Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 63709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
“I need you,” I whisper. “I want you to come back to me.”
There’s a pause, and I sense the whole of the castle holding its breath. The stillness rushes in and I realize… the rattling in his chest has fallen silent.
“No. No. No!” I howl. I need medicine, or magic. Something. I reach out, wildly, for anything—as if the whisps might have medicine or something that could help. But all that comes to hand is a moonflower vine. It will have to do.
I find a single, sharp thorn and drive it into my palm, slicing my skin. I grit my teeth against the pain and do it again, stabbing my flesh until the scarlet blood runs down my fingers.
I touch my fingertip to Bestian’s lips. “Live. Live for me.” I lean down close enough to kiss his cheek. “I love you.”
Another second of silence. The ground quakes.
A sudden, fierce wind whips around us, blowing back my braids. Lights burst behind my eyes. The walls of the palace crumble away.
Bestian’s chest is rising and falling again. I can sense him trapped in his stone body, yearning. Connecting with my newfound magic, I reach in and pull forth his soul.
All Bestian’s pain, all his wanting, and the poison saturating his body—I draw it into myself. It burns like the hottest fire and I roar, loud as an Alpha, welcoming the pain.
I am as big as the universe—and I can contain it.
There’s a resounding, explosive boom, and the last of the outer walls crumble away.
Then everything goes black.
When I come to, I’m on a warm surface that’s rising and falling in an easy rhythm.
With immense effort, I raise my head. I feel wrung out. “Bestian?”
The gray crust on his skin is cracking, the stony scales crumbling to dust. The scarlet rash recedes to reveal healthy, teal-colored skin with brilliant green markings. His eyes blink open and he takes a startled breath. “Rose?”
“I’m here.” Tears sting my eyes. “I claimed you.”
He cups my cheek. “You came for me.”
“Yes,” I croak. There’s something flaking off my face. I touch my cheek and my finger comes away smudged with gray dust.
Bestian’s eyes widen. “What is that?”
I cough. My mouth feels like it’s been years since I brushed my teeth. “I think it’s part of the curse.”
He snaps upward, pulling me into his lap. I guess I don’t have to worry about his recovery. He’s patting me all over, moving all his limbs just fine. “What happened? What did you do?”
I lick my lips, tasting metal. Blood? “I did a thing. I claimed you. I think.” I rub my cheek again, scraping it with my nails, feeling my face. My skin is coated in gray dust, but there’s no rash, and no stony scales. I think I’m okay. But there’s an ache in my chest, and when I go to rub it, Bestian does the same thing—to his own chest.
We both stare at each other.
“Can you feel that?” he asks. He places his hand on my chest, and I do the same to him. Our hearts are beating exactly in sync.
“I can feel your emotions,” I say. “You’re… really fucking stressed.”
“Yes.”
“You’re alive. I guess the bond thing worked.”
“You shouldn’t have done it,” he says, cupping my face. “Your safety, above all.”
“What’s the point of being queen if I don’t use my magic?” I lay my palms on his cheeks. “You’re healed.”
“Yes. You saved me.” His voice is gruff. His gorgeous green eyes are piercing my very soul.
“And you saved Medela. There’s no more curse. The whole kingdom is celebrating.”
“Is Ma…”
“Recovered. Completely.” I mold my fingers over the rough scars of his face. “You sacrificed yourself. Thank you.”
“You did it for me.” He brushes more ash off my skin. “Rose, you could have died.”
“You were dying,” I counter. “But you didn’t. And neither will I.”
“You’re so sure.”
“Of course I’m sure. I’m the queen. What I say goes.”
“Bossy Omega.”
“Insufferable Alpha.”
And we grin at each other.
Something squawks nearby—it’s a brightly colored lizard, peeking out of the foliage. A whisp wafts by, shooing the creature away.
“I kinda destroyed your palace. Sorry. I figured we could build a new one.” I move my head to one side, stretching my neck, and something pops. More dust drifts off my skin. “But maybe we could have a nap first?”
TWENTY-THREE
Bestian
My queen snuggles against me, and I rejoice in the feeling of holding her close when I never thought I would again. How could I go from the deepest, abject misery to these dizzying heights of joy in so short a time?
“Just a little sleep,” she murmurs. “We have time.”
“Rose.” I touch her hair, her face. Breathe in her sweet scent. The side of her neck still shows evidence of the curse. A few parts are scaly and gray. But the crust is flaking off to reveal healthy, smooth skin.