Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Sputtering and wide-eyed, she pushed up to her elbow to look back toward the fire. Tarian wasn’t there. He was still with the horses. He hadn’t even bothered to turn around and watch her. The orb sat where it had a moment ago, twinkling like before, laughing at her.
“You can’t destroy it like that,” he said in a bored tone. “You can’t throw it in a fire or crush it in a human vise. It won’t succumb to magic or tolerate being covered in spells to diminish its power. It is eternal, as far as you are concerned.”
She pushed up to sitting. “What does that mean—as far as I am concerned?”
“It means it can be destroyed, but it must be taken to the Divine Collective, the seven gods of the Celestials, and they must be asked to retire it. Must be pleaded with, probably.”
“What…like taking the One Ring to Mordor?” she asked incredulously.
He half turned to look at her, pausing in placing a feed bag. “I don’t know what…ring… I’m not sure what Mordor is.”
She scoffed and shook her head, remembering a long time ago when Mordie had gotten her to watch Lord of the Rings. She used to make fun of his name because of it—Mordie/Mordor. The memory was bittersweet at the moment.
“And these gods exist in the fae realm, obviously,” she said, her heart dropping.
“Very astute.” He was mocking her.
“And a human couldn’t reach them within the fae realm?”
He shrugged. “Maybe a magical one could. But you? Only if you rode a flying pig.”
She bit her lip, staring at the fire. She couldn’t destroy it, fine. She could hide it, though. She could steal it when she was escaping and put it in a place his court couldn’t recover it from, since he’d obviously have to be dead by then. There was still a way to salvage this. There had to be.
“What now?” she asked, pulling in her feet and crisscrossing her legs to sit comfortably. Absolutely filthy. “I suppose, since you have what you need, you’ll turn into the perfect gentleman and drop me off at home and leave me alone forever?”
He didn’t so much as grin at her antics when he turned to her. Instead, his expression was hard and sober. “I will caution you about this once and once only, little dove. I may have had a lapse in control in the past, but that will not happen again. It cannot. I am not chivalrous. I am not what the humans think of as a gentleman. I am fae, and our rules are brutal. They are vicious. To let down one’s guard—to lose control—results in death or worse. My…whatever this feeling is for you will be shoved so far down that I won’t feel it. Can’t feel it. Come tomorrow, the game will truly and fully commence. Starting tomorrow, you will be fighting for your life, and I will be thrusting you into the fire. Purposely. Repeatedly. Soon, I’ll be using you for a subtle and cutthroat battle in the faerie courts, taunting them with your aroma of power and your status as my pet. You’d best get ready, or you’ll be broken before your game has barely begun.”
15
The next morning, she lay on her back, staring at the wagon’s cover. The soft dawn light crept in, announcing the first day of her new life. Her new captive status, at any rate.
Tarian had unintentionally woken her about a half-hour ago when carefully removing himself from her side and climbing out of the wagon. It was the first she’d known that he’d slept in her vicinity. Given he had magically dosed her at bedtime last night, she had slept incredibly soundly.
She supposed she ought to thank him for that. Otherwise she wouldn’t have gotten a wink of sleep. She might’ve tried to escape, as well, disappearing into the darkness and the cold, likely getting lost in an unfamiliar place until morning, when he’d randomly show up and reclaim her. Or maybe just follow her around and taunt her. Who knew with that fae.
His movements in the camp were soft. He was likely making ready to depart. A horse huffed and stamped its hoof.
Her thoughts whirled. She hadn’t said much to him after his assertion that she’d go to the faerie courts. What was there to say, really? He’d take her where he wanted, and she’d need to go along with it until she had an exit plan. Besides, it had been gratifying to ignore him when he repeatedly tried to get a conversation going. She didn’t have much as a captive, but she did have the infuriating ability to act like a child and annoy him. It had been the only weapon in her possession worth swinging.
After another few moments of patiently staring, he appeared at the back of the wagon wearing a crisp button-down shirt with green ribbing and deep blue jeans. He probably had really cute shoes, too. He’d obviously spared some time to shop in the human realm because, judging by the Celestial attire, he hadn’t gotten those clothes from Faerie. He was as vain in his fashion as she was, and good at putting an outfit together. Which galled her for reasons she couldn’t explain.