Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Crap. “Where are they? Is Evan still locked in her room?”
Trent took a deep whiff of the air around him and frowned. “She’s not here at all. Where did she go? I don’t think it’s safe for her to leave the grounds. I know she’s far more powerful now, but she doesn’t know how to use it.”
We started down the hall and soon found ourselves approaching the salon. Which was weird because we should have been further away.
“It’s the house,” Gray said, picking up speed. “Things must be going wrong if the house thinks we should be there sooner. Unlike what my evil mother managed to convince Liv, the house truly only serves this family. It’s worried about one of us and is putting us where it thinks we need to be.”
I heard a low growl.
“Fen, you need to calm down, man,” Lee was saying.
“I don’t think that’s going to work,” Dean replied, and I felt a pulse of magic.
“She has my mate.” Oh, those words came out the slightest bit garbled which meant Fen had a mouthful of fangs and was likely ready to use them.
I rushed through, ready to stand between my son and whatever was threatening him.
“Ah, Lady Sloane.” Lilith stood there in her airy gown looking like she belonged on a Faery plane. The hellhounds looked confused as their big heads swung between their mistress and the obvious alpha of all the planes. “I was hoping you might bring some much-needed reason to our conversation. I’m afraid the princess has requested asylum, and I have granted it.”
Fuck. I could bet that Fenrir not coming with her had been part of the request. “Asylum? From what?”
Trent moved in close to Fen, putting a hand on his shoulder. “This is not helping, son.”
Lilith reached out and tried to calm her pets. “You know as well as I do that word is nothing more than a political ploy to put me in a position where I can’t refuse her. My kingdom is known as a sanctuary for the broken creatures of the world, for the misunderstood. And in particular for the feminine who needs refuge from the masculine.”
“My son would never hurt her,” I said, my heart breaking for them both.
“I know that,” Lilith replied, her voice even. “I can see his love for her, but she needs time, and he won’t give it to her.”
“She doesn’t need time away from me.” Fenrir’s eyes looked distinctly wolf-like, and I knew he was dangerously close to changing, and then there would be no reasoning with him.
Lilith sighed and stepped out from behind her hounds. “She needs time away from everything, Wolf King. I know this hurts you, but she’s aching, too, and she cannot figure this out with the pressure of your relationship weighing on her. It’s not that she doesn’t love you. She is still your mate, but she has to figure out how to be the new creature she is.”
“She isn’t new,” Fen growled. “She merely has wings. It’s a fucking blessing. I don’t understand.”
And that was why Evan needed time. I knew he would be upset with me, but I had to do what was best for both of them. I understood his incredibly possessive nature. None of this made sense to Fenrir. He was still alive. Evan was still alive. They were mates. That was all that mattered.
But Evan was more complex.
“Can I talk to my sister?” Lee had his arms folded over his chest like it was taking everything he had not to try to take over the situation.
“She’s requested a few days of silence,” Lilith said with a sympathetic gaze. “I believe that actually has to do with her new powers.”
“She hears differently,” Gray surmised. “I wondered if there were changes we couldn’t see. If she’s taken on bat-like powers, then her hearing would have changed as well. Have we thought about taking her to the Under?”
The Under, where it had all happened. They could potentially help her. “That’s a good idea.”
“Eddie can have us there in an hour or so.” Fen was still insistent. “I’ll pack her things. We can stay for as long as she needs us to. I know the werebats there will aid her.”
“She didn’t ask to go to the Earth plane,” Lilith corrected. “She asked for sanctuary in the Daybreak Kingdom, and it has been granted. I’m sorry, Wolf King. In this I cannot be moved. I will encourage the princess to reconnect when she’s ready. Until then, you must be patient. Remember that is the truest heart of love. Patience.”
Fenrir growled and started to charge, but Lilith was gone and with her the hounds. Fenrir attacked an empty space and fell to his knees.
Trent got on the ground with him. “Son, she’s okay. She just needs time.”
“She needs time,” Lee said gravely. “Please give it to her. Prove your love for her is more valuable than your instincts. Let her figure this out. Do you believe you’re meant to be?”