Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 17648 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 88(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17648 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 88(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
And I felt the same way in my desire toward him because I watched him right back.
His massive, terrifying, masculine body. The way the ground seemed to vibrate under his steps.
The coldness of his expression when he looked at everyone and everything aside from me.
But I also saw the cracks—thin, fleeting moments—when something warmer flickered through. The slight pause when I met his gaze. The way his voice softened when he spoke to me.
I was falling for my beast, and I didn’t stop or fight it. I welcomed it like a lover’s embrace.
He’d even escorted me out of the castle to the lands just beyond his castle. He did this nightly, and I found myself finding beauty in everything I saw.
And when he asked if I’d like to go to another kingdom with him, to be introduced to the new human queen of the Dark Realm of Blood Ash, I had no hesitation in accepting the invitation. And it was an evening I’d never forgot, not even days later when I still thought about the horrific beauty of Blood Ash and how I’d never felt as protected amongst monsters as I was by Blaylock’s side.
Today, I wandered deeper into the castle than I ever had before, curiosity moving me along.
The hallways, once cold and quiet, felt warmer and like this could be my forever home. The monstrous servants I passed now offered curt nods, their large, robe-covered bodies seeming less fearsome.
I turned down a hallway I’d never ventured into before and came up to a dead end with a tall, metal door covered in intricate gargoyle etchings in the steel.
Curiosity gnawed at me, this hungry feeling clawing at my insides. I pushed the heavy door open, and when I slipped inside, I gasped.
The room wasn’t just a room. It was a garden unlike anything I could ever imagine.
There was no sunshine in the Dark Realm of Shadow Vale. Instead, there was this bright moonlight that felt warm and light enough to illuminate everything it touched.
And it made everything pulse with life.
The garden wasn’t beautiful in the colorful sense I had back “home”. Vines of ivy crept along trellises that traveled high enough to reach the open ceiling. Flowers of deep blues, greys, and the blackest of the black rose from the dark earth, seeking life from that giving moonlight.
The flowers were strange yet just as lively as any I’d ever seen before. A low, melodic vibration filled the air, and I closed my eyes and just felt it wrap all around me.
I wound my way further into the garden, and I breathed deeply, taking in the floral and earthy scent. It was heady—sweet and wild. And slightly intoxicating.
I walked around, letting my fingers brush a dark blue bloom, then did the same to a rich and dark purple one.
“It’s all almost as beautiful as you.”
I spun around.
Blaylock stood at the entrance, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his horns seeming to scrape the arched stone above him.
I swallowed hard, my face heating from his compliment.
“I watch you,” he admitted. “Lurking in the shadows like the beast I am. Just admiring how innocent and fragile you are.”
Blaylock watched with those ever-unreadable black eyes.
I felt this need to be honest move through me. “I watch you, too.” My heart raced. He hummed as if pleased with what I said.
He stepped inside the garden. The door closing behind him, like an invisible force wanted us sealed in. Then, to my surprise, he walked to the massive, stone bench nestled between two thorny trees and sat down, holding out his hand for me.
I hesitated, then crossed the garden and sat beside him, the heat from his body washing over me and warming me instantly.
For a moment, we said nothing, only letting the peaceful silence and stillness fill the grand space.
“You’re not like the other humans I’ve met,” he finally said, voice low. “You didn’t cry or beg.” He looked at me, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Even in the face of horror, you stayed strong.”
“I’ve wept plenty of times, believe me,” I said honestly. “I just don’t let anyone see.” I stared at him, my heart thudding.
“I can’t seem to stay away from you, little bird. I watch you because I can’t look away.”
My breath caught. He shifted his body to face me fully now, and I saw raw desire etched on his face.
And I was right there with him.
“I’ve ruled this realm with an iron fist. With blood and gore and violence. Keeping this land under my domain is the only way to make sure it doesn’t fall into the hands of those who would ultimately destroy it,” he said. “I’ve built these very walls and littered corpses over my lands to ward off anyone who thinks to take what’s mine. And yet…” He didn’t finish the thought. He didn’t have to.