Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Dravic was not a man who acted without purpose. Every decision he made affected Scotara, and every order given had a reason behind it.
Yet this… this had no answer.
A king who could not find an answer to his own actions was a king not paying close enough attention.
A small flutter of silver wings caught his attention. He did not need to look up to see what it was. He knew. It was something he had failed to pay attention to as he should have. A fairy at court. His grandfather would be outraged.
He glanced up with a scowl to see Fiora hovering near a snow-covered branch, her expression unusually serious.
“Something is disturbing the forest,” she warned before he could speak.
Dravic glanced around him. The trees stood silent. The snow remained untouched and his warriors kept watch nearby. He looked back at her, unconvinced.
Fiora’s gaze went toward Adira. “She is with you.”
Dravic looked toward Adira, still bent over, busy brushing more snow aside. Whatever had caught her attention held her completely. She studied the ground with the same quiet focus she gave everything, as though the smallest detail mattered.
Fiora’s eyes narrowed. “Would you take that chance?”
Dravic did not wait, he took hurried steps toward Adira.
The warriors nearby remained alert, though none appeared to sense danger. The forest had returned to its stillness, and for a moment Dravic wondered if Fiora had allowed her imagination to run ahead of reason.
He reached Adira and touched her shoulder gently.
She looked up, her eyes meeting his.
For a moment, he found himself caught by the trust in her expression. She did not question why he had interrupted her. She simply waited.
Dravic pointed toward the castle, letting her know it was time to return.
Adira glanced in the direction he indicated, then nodded and went to stand.
He reached down and took her arm to help her up, bringing her to stand directly in front of him. So close that he saw the faint dusting of snow on her cloak that had fallen from the tree branches overhead and the warmth that still colored her cheeks from the cold air.
“Arrow!” Fiora’s cry tore through the forest.
Dravic reacted before thought could form. His arm hooked around Adira’s waist, pulling her hard against him as he turned. He twisted his body, taking her with him as they fell into the snow.
His only thought was of her. He covered her with his body, shielding her completely as the sound of movement echoed through the trees.
The warriors reacted instantly.
“FIND HIM!” Dravic roared.
The command thundered through the forest.
His men scattered, searching the trees and the surrounding ground, but Dravic did not move. Not until he knew that no harm lingered.
The forest erupted into movement around them, but Adira did not understand what was happening. One moment she was standing in front of the king and the next his arm had wrapped around her, pulling her away with such force that she had barely felt her feet leave the ground.
Then she was beneath him and she could do nothing but stare at him.
His face was close to hers, his expression unlike any she had seen before. Fierce, almost feral like an animal in the forest ready to tear their foe apart. And his heart beat so rapidly she could feel it against her chest.
Instinct had her slipping her hand between their chests to rest against his, and then something strange happened. The world around her seemed to fade away and she could feel him, not just the weight of him and not just the warmth of him.
It was something deeper. Somewhat similar to when he had accidentally touched her breast, but a bit different, stronger. Concern? Protection?
Dravic felt the change in her, saw it in her eyes, and his brow narrowed in question. “What is it?”
She did not respond. How could she when she did not understand it herself? She pressed her hand harder against his chest, searching, trying to understand what she felt. What he felt… for her?
The strength of her touch caught him off guard. It raced through him, swirled around him and caught him up in something he could not quite explain. And as such, he found himself unable to move away.
Then a warrior’s voice called out, “My king!”
The moment shattered like fragile glass, scattering in pieces.
Dravic blinked, as though returning to himself. Slowly, reluctantly, he pushed away from the snow and rose. He reached down and helped Adira to her feet, his hand remaining around hers, a heartbeat longer than necessary before he let go of her.
Two of his men emerged from the trees, dragging a man between them. The prisoner stumbled but refused to lower his head, his expression filled with hatred rather than fear. They shoved him to his knees before the king.
Dravic kept Adira at his side as he approached. “Explain yourself. Now!”