Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
I was crying now—the tears pouring down my face in torrents. It seemed that my cycle had saved up six months of emotion to dump on me all at once, too, because I couldn’t seem to stop.
Ryse looked properly stricken now.
“Auri,” he said helplessly. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m suh…suh…sorry, too!” I got out, still sobbing. “I’ve muh-muh-made a mess of everything!”
“No, you haven’t!”
He came to sit beside me. Taking the half-empty mug of tea from my shaking hand, he put it back on the tray and gathered me into his arms.
“Yes, I have,” I said, swiping at my eyes. “I lied to everyone—you included. I know you must be mad at me, and I don’t blame you. I guess I could have married one of the noblemen my father had lined up for me instead of coming to the Academy, but I didn’t want to do that either.” I looked up at him with wet eyes. “I didn’t want to be some old man’s bed slave and have to obey his every whim because he owned me once we got married.”
“I don’t blame you.” Ryse stroked my hair out of my eyes. “Auri, it doesn’t matter why you came to the Academy in the first place—you’ve earned the right to be here.”
“Earned the right?” I looked up at him in confusion.
“You’re at the top of all your classes—you made the highest score on the entrance exam in over seventy years. Even higher than mine, right?” He smiled down at me.
“My father hired a tutor for my brother, and he taught us both,” I admitted.
“You also Impressed and bonded with the first Golden Queen in over a century,” he went on. “You know, in the books I’ve been reading, they talk a lot about the Queens. They only hatch from the pure gold eggs and they only bond with female riders.”
I looked up at him in surprise.
“Is…is that how you knew I wasn’t a man?”
He nodded.
“I wasn’t positive at first that my translation was correct. But once I was sure, well…it was pretty obvious. Especially once I knew that L’eesha never would have bonded with a male rider.”
I thought of how he’d been staring at me lately with that thoughtful look in his eyes.
“Why…why didn’t you confront me?” I asked, sitting up and swiping at my eyes again.
“Because,” he said simply. “I was waiting for you to tell me on your own.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling horribly guilty. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you—that you had to find out like this.”
“You mean by L’eesha giving me your monthly cramps?” he said dryly. “I admit, it wasn’t the ideal way to find out, but at least now I know what you’re going through.”
“I’m really sorry about that—I never told her to,” I said quickly.
“Of course not. I know it was her idea. By the way, M’alex says to tell you that you are a warrior—he has never felt such pain,” he added. “We’re both a little in awe of you now.”
“The pain is only that bad on the first day,” I told him. “After that, it’s mostly the, uh, bleeding I have to deal with.” I grimaced, thinking of the sheets and mattress I had most likely completely ruined by now. I was sticky and wet between my thighs and also utterly miserable.
“If the willow bark tea doesn’t help, I can get you a heated water bottle,” Ryse offered. “As for the blood, I’m sure we can wash the sheets out in the sink.”
“It’s not just the sheets,” I said in a low voice. “I need…something to wear while I’m bleeding. Something that won’t show.”
Ryse frowned thoughtfully.
“We’ll work something out,” he said at last. “For now, I just want you to feel better.”
“So…you’re not mad at me? For lying to you for so long?” I asked hesitantly.
His frown deepened.
“Oh, I’m angry with you all right. But I care about you more than I’m mad at you, if that makes sense.” One corner of his mouth quirked up. “Also, I’m pretty fucking relieved that I’m not in love with another man.”
My heart fluttered. Had he really just said he was in love with me?
“So…you’re not going to tell the Head Master and get me kicked out of the Academy?” I dared to ask.
“Get you kicked out? And lose you?” he exclaimed incredulously. “Are you out of your mind?”
“I thought I was earlier, when I showed you the truth,” I admitted. “But maybe I should have done it earlier.”
“I was hoping you would,” he said quietly. “It’s all right though—I’m glad to know for sure. Come on—let’s get you cleaned up.”
“No, please—I can do it myself,” I begged, horribly embarrassed at the bloody mess I’d made.
But Ryse refused to let me do anything but sit in the warm bath he’d drawn in his small, private tub. It was one of the perks of being a Wing Leader, though we normally didn’t use it since going to bathing hour at the Cooking-pot every night was mandatory.