Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“They recognized me, too,” Nylian added.
Jasper offered an awkward smile and nodded. “Adam is a bit of a strange name. You should have picked something a little more common, like Tybalt or Rafferty.”
Again with Adam being seen as a weird name when it was incredibly common. What…oh…fuck… I’d done it to myself. I’d always said I would never use my actual name for a character in a book. Because of that, the rule must have been made that Adam wouldn’t exist in their world, thus making it rare.
I scrubbed a hand across my face, trying to get my brain working in the right direction. Adeline and Jasper knew I was Prince Victor Montcroix, and Nylian was Prince Xeran Elrich. Fabulous.
“How? When?” I spat out.
“Adeline asked me one night after you’d fallen asleep. She wanted to make sure I wasn’t your prisoner,” the elf explained. I lowered my hand to take in his less-than-thrilled expression. Yeah, that had to be insulting. I couldn’t have held a prisoner if my life depended on it. Of course, that was why she’d been so hard core with her negotiations for her services. She’d known we were both princes and were good for the money.
After choking back a laugh, I cleared my throat and smiled at him. “I take it you vouched for me.”
“In a way. Ahead of your arrival, I updated them on what I’ve learned about your situation.”
“Thanks.”
Jasper leaned toward me, his countenance shining brighter than the sun. “Is there any way you could let me look at the coi—”
“No!” Adeline and I shouted at him. There was no fucking way I was letting him anywhere near it.
“Gods, Jasper. It’s like you’ve got a death wish,” Adeline moaned.
“Anyway, I talked to the governor. Everything is fine so long as I get the hell out of town soon,” I said, trying to make that coin a distant memory in all our heads.
“Good.” Nylian slumped in his chair, appearing relaxed while his gaze skimmed over the occupants of the tavern. A barmaid popped over and dropped two tankards of ale in front of Adeline and Jasper while a cup of wine was placed near Nylian.
“Well, aren’t you a sweet thing?” she purred, staring down at me. “Where did you come from?”
I aimed for my warmest, most devil-may-care smile, trying to remember that I’d been given a sexy face and was no longer stuck with my original goofy mug. “I just arrived, and I’ve been blessed with the light of an angel.”
“Gar! Aren’t you a smooth talker?” she said, fanning herself. Her round cheeks were already ruddy, but I had a feeling that was more because of the heat of the room and the hard labor than any of my flirting attempts. “What can I get you, handsome man?”
A hand clamped on my knee under the table and squeezed hard enough that I thought my kneecap was going to pop off. Obviously, Nylian didn’t want me wasting time flirting with the waitstaff. My grin wavered, and I cleared my throat to keep my voice from cracking under the sudden pain.
“I’ll have what he’s having,” I replied with a tip of my head toward Nylian’s drink. Under the table, I grabbed the bastard’s wrist and pulled, trying to get him to release me.
“And we’ll all have the pheasant for dinner this evening,” Nylian chimed, his voice as smooth as butter even as he continued to torment me.
“I’ll have it all brought over in a wink.” And of course, she directed that wink at me, which made Nylian tighten his grip, squeezing a tiny whimper of pain out of me.
“Thanks,” I choked out.
“Lovers’ quarrel?” Adeline snickered as the barmaid walked away.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” I snapped at her as I pried the elf’s kung-fu grip off my knee. I threw him a dirty look and then directed my attention to Jasper since my other companions were busy being pains in the ass. “Did you get to the bookshop today?”
“I did, but they didn’t have a copy of Uzephior’s Practical Guide to Wards and Curses,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I figured it might be a long shot to find it here, but I thought since it’s Edros’s biggest city outside of Gushan, there was a chance. Next time we’re in the capital, I’ll have to try a bookstore there.”
Adeline snorted. “Like we’re ever stepping foot in Gushan again.”
Jasper’s slim shoulders slumped farther, and he took a sip of his ale, half hiding behind the giant mug. Despite spending several days on the road with them, I’d never weaseled out where they were from or why this wizard wasn’t being trained. Adeline had no love of Gushan, and I had a feeling her animosity stemmed from a protectiveness of her younger brother. Her issues seemed to roll away like water off a duck’s back.