Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
A light tug on my earlobe yanked me out of my thoughts. I blinked up at Talon, who arched a questioning brow as he prodded my temple.
“Just woolgathering,” I fudged.
He waved his hand in an Expand gesture.
“I’m not thinking anything worth sharing.”
His eyes narrowing, he curved a hand firmly around my jaw and gave it a demanding squeeze as his expression asked, What’s wrong?
“Nothing,” I said. “I just had some flashbacks of the caverns.”
His squint called me a liar.
I sighed. He was too good at reading me. That in mind, I didn’t bother with any more denials. I simply said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Another demanding squeeze to my jaw.
“You’re super nosy. Has anyone ever told you that? They should have.”
One shoulder rose and fell in a lazy, unapologetic move.
“Why do you even care what I’m thinking about?”
His face sober, he pointed at my chest and then doodled Mine right there with his fingertip.
“We’re exclusive, sure. It doesn’t make you privy to my innermost thoughts.”
Going by the look on his face, he didn’t find that relevant.
“Don’t be so pushy,” I reprimanded with a light poke to his shoulder. “Unless you’re willing to answer my questions. That would be fair. And I have tons. Let’s start with an easy one. Where do you go on full moons?”
His eyes narrowed again. Then he bit me. Right on the chin.
I yelped and rubbed the smarting spot. “That wasn’t necessary. There are gentler ways of telling someone that you don’t appreciate them mentally outmaneuvering you.”
His expression the facial equivalent of an indifferent shrug, he turned back to the tunic he’d earlier placed on his dresser.
My eyes inadvertently fell to where his boots were neatly placed against the wall. Why? Because a pair of much smaller boots were set beside them. A pair that I hadn’t before noticed. And they were brand new.
Moving to them, I lifted one to check the size. I swallowed. They were my size. Warmth poured into my chest. That he’d gone out of his way to ensure that I wouldn’t be walking around barefoot … Ugh, this man hit me right in the feels at times.
He turned to me again, his muscles minutely tensing when he saw what I held.
“You got me new boots?” I asked, placing the boot back on the floor.
He shrugged, grumpy all of a sudden. As if it annoyed him that he’d been so bothered by the idea of me not having any.
I smiled. He glared. I felt my smile widen. He glared harder.
Smothering a chuckle, I said, “Thank you.”
He ignored that, lifted my knapsack, and tossed it at me.
I caught it with an oof. “You’re lucky that your dick is worth all this constant brooding I have to put up with,” I teased.
He shot me a dark look that held a tiny glimmer of amusement. Though, to be fair, it could have been a trick of the light.
A short time later, we parted ways at the stables. Talon began tending to the horses as usual while I returned my sack of possessions to the tack room. I spent a few minutes playing with the dogs and then left for the food hall. Inside the building, I found my friends gathered near the end of a table, loading their pewters with food.
Spotting me, Nakoa smiled. “Well, good morning. I heard you made it through the labyrinth.”
“Told you that she would,” Khalida reminded her from the other side of the table. She then beamed at me. “Congrats on passing Xalbia.” As the others echoed the sentiment, she patted the empty spot beside her. “Park your butt here, cousin, we saved you a seat.”
I felt my brow crease as I accepted her invitation. “We’re cousins?”
“I’ve decided to adopt you,” Khalida informed me. “Just go with it.”
Snickering, I poured mead into my tankard.
“You’re planning to accept a place in the Black Tapestry, right?” Quillen asked.
“I am,” I verified, setting down the jug.
Khalida bumped her shoulder into his. “Told you that she would.”
He raised his shoulders. “The labyrinth has a way of making people reevaluate the worth of a position in the Order.”
Opposite me, Jelani dipped his chin. “I came close to choosing basic servitude instead. Some days, I wonder if I made the wrong decision,” he grimly admitted.
“We’ve all been there,” said Quillen.
“I almost quit once,” Soule confessed with a sigh. “I’m glad I didn’t. I think I would have later regretted it. And then I wouldn’t have Nakoa.”
Beside him, the female in question bristled. “You don’t have me.”
Groaning, Khalida rolled her eyes. “He totally does. Stop fighting it.” Throwing a cube of cheese into her mouth, she turned back to me. “You should move to the floor where Nakoa and I sleep in the women’s barracks. There are a few spare beds there.”
Nakoa nodded, a teasing gleam blotting her gaze. “Not that I think you’ll sleep in it much, Anara. At least not for the foreseeable future.”