Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
“Alek is on the line,” Talon says once he’s reached us, waving his phone and motioning toward the doors.
My eyes immediately dart toward the hallway where I think Annika is.
“I’ll wait here for Annika,” Cassandra says, almost like she could read the worry on my face. Fuck, is it that obvious? And why am I worried? There’s no threat here. Absolutely zero.
I seriously need to get my shit together. I flash Cassandra a smile before I follow Saint and Talon out of the building, heading down the stone steps and across a wooden path and onto the white sandy beach, tall palms swaying softly in the night’s breeze.
“Where is the button again?” Talon fiddles with the phone, the screen black despite us clearly hearing Alek’s voice through the speaker.
“Fuck if I know.” Saint shrugs.
“Why did we send you three old fucks down there by yourselves without any tech support?” Alek heaves a sigh through the speaker.
I roll my eyes, plucking the phone from Talon’s grasp. “Because your number one tech guy is about to have a baby,” I say, easily drawing up the camera.
Alek’s face fills the screen. “She’s two days overdue,” he says, eyes drawn with worry.
“You know these pregnancies are never routine by any standard,” I assure him. “Human or vampire.”
Alek nods. “Progress?”
I straighten up at his question. “Much,” I answer. “Annika is almost in full control of her powers now.”
The king’s eyebrows raise. “Truly?”
I nod. “She’s excelling faster than I did.”
“Maybe it’s because she has you as a teacher,” Talon says from where he crowds me enough for Alek to see him. “They’re rarely separated.”
I glare at him. Saint snorts in the darkness of the palm trees.
“Interesting,” Alek says.
“Not really,” I blurt out. I’m not sure why, but I don’t like the idea of anyone, even the king I trust, hearing how much Annika has come to mean to me. If any of my enemies knew…
Anxiety tightens my skin, some feral thing clawing at my chest.
“Anything happening there?” Talon asks, grounding me.
“Nothing,” Alek says, leaning back in his seat. He’s in his study, and he keeps glancing to the right of the camera, no doubt to his queen nearby. “It’s gone quiet. No attacks. No missing reports. Nothing.”
“Maybe the blow we delivered was enough to make them give up,” Talon offers, but even I can tell he doesn’t fully believe that.
“It’s the calm before the storm,” Saint says with absolute confidence. “I know my brother. He won’t stop until I’ve put him in the ground.”
An icy chill sweeps through our group in a way talk of killing a brother only can. I give him a sympathetic look, but I can’t argue with him. He’s right. I hate it, but Samuel is far beyond any of our help. He almost killed Saint. He tortured poor Aurora into near madness. And he almost did unspeakable things to our princess.
He’s dead, he just doesn’t know it yet.
I’m terrified of what it will do to Saint, when the time comes, but I can only hope me and Talon and Zachariah and Ajax will be able to hold him together.
“How much more time do you need?” Alek asks. “How is Aurora fairing?”
“She’s better,” Saint answers the second part of the question. “Little pieces of herself are coming back.”
“Good,” Alek says.
“Annika is perfect,” I say, then quickly continue. “With her powers. We can return…soon.” I don’t give a specific time frame on purpose. I know the king notices. It’s a kindness when no one points that out or asks why I’m being vague.
I can’t help it.
I don’t want to leave.
I do, but I don’t. I know we have pressing matters in Edgemont. I know the hunt for Samuel must continue. But…I want to stay here as long as possible. I want to lose myself in whatever is happening between Annika and I, because I’m certain when we get back, we can’t continue. Not when there are so many more enemies in that territory. Here, we’re secluded. Safe to behave this way. Back home?
It would take one look at us and they’d know that to get to me all they’d have to do is get to her.
And I can’t let that happen.
Ever.
“Okay,” Alek says. “Keep me posted on your arrival. I’ll call back if anything arises.”
I nod and exit out of the call, relief rippling over my body as I sense Annika drawing closer. It’s only a few seconds later I hear her and Cassandra chatting before they find us across the wooden path on the sand.
And when I set eyes on her, I feel like I can finally, fully breathe.
“Whose idea was this again?” Cassandra calls from several feet ahead of us and up the hilly jungle we’ve all plunged into as a group.
“Your mate’s,” Annika laughs, her booted feet shifting slightly in the brush just in front of me. My eyes are locked on her body. I haven’t been able to take them off of her since we started this moonlit hike. Hell, not since I first spotted her in the residence, if I’m being honest.