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)
Frowning, I glanced down and saw that the bodice had slipped a little, either because it wasn’t fitted properly or from trying to keep Jadis from injuring herself and burning down the palace. Either way, it wasn’t like my breasts had actually fallen out. Yet. My eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with the gown, Your Highness?”
“Everything.”
I inhaled sharply, no longer feeling all that pretty in the gown.
Nektas’s brow pinched with confusion as he glanced at me. “I see nothing wrong with it.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t,” Nyktos muttered, leaning back in his chair.
“I find it to be many things,” Nektas offered, “none of which are wrong. I could list them for you…”
“Not necessary,” Nyktos bit out. He dropped his hand to the desk, and his fingers began tapping beside the tome I’d seen him with the day before.
The nape of my neck burned. “If I’d known you were going to insult the gown that doesn’t even belong to me, I would’ve chosen to visit what’s left of the entombed gods instead.”
Nyktos’s eyes flashed to me, narrowing.
“I believe she’s saying she’d prefer their company over yours,” Nektas added helpfully.
“Thank you for the unnecessary explanation,” Nyktos drawled. The Primal sent him a look of warning before focusing on me. Some of the tension eased from his jaw. A moment passed. “I didn’t mean to insult your gown. I…apologize if…” He drew in a breath as I stared at him. “If that was rude of me.”
“If?” I questioned.
“Okay, it was rude,” he amended. “There’s nothing wrong with your gown,” he muttered. “You look lovely in it.”
My brows shot up as I saw Nektas rub at his mouth, attempting to hide his grin. My annoyance with both of them flared. Nyktos had sounded as if he were speaking of a barrat in a gown, and Nektas had definitely failed at hiding his smile.
“I need to get Jadis to sleep,” Nektas said, and the Primal nodded. Reaver launched off Nyktos’s desk as Nektas headed for the door.
I started to follow them but stopped. Nektas didn’t need me being a distraction while he tried to get his daughter to sleep. I remained behind as they left the office, even though I suspected that Nyktos likely would have preferred I hadn’t.
As the doors closed behind Nektas, I slowly turned to the Primal. He was still leaning back in his chair, fingers tapping slowly on his desk as he eyed me. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Good.” I felt that damn warmth hitting my face again. “You?”
He lifted the hand from the arm of his chair, resting those fingers against his jaw and chin. “Perfect.”
Silence ticked by. “Did you sleep well last night?”
Nyktos went completely still. I don’t think he even breathed. “Like a babe.”
I stared at him. “You sure about that?”
“Yes.” Wisps of eather appeared in his eyes as disbelief crept in.
Was he really going to act as if he hadn’t been in my bedchamber the night before, watching me? Touching me?
“It appears you’ve had a rather eventful morning,” he said.
He was totally going to act like last night hadn’t happened. I tamped down my frustration. “That is one way of putting it.”
“Hopefully, for the sake of furniture everywhere, Reaver no longer shelters in places Jadis cannot yet reach.”
“I think that will be unlikely.”
“Probably. We went through this when Reaver was her age. I’m quite confident we lost at least two chambers’ worth of items to his temper tantrums.”
I had a hard time picturing Reaver having a tantrum in either form. “What…what happened to Reaver’s parents?” I asked, realizing that all I knew was that they were no longer alive.
“They died defending the Shadowlands. Before he was old enough to even shift into mortal form,” he answered, and several beats of silence followed. “Kolis grew annoyed when I didn’t answer his summons immediately. He sent several of his draken and, after that, I learned that I could only delay answering his summons for so long.”
My chest squeezed. “My…my sister? Ezra? She believes you can’t hate someone you’ve never met. She’s wrong. I’ve never met Kolis, and I hate him.”
Nyktos was quiet for a moment. “I don’t think you have to know someone to feel a certain way toward them. I don’t even think you have to truly know someone to miss them.”
“Really?”
“I miss many I barely know. The experiences never shared. The history never made.” His fingers stilled on the desk. “The memories never created.”
“The past that’s never mourned.” I thought of the mother I’d never been close to. The father I hadn’t met. The friends I’d never made. His heart. That thought was like a kick to the chest—both the realization that I wanted his affection, something I desperately couldn’t acknowledge, and that it would never belong to me. “And the future that’s never anticipated.”
“Then you understand.”
“I…I think so.” I blinked back the sudden wetness in my eyes, thinking about the guards who had fallen yesterday. “I’m sorry about those who were lost yesterday. I don’t think I said that.”