting a prince of the realm. Father is constantly on me about how much I embarrass my brother and our fiancée.
But I’ll be free on the Vampire plane. I can meet some girls who don’t look at me like I’m a fool. They won’t compare me to my big brother and find me lacking.
What is Father thinking? Maris is a righteous bitch who’s cold to everyone she meets. How am I ever going to work up the will to fuck her? I don’t think Beck wants to fuck her, either. They’re always so polite to each other. There isn’t an ounce of passion between them. Shouldn’t we want to fuck the woman we’re going to be forced to spend the rest of our lives with?
Oooo, that cloud looks like a squirrel.
“Beckett Finn,” a feminine voice calls out. “What are you doing? Get out of there. You must be freezing.”
I twist my body and let my feet find the bottom of the pond. A blonde female is gracefully rushing toward me. She’s tall and lithe, with straight golden hair that hangs down her back, brushing her hips. Her skirts float around long legs, showing the faintest hint of a nicely turned ankle. Her face is lovely. She has a pouty mouth and sky-blue eyes. She looks every inch the perfect Seelie lady.
I don’t want to fuck her either, but I suddenly remember that Beck does and has, and probably will again.
“Liadan.” I remember her name. It’s good. Maybe I’m having a good day. I concentrate and pull the relevant information out of my whacked-out brain.
Liadan O’Neill is a young widow. She fled Tír na nÒg before the plane closed. Her husband died a few years back in a hunting accident. Beck has been visiting her bed for roughly a year now. He hoped Liadan and I would get along. Beck likes to share women with me, but I can’t stand the sight of her. She’s cold. I have no idea why Beck can’t see how calculating she is.
Her lovely face falls. There’s a wealth of disgusted disappointment in her voice, and I remember she doesn’t like me, either. We have a mutual disapproval society going. “Where’s Beckett? I heard from the trolls that he is back from his hunting trip. They saw him riding in from the forest.”
She places her hands on her hips, all attempts at ladylike perfection gone. She won’t waste the effort on me. She mentioned trolls with great distaste. She’s a sidhe who thinks all other Fae creatures are beneath her.
“I don’t know.” I’m able to answer with complete truthfulness. For once, my blank mind is a blessing. Oh, but that’s probably the reason I’m here. Beck’s been gone and he returned. Big brother likely took one look at me and ordered me to bathe.
It explains everything. I can still understand logic.
“Well, ain’t that surprising?” Liadan’s perfect features make for a perfect sneer. “You’re completely good for nothing. I don’t know how your brother puts up with you.”
“And I don’t see how he can stand to touch you long enough to get off,” I shoot back as I make my way toward the edge of the pond, feet dragging in the mud. The soap seems to have floated away.
Why am I here?
“I take care of him just fine.” Liadan stands looking at me with one hand on her hip. She seems supremely sure of her own attractions. “He loves me, you know.”