Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 140462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 702(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 468(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 702(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 468(@300wpm)
It doesn’t matter that I’m in the tallest tower of the Nocturne Palace, not a prison cell deep in its dungeons, or that I have a comfortable chair and a selection of crispy snacks on a silver tray. I’d rather sleep on the bare floor in the werewolf castle and live on wet bread if it meant Hawk was safe.
His absence is so obvious I feel like alternating between curling up on the bed and screaming at the empty sky. Kyran did say we’d leave at moonrise, and it seems that time will never come.
If it wasn’t for the promise I made to Hawk, I’d drink the whole bottle of wine left for me on the table. Instead, I’ve bitten several of my fingernails until they bled⸺a nasty habit that always comes back when I’m nervous. Every time I recall what lying under him felt like, what warmth and comfort his arms provided, I want to leap from the balcony just to be closer to him. He’s the only person who listened to me, who accepted me even when I lashed out, and gave me the kind of love I wasn’t ready for. The kind of love I couldn’t comprehend until I experienced it myself.
If I by some chance survive this whole ordeal and he doesn’t, I have no doubt I will never be loved again the way Hawk loves me.
Selflessly, all-encompassing, with the brightness of a thousand suns.
His kindness leaves no room for lies, doubts, or hidden meanings.
I’ve cried so much already it’s embarrassing, so when I feel the stinging in my eyes, I grab the silver fork left with my food and stab the center of my palm.
I breathe through the pain and focus on what needs to be done instead of wallowing in more self-pity.
Everything will be fine.
I will put the Umlaris Band on Hawk.
I will save him.
We will have a future at court.
A rattling of keys at the door interrupts my inner chant so abruptly I drop the fork. The moon is still nowhere to be seen, not even a glow at the horizon, but stand, ready to leave if Tristan’s back to tell me they wish to depart sooner.
Tall, slender and sharp as a hat pin, my mother enters the room instead. I didn’t recognize her at first, since she’s dressed head to toe in mourning white. Her dress is like cascades of moonlight, the decorative corset reminiscent of armor. Her long, pale hair has the same golden sheen as mine, her eyes are just as blue. She is my blood, so I hope that despite our differences, she came here to offer me some solace.
As the door closes behind her, she dips her fingers between her breasts and into her corset. She then pulls out a long, transparent… horn? No thicker than two fingers, it’s reminiscent of an icicle made of frosted glass, and I have no idea what I’m looking at or why she brought it here.
“I don’t have that much time, Sylvan, but if you want to prove you’re worth something, this is your chance,” she says, presenting the item to me.
I’m too stunned to process it all at once. I’ve changed so much since we parted, and now her voice sounds as if it’s coming from behind a wall. She is speaking to a Sylvan from three months ago, and while what she’s suggesting still stings, I frown and straighten up.
“Explain, Mother,” I say, already disliking the way I’ve stepped into the shoes of the person I no longer am. Cold, calculated, focused on the deadly games of the Nocturne Court to make sure I never end up hurt.
She shakes her head as if there was no merit to my question. “I’m no longer allowed at high court, so I cannot get anywhere near Lord Kyran, but you can. I have heard all about your exploits, where they have led you, and what you will be partaking in at moonrise. You will be at his side. With this dagger—”
My eyes grow wide. “What is this? You’ve heard a tiny part of what I’ve been through, and you came here just to use me as your weapon against Kyran? That’s the only thing on your mind after all our family has been through? Killing him?”
She’s taken aback but squeezes the strange dagger. “Oh no, this will be much worse. Using this will injure his shadow. The disease will spread over time—”
“Do you hear yourself?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“He murdered your brother! I am sure of it. Anatole was smart, he would have sooner retreated than fallen to Heartbreak! If you’d gone with him, he might have been alive now.” Despite the gentle white makeup around her eyes, her features are like an unsheathed blade, dangerous and sharp. “You must avenge your brother. If not for me, not for yourself, then for your sibling to come.” She places her hand on her abdomen, and I suddenly need all the wine I can get.