Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
I really wanted to see a ceeren. “And they’re the only ones who can shift forms?”
A faint grin appeared. “Some Primals and even fewer gods can.” Nyktos stopped then at the end of the hall, then pushed open a door. Letting go of my hand, he stepped inside. “Here we are.”
Flames from dozens of sconces cast a soft glow over the wide chamber, which appeared to have been carved out of shadowstone, the walls not nearly as smooth as they were on the floors above. Some sort of stone table had been built from the wall, standing a little bit higher than my waist, but what rested in the middle of the chamber caught and held my attention as I slowly walked forward. It was a…a large body of water. Like a lake—but not.
The door closed behind me as Nyktos joined me. “It’s a pool,” he explained.
“A pool?” I repeated, clasping my hands under my chin.
“Yes, like a very large bathing tub. The end here,” he said, gesturing to where water rippled over some steps, “is pretty shallow, but it gradually becomes deeper. Small mills at the end, where it is even above my head, keep the water moving, and the minerals that run off the shadowstone help to keep the water clean and cool.” He tipped his head back to look at the low ceiling. “The kitchens are above us, and the fires there help keep this chamber heated. It’s the closest thing I could get to a lake.”
My gaze cut to him. “Did you create this? With eather?”
“Using that kind of energy to create something like this could’ve destabilized the whole palace. This was done by hand,” he said, and my eyes went wide. “I didn’t do this alone. Rhain and Ector helped carve out the stone. Even Saion and Rhahar pitched in over the years. So did Nektas.” Another grin appeared. “Bele mostly just stood by and supervised.”
I snickered at that. “How long did this take?”
“A very long time, but it was worth it.” Pride crept into his tone. “Especially when sleep is hard to attain, or the mind is in need of a quiet place.”
I stared up at him as he turned his gaze to the dark, glistening waters that reminded me so much of my lake. I wondered how often he disappeared to this space—somewhere I knew was special, based on his tone and how he looked upon it. It might even be a little bit sacred to him. I also wondered why he’d decided to show it to me.
You miss your lake, don’t you?
That sweeping, fluttering motion returned to my chest as my gaze shifted back to the pool.
“Why did you visit my lake if you had this?”
Nyktos was quiet for so long that I looked at him. He was still staring at the pool. “Because it was your lake.”
Chapter 24
Out of everything I’d expected him to say, that wasn’t even on the list. “What do you mean?” I angled my body toward his. “Because when I saw you at my lake, you acted surprised to see me there.”
“I was surprised to see you there.” He looked down at me. “Out of the many times that I had been there, you never came.”
“But you knew it was my lake before that night?”
“I did.”
My brows raised. “I’m going to need a little bit more explanation here.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Before my father died, he told me about the deal he made with your ancestor. He didn’t tell me why, but I think I would’ve known even if he hadn’t told me.”
“Because of how the Shadowlands changed?”
Nyktos shook his head. “That’s what I thought it was until I learned about the embers. I felt you—or at least the ember that belonged to me.” He tilted his head as he dragged his fangs over his lower lip. “I had Lathan and Ector watching over you after your seventeenth birthday, and as you grew older, but I…I checked in on you before that. I was curious about you.” His eyes met mine. “I’d seen you go through the woods. Saw you sit by the lake. I never lingered too long, so I didn’t ever see you do more than put your feet in the water, but I knew you went there.”
“I had no idea,” I murmured, surprised. “I really need to be more observant.”
Nyktos shot me a wry grin.
“Why didn’t you talk to me?” I asked.
“Why?” He laughed roughly, running a hand over his head. “Because even though I may be the youngest Primal—younger than even most gods—you were a child, and I was a fully grown man by mortal standards. You have to know that you would’ve likely been disturbed by a random male approaching you in the woods.”
I thought about that. “Actually, yeah, that would’ve been really creepy.”