Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
“Sorry,” came a muffled voice that sounded farther away. “I had to take care of, you know, basic bodily functions.”
“Of course,” the male muttered, refocusing on the one before him. “What can I do for you, Tawny?”
“I want to see Poppy.”
I straightened.
“She’s not here,” the male replied.
“Bullshit,” she snapped. “I know she’s in there.”
“And why do you think that?”
“Because you wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t,” she said. I wanted to smile at that. “But what I don’t know is why you have her in a—”
“She’s asleep,” the male cut her off. “Something a normal person would’ve realized when no answer came after they knocked for three whole minutes.”
“I wasn’t knocking that long.”
“Yes. You. Were,” the male bit out, each word spoken with deliberate precision. “I counted.”
“That’s not weird or anything.” There was a pause. “But it doesn’t tell me why you’re here. In—”
“Don’t,” the male said. I stiffened at the coolness of his tone and the underlying thread of power that reminded me of… “Don’t finish that sentence, Tawny.”
There were several seconds of silence, and I had the distinct impression the woman on the other side of the door was debating the merits of ignoring the clear warning. Because she always—
Agony struck like lightning, sending me back against the wall.
“Is there a reason you’re only opening the door a foot?” she asked. The pain slowly eased.
“Not particularly.”
I didn’t think he spoke the truth. I slowly loosened my hold on my legs and leaned forward, planting my hands on the cool floor. My head felt like it was about to roll off my shoulders.
The woman at the door didn’t seem to believe him either. “Uh-huh.”
“Believe it or not—”
“I don’t,” she cut in.
“Poppy is asleep. I will let you know when you can see her.” He started to close the door. “Until then—”
“Nope.” A head full of snowy curls and a slender shoulder wedged itself between the doorframe and the door, and there…
“Fucking gods.” He moved quickly, blocking her as the hand at his side clenched. “What is wrong with you?”
“What is wrong with you?” she shot back. “You won’t let me see my friend. The friend I’ve known longer than you. And you won’t tell me why you’re down here.”
Down here?
I inched forward, ignoring the throbbing in my head. I caught sight of her face briefly before he blocked her once more. The hair and eyes were nearly white, except for the pupils, which starkly contrasted with her rich-brown skin. Her pretty features were recognizable to me, yet…not. It was almost as if I knew her. And there was still this…
There was a flicker of something in my chest, like a fragile flame caught in the wind.
“I’m not the one foolishly trying to force themselves into the room where the Queen”—he stepped forward, forcing her to lean back an inch or two—“and the King are.”
“The Queen is my friend, first and foremost,” she hissed.
My breath caught. That…that meant something to me. Something huge. Because the concept of a friend had been forbidden. Confusion rose as I scuttled back against the wall again.
Muscles flexed and rolled down his spine when his back stiffened. “If that is the case, then you wouldn’t be here trying to disrupt her rest.”
A low-pitched shriek of frustration came from the hall. “I know you’re lying!”
“About?”
“About her being at rest,” she snapped. If his back got any straighter, he’d crack his spine. “Just as Kieran was when I ran into him. She’s awake, and I don’t mean that in the sense that she was sleeping normally.”
A second passed, and then another, as tiny bumps erupted across my skin. “And what makes you think that?” the male asked, his voice eerily soft.
“Besides the fact that the whole castle shook a few hours ago?” she countered.
I couldn’t see his face, but I heard the smirk in his voice as the male said, “And how do you know that wasn’t me?”
“You’re not capable of that.”
“Want to bet?”
Several seconds of silence ticked by again. “No, not really,” she said, I heard a slight tremor in her voice.
I didn’t like that. My eyes narrowed on his back.
“I know she’s awake,” she said, clearing her throat. “I don’t know how to explain it or why I know she wasn’t sleeping normally before that. It’s just a feeling—and the gods know, I’ve had many weird feelings since I woke up. Look, that doesn’t matter. I’m just worried about her, and you not letting me into this chamber tells me that something is wrong,” she said, her next breath audible. “And that…gods, Casteel, that scares me.”
He tilted his head back, and my gaze fell to the fist at his side. His hand relaxed. “She’s okay,” the male admitted, so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. “But she’s…she’s having difficulty recalling things.”
“W-what?” she stuttered.
All the muscles in his back tensed again. “She’s not herself right now.”