Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 162269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 541(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 541(@300wpm)
And he was even more annoying because he continued to be right.
Silvanus grinned like a madman, for he knew this as well.
“If you change your mind in future, we shall take you,” he said to finish.
“I would not hold my breath.”
That set the man again to laughing.
Soon after, they finished their drinks, Silvanus returned to his Patras, and Cass went in search of his wife.
He found her sitting atop their bed, cross-legged, wearing his shirt.
She had her cards spread out on the covers before her.
He stopped at the end of the bed and did not lead into it.
“Mac is going with Silvanus. Apparently, they journey back and forth between the parallel worlds with some frequency, for they enjoy being annoying on two different, but the same, planets.”
She gazed up at him, her hair about her shoulders and down her chest, her long shapely legs practically begging him to uncross them with a purpose.
“And I hate to tell you this, but Hera—” he started to continue.
But Elena interrupted him.
“Journeys to The Mystics with the excuse to help Serena but instead she had some argument or something that wasn’t an argument, it was her feeling guilt she was attracted to another woman so soon after we lost Rose, even though it wasn’t that soon, but I think you understand her feelings about that more than I, so mostly, it’s to see to that,” she stated.
“You know?” he asked.
She nodded.
“About both?” he asked.
She hesitated.
And then nodded again.
He put his fists to his hips. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, I thought it was Mac’s to tell, which he intends to do, I only know because Hera told me when she told me her plans. I didn’t expect Silvanus to share Mac’s secrets.”
He glowered at her.
“If they seek happiness, I champion it,” she said gently.
“I do too, I just will miss them,” he muttered.
Her face softened and her lips tipped up.
“Why are you doing a reading?” he asked.
And then he took in the cards.
All in a row, The Unicorn, The Moon, Eros, The Blood, The Star, and another Unicorn.
“And when did you add to your cards?” he asked after an additional Unicorn, for he knew there was only one in her deck.
“I didn’t,” she whispered.
His gaze cut to her.
“It’s magic,” she said.
He had no reply.
“Star is pregnant,” she announced.
His body locked.
And he stared.
“And, um, well, apparently, unicorn magic beats pennyrium because, well…” She bit her lip, released it and asked, “How serious were you about not having any more children?”
The cards went flying not long before her panties landed on the carpet by their bed and he had his hand between their legs, his cock in his fist, seeking.
“Are you telling me you carry my child?” he demanded gruffly.
Then his groan drowned out her moan as he slid inside.
“Yes?” she asked as if he had the answer.
“Ellie,” he growled his warning, thrusting inside.
She wrapped her arms and legs about him.
“Do you want a boy or girl?”
Gods.
She was carrying his child.
He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to hers.
She truly was a powerful witch.
For he thought he was as happy as he could be.
But then she’d do something to make him even happier.
“Cass,” she whispered, lifting her hips to take him deeper. “Do you want a boy or girl? The ritual has to be done early in the pregnancy.”
He opened his eyes.
“No magic.”
“Sorry?”
“We get what we make.”
Her violet eyes melted.
“All right,” she said before she tugged on his beard to demand his mouth.
He didn’t make her tug hard.
He gave it to her.
He also took more ink eight months later.
When they had a girl.
King Mars
Second Floor, West Corridor, Catrame Palace, Fire City
FIRENZE
“Tril,” Mars called impatiently when his wife’s friend saw him and tried to duck behind the door of her room.
She, and his queen, had been avoiding him all day.
He did not like this.
Not at all.
And he knew the reason behind it, one his wife was hiding.
She’d had a visit from her mother that morning.
The woman lived in a grand manse a good forty-five-minute ride away.
He would prefer it to be forty-five days, but he did not often get what he wished in regards to her mother.
His Silence was kind-hearted and forgiving.
Though he did not fail to note when a message came from her mother’s manse sharing the woman wanted a visit, often Silence was most busy.
This usually doing something with his mother. Or Tril. Or Nyx. Or looking after Nyx and Lorenz’s son so they could have time together, like she was a fucking nanny. Or she was with Zosime. Or looking after Guard and Zosime’s child.
Or she was in the garden, reading.
Or off on a ride with Kyril.
Etcetera.
Further affecting his mood was that he had a missive to send to Aramus, but the servant came back sharing all the ravens trained to fly to Mar-el had been, that day, engaged by his queen.