Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 125179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“I tried urging Cain to include a few inside and outside his Keep, but he vetoed it. He’s kind of boring that way.” He wouldn’t even agree to prop some pumpkins around the front entrance.
Beside her, Cain arched a brow at Wynter. “Boring?”
“In general? No,” she replied. “But when it comes to celebrating holidays? Oh, absolutely.”
“Only because many are now so commercialized,” he said.
Wynter playfully gave his arm a soothing pat. “I get it, old man.”
Humor danced in his eyes. “You’ll pay for that later.”
Eve chuckled. “You two have a sweet dynamic.” She lifted a slice of fresh bread and bit into it. “This bread is truly delicious.”
“My staff purchased it from the shop that’s run by the Bloodrose Coven,” Seth informed her.
Her eyes widening in a delighted surprise, Eve looked at Wynter. “Really? You baked it?”
“Not me. One of my coven, Hattie, does the baking,” Wynter clarified.
Rima lifted her glass of red. “And you enchant weapons with dark magick.” There was an accusatory and slightly pompous note to her voice that was all provocation.
Pfft. As if Wynter would be put on the defensive so easily. No one—least of all a practical stranger with a serious attitude problem—would ever make her feel shame for her magick being dark. It wasn’t as if she’d turned it dark somehow. It changed when she died. Death never failed to leave its mark.
Having felt Cain tense beside her, Wynter placed a hand on his thigh and smiled at Rima. “I can do many things.”
The other female went to speak again, but Noah quickly said, “I think your ability to enchant weapons is impressive. I heard you can deactivate the runes at will. Is that true?” he asked, seeming merely curious.
Wynter dipped her chin.
“Which then enables you to prevent your own work from being used against you,” mused Noah, his lips kicking up. “Smart.” He paused. “It’s so strange that no one at Aeon ever realized you’re a revenant. It’s as if Kali made sure that you flew under the radar.”
“It is,” agreed Rima. “Why?” She tossed out the word in challenge.
Wynter gave a lazy shrug. “You’d have to ask Her.”
“I’m not sure I’d want to be in frequent contact with a deity, even if there is honor in being Favored, but it has to be interesting at times.” Noah cocked his head. “I don’t understand why Kali made you so different from other revenants. You really don’t need to feast on flesh and blood to survive?”
“Darling Noah,” began Eve, a fond smile plucking at her mouth, “that is not something one should ask at the dinner table.”
His cheeks pinkened. “Sorry,” he said to Wynter. “Just curious.”
“It’s fine,” she assured him. “And the answer to your question is yes, I truly don’t have that particular diet.”
“Why?” Rima repeated.
Serious eye roll. “Again, you’ll have to ask Kali.”
Rima folded her arms. “I’m asking you.”
“Enough,” said Cain. The word was low. Soft. But pure frost.
“Like Noah, I’m merely curious,” Rima defended, though she dropped her bad attitude in an instant.
Her brother gave her a hard look. “You’re being rude, and you know it.”
Rima drew in a breath and then turned back to Wynter. “I apologize,” she said, sounding genuine.
“Then let’s have no more rudeness,” pressed Eve.
Rima cut her gaze to Cain. “Why did you lie to your people?” It wasn’t a demand or said with any hostility. It seemed to be a genuine query.
He blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You told them that you plan to soon invade Aeon,” said Rima. “Only that isn’t possible. So you lied. I don’t understand why.”
“It was the truth.” Cain sliced into his fillet mignon. “We fully intend to take the war to Adam.”
Rima’s brow creased in confusion. “How?”
Seeing an opening to raise the subject of how he might get the aid of the three Aeons at the table at one point, Cain replied, “We believe it’s possible that we can cause a fissure in the prison.” He felt it safe to reveal his plans, since there was no way the Aeons could get the information to Adam even if they were in league with him. “Three of its creators are dead, so the power they instilled into it is no longer so potent. That means the cage has essentially been weakened.”
Rima’s brow furrowed. “But the blood of each Ancient was used to fortify it, yes? I’m not sure how any of you could still damage it unless several of you died.”
“We could do it with help from another Ancient.” Or so Cain hoped.
“But there are no others.”
He forked a piece of meat and put it in his mouth. “Not true. One other was dumped here with us. The Aeons didn’t bother to take or use his blood to power the cage because they didn’t believe he would live—they only brought him here because they knew that watching him die would be difficult for me.”