Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
I was curious how he would do that.
Though, more, I wanted to rush him and kiss him all over for taking Gayle’s back.
But Cormac wasn’t curious, because he simply asked, “Are you threatening me?”
“You’re hurting her,” Tanyn said quietly. “Are you telling me you’re good with doing that?”
Finally, something shut Cormac up.
“You have a lock on it?” Bainon asked him.
“Only you’d have the balls to ask me that, knowing your mate half your life and letting her fuck other males,” Cormac bit.
Great.
Now Nayden and Uly had broken off holding back Cormac because they had to hold back Bainon.
“Ugh, this isn’t helping,” Gayle said, standing up and aiming her gaze at Cormac. “Just so you know, Sirk and I are broken up. Yes, he came to rub your shit in your face because I asked him to. I did this before I took the potion. And he said yes because he cares about me and we’re friends. But we’re just friends. I’ve since spelled myself. I can be around you now without it harming me. Maybe Sirk wasn’t a good play, but at the time, I felt I needed all the friends I could get. If you truly were my mate, you’d want that for me.”
What could Cormac say to that?
Nothing.
Which was what he said.
“So, we have a month to figure all this stuff out before it wears off,” Gayle continued. “Let’s focus on doing that.”
Cormac had something to say to that. “You’re spelling yourself at an uncertain time in a realm that’s under attack.”
“And you gave me no choice,” Gayle shot back.
I saw a muscle dance up Cormac’s cheek.
Got you there, fae boy.
Gayle started the negotiations.
“I need to go back to work.”
“You were working fine at Fleur de Flora,” Cormac pointed out.
“That isn’t my home. That isn’t my life.”
“But it was safe.”
“If you need to see I’m safe”—she shrugged—“move in with me.”
I felt my eyes grow huge at this offer.
Sirk dropped his head while shaking it.
But Cormac…
Something deep, struggling and sad flashed briefly through his eyes before he said, “That’ll work.”
“I’m not thinking this is good,” Aleece whispered.
I was thinking the same thing, and she didn’t know about Selediel either.
“Fine, that’s done.” Gayle sat back down. “Now you two,” she said, moving her attention between Aleece and Bainon.
“I dig you chicks, but when I say what I have to say to Bain, it’s going to be just him and me,” Aleece said.
Fair play.
“But as for you,” she said to Bainon. “Do not release the spell. If you do, I’m asking for the contact deets of Gayle’s witch and getting a potion too. You’ve had control of this for long enough. It’s my turn.”
Now it was go Aleece!
Bainon’s mouth got tight, he hesitated very long, very annoying moments, before he jerked up his chin.
“Now someone needs to make drinks,” Aleece decreed, like the kickass princess she was.
Manny moved back to the drinks cabinet.
Uly went to help him.
Tanyn looked to me.
And I really wanted to hold on to my huff of earlier, but he took Gayle’s back, therefore, I couldn’t.
So I stole his air kiss thing and sent him one.
One side of his mouth hitched up.
And he joined Manny and Uly at the drinks cabinet to see about the belated delivery of my martini.
Chapter 21
Normal
One would think, with all the beings I loved most in the world (save Mom, Dad and Monique) sitting at one table, dinner would be fabulous.
But it was awkward as all hells.
I was casting around in my head for a conversational gambit to take the edge off when I caught Tanyn’s gaze.
And suddenly, all that was happening melted away (and other things melted too).
He was not feeling discomfort.
Manny and Zyr were there.
Nayden and Uly.
Regardless of what was going on, Aleksei, Cormac and Bainon were all there too, and I knew he liked and respected all three (even Cormac).
And I was sitting at the foot of his table.
His hostess.
His queen.
Tanyn wasn’t wreathed in smiles and cracking jokes.
He was Tanyn, quietly content, surrounded by beings he cared about.
And after all he’d endured all his life, I loved seeing it.
I just wished his mother (and father) had lived to do so too.
He dipped his chin and looked at me from under the lush fan of his lashes, a gesture I’d never seen, therefore I had no idea how, but I somehow read (and what I read wasn’t just that it was hot, but I read that too), and I nodded for him to go for it.
“We have one more thing to discuss,” Tanyn announced.
“If you think Bain is moving in with me at the Celestial Palace, you can think again,” Aleece declared.
“No, sweetheart,” Aleksei entered the conversation to address his sister. “We need to talk about the fact that the males went over this on our journey to Gehenn, and we feel the best way forward strategically, considering our instincts have been tripped to indicate a very real threat is facing our mates, that, in the short term, we all need to stay close together.”