Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
“Where are we going?”
“It cannot be described, it must be experienced.”
Chapter 23
Kyran
The orangery is the size of a beached Leviathan, and the steel frame supporting the glass walls and ceilings casts beautiful shadows on the marble floor. The ribs of the roof are covered with filigree patterns, and while the skeleton encapsulating a richness of trees, flowers, and other plants is stark black, the moonlight touches us with its silvery gaze.
Tristan gave me a knowing look when I asked him to stay back and make sure no one else enters this indoor garden, but he’s already aware of me breaching protocol when it comes to intimacy with my future Dark Companion.
And I can’t help myself.
Luke’s face is sweet as honey when he takes everything in, mouth open in awe. But as impressive as my palace is, he is the most beautiful flower here, all ruby-red and black as night. Even the pattern of thorns on the sleeves of his shirt makes me liken him to a rose. I would have locked the doors and kept him here if I didn’t know any better by now. I need to pace myself to avoid spooking him. I'm an experienced hunter, and a slow, cautious approach makes for a favorable outcome. Last time I got ahead of myself, he ran away before our wedding.
“Is there a reason you brought me here?” Luke asks, glancing my way as we stroll through the orangery.
Heat steams up the inside of my shirt when my gaze drifts down his back, counting all the spots where the lacing at the back of his vest is crisscrossed. I picked it because it pulls in his waist, in turn making my lover’s buttocks appear fuller. The red looks so good on his legs, and I wish to get my hands on his calves already. But the last thing I want is for him to think I only want his body.
My brother was notorious for his womanizing ways and, despite having the personality of a clown, broke many hearts. I would hate for Luke to feel used when he is everything to me. So I take his hand, stroke his jaw with my finger, and then gesture toward the orange trees growing out of pots shaped like dragon eggs. “I thought you might feel less homesick surrounded by plants from your world. But that's not the whole story. The truth is that I wanted for us to have some peace and quiet.”
Reiner arranged Luke’s hair into fluffy waves. Some of the strands fall over his forehead in a way so picturesque I have to forgive my house master for the transgression before the wedding.
“I’ve… never seen someone die. I wasn’t expecting it. Was that supposed to be a positive surprise for me?”
My smile drops. “You… hated it.”
He frowns, running his fingers over the petals of an intensely purple orchid. “A good person would. I’m shocked, but… I don’t know. Maybe she did deserve it.”
Worry is smudged across Luke’s features, and I fall to one knee, hoping to wipe it away with a kiss to his delicate hands. Oh, how I adore their shape, their frailty, even the little scar on the side of one finger where a knife must have cut in not that long ago. He’s wearing the ring I put on him when we met, and it reminds me just how much I wish to keep him forever.
“She did deserve it. Had I been slower, you would have been taken from me. I cannot fathom a greater crime.”
I sense his pulse quicken in his palm. Luke’s gaze is so intense when he meets mine I wouldn’t be able to look away even if a pack of wolves was approaching us. “I was conflicted when you fought her, but when I remembered how I dragged you out of the ocean, saw how she almost stabbed you, I didn’t have mercy for her left in me.”
And that’s why he’s such a perfect Companion for me. He might still have a lot to learn about my world, but he picks up on everything so fast.
Moved, I lean in, pushing my nose between the buttons of his vest, to get a whiff of his natural scent. Fresh yet warm, it makes my head spin, so I hold on to his legs and close my eyes as a sense of contentment spreads through me.
I have lived without touch for so long that the gentle way he’s stroking my head pulls right at my heart. But now he’s here. Mine to touch. To cherish. To adore.
I have a month to convince him that he ought to stay, and I intend to use every trick in my arsenal.
Well, with the exception of love potions. I want real affection, not some stunted lust puppet.
“I’m sorry you were scared. I thought you would appreciate the revenge. But how come you’ve never seen death? Were you… sheltered?” I ask, watching him. The shrub of opulent blue flowers behind him creates such a great background for his beauty I wonder if this is where we should get our portrait painted.