Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 106600 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106600 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
“I am here to help, my friend. As this involves your feelings, consider allowing her to train with my assassins. I can feel her powers are still somewhat locked.
“Training here will only ensure she’s never hurt. Take this as my gift, old friend.”
“I will think about it. Her training is being interrupted by our presence here,” I muse.
“I am at your disposal. Now, about the boys.”
“What about them? Have the transformations started again?”
“No, not that the perpetrator hasn’t tried. They’re just unable to get by me. I want you to consider this.
“One can be happy of mind but not of heart. My illusions are dealing with the mind. Those boys still need someone to attend to their hearts.”
That figure in the visions comes to mind. What if whoever is trying to access the boys succeeds in getting by Kenji and taints their hearts because that’s what I’m failing to address.
“When I am not guarding the stone, I will spend more time with them.”
Kenji sighs. “You are already spending yourself thin. Besides, you and I both know the way of the water titans. It’s a mother’s love that cures their hearts. Why don’t you allow Billy to do it?”
“She is not ready. Her fears will confuse them.”
“Will they?” he asks and tilts his head to study me. “Or are your fears getting in the way? You can feel her love, but that’s not enough. You fear the titans will reveal motherhood is unwanted.”
I work my jaw as his words hit their mark. I will be as patient as I need to be with Billy, but I have not fooled myself into believing all her fears will be healed miraculously and she will want to have children of our own.
“I still know you well, my friend and I can see through her. Her heart is not as fragile as you think it is. Nor is she as indifferent to love as you believe.
“She is capable of great love and compassion. It is no surprise she is the mate of Ardan. Ardan, the passionate one, the one of desire and enthusiasm for life.
“The high achiever. It is time you allow others to hold your burdens with you. She can’t show you what you don’t show her.”
“What is it I’m not showing her?”
“Trust. You don’t give trust, Ardan. You would rather do things all on your own than give your absolute trust. You have entrusted those boys’ care to me, but you reach out more than a mother sending her cubs off to school for the first time.
“You do know I have work that needs to be done. If you want me to do something, allow me to do it,” Kenji says and rolls his eyes.
He is right though. I have been placing my attention on everything. I may delegate tasks, but then I micromanage.
Billy is my mate. I’m supposed to share my burdens with her. She was designed to bring me balance. Allowing her to help me doesn’t take away her independence. It does the exact opposite.
It also takes some of the pressure off all the things I have on my plate. A demigod can be overwhelmed too. I never complain because it’s in my nature to just go with the flow.
But if I’m honest, since the boys came into the picture, I’ve been finding it harder to surf through my duties. Finding my mate has only added to my responsibilities, but I should let Billy help as she’s been asking too from the beginning.
She put her life in danger for those boys. I can trust her with helping them. They already seem to have a bond with her.
“Ah, you know what I know now. You will make adjustments. This is good.”
“I will consider what you have said. Not everything is as simple as you make it sound.”
He waves me off. “It is. You will make adjustments. I am happy you are here. Come, you haven’t seen the upgrades I have done. Time for tour.”
Got It Wrong
“Good morning, My Queen. How did you sleep?” Dracon asks as I step into the hall where he’s been waiting for me.
“You can call me Billy. I promise you it’s not that serious.”
“You say that now. Have you met your mate? He would have my head for the familiarity if not the disrespect.”
“Well, when he’s not around, I’m Billy. If he doesn’t like it, he can take a dip. I’ve been Billy all my life.
“I’m not about to have people running around calling me queen all the time. I’m a cop. I lock up bad guys. I said what I said. Call me Billy, or don’t call me at all.”
Dracon chuckles at my rant. Clearly, to answer his earlier question, I didn’t sleep well at all. I’m grumpy and irritable. I slept fitfully all night.
Ardan didn’t seem too happy about that this morning. To be honest, he’s been in a bit of a mood since he returned from his time with Kenji after our arrival.