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)
“It’s okay, little one. You don’t want to go home.” The way he said that made it seem like he knew I faced horrors at home. “And I won’t leave you here.” He used a claw to tip my head back. “You’ll come with me. I’ll keep you safe, and we’ll figure out what to do next.”
He lifted me easily into his arms, my voice still frozen in my throat as I let him carry me out of that room and into the waiting darkness.
His deep, gravelly voice rumbled in a language I didn’t understand as his men parted for us, their twisted, beastly heads bowing with respect.
The flickering torchlight faded behind us as the massive, gray-skinned king took me into the shadows and deeper into the heart of his Dark Realm.
4
KATRINA
Iremembered little after we left the auction.
I certainly didn’t remember falling asleep.
One moment, I was being carried by a monster king, his enormous body radiating heat and strength, and the next, I was lying in a bed far too large for any human.
I didn’t move as I just gathered my thoughts and took an inventory of my surroundings.
The furs beneath me were soft, and the air was warm given the fact a roaring fire burned brightly in a huge hearth off to the side. I rubbed my eyes and stared up at the ceiling, one carved from black, shining stone that seemed veined with sparkling gems.
Those beautiful, strange lines pulsed slowly, almost like they were alive.
When I finally sat up, the discomfort in my body made itself known tenfold. Pain flared in my arms and shoulders and pounded in my feet in time with my pulse. My wrists felt raw from the shackles, and when I looked down, I saw they were horribly bruised.
My face ached something terrible, and I knew that had been from when my father hit me right before I was taken. A shiver took root in me, and I grabbed a thick fur and draped it over me, shifting on the bed until my feet hung from the edge.
When I stood, my bare feet were met with hard, cold stone. I winced, knowing my soles were torn up, but despite the discomfort, I walked, gritting my teeth, and roamed the room.
The chamber I was in was enormous and beautiful. There were odd, ancient carvings on the walls designed with the gem veins that glowed brighter with each passing second.
As I slowly inspected the room and noted everything I saw, the more the air seemed to thicken with each breath I took.
A pair of massive wooden doors stood shut across from me, and I assumed them to be locked, keeping me prisoner inside. Bolted from the outside. No handle. No keyhole. No escape.
Panic rose in my throat like bile, and I shuffled over to the doors, reaching for one handle, fully expecting it to be locked. But when it turned and I could pull the massive and far too heavy door open, shock filled me.
Not a prisoner. At least not in this room.
When I heard movement, that shock changed to panic, and I scuttled back until I stood on the other side of the bed, the stone and wooden frame a barrier that I knew wouldn’t protect me.
I stared at the doors, hearing heavy footfall coming closer. And closer. And then, the doors groaned open, and the monster king entered.
My body reacted on instinct, and I tensed as he entered. His horns were huge and thick, his shoulders wide, and his muscles thick beneath the black leather and armor strapped across his chest. His arms were bare of leather, his skin a deep gray color that was unworldly and extremely mesmerizing.
His black eyes found me immediately, locking on me as if there were some unseen force keeping us in this silent war. He watched me like he was… searching for something.
I clutched the fur tighter, my heart hammering, the pain in my body taking a back seat as uncertainty of my future rose up.
He said nothing. Just… stared.
A part of me expected him to lunge, to pin me to the ground and claim me like a war prize, growling that I belonged to him because he saved me.
“Are you hungry?”
As if those words triggered my body to respond, my belly growled, my mouth grew dry, and my throat tightened with thirst.
My lips parted but no words left. He nodded. Just once, as if he knew my thoughts. He left, the doors shutting behind him. I flinched at the sound, and I didn't know why.
What the hell was going on?
I let out a breath, wrapping the fur tighter as I stayed where I was and waited for him to return. And while I waited silently, I looked at the tapestries that hung above the bone and skull mantel.