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)
But he is gone, and unless I reach him first, Kyran will have his soldiers hunt down my husband as if he’s a rabid animal.
My chest overflows with fear and grief. Soon, so do my eyes, but I cannot waste precious time feeling sorry for myself. Hawk is somewhere out there, frantic and hurting, and each passing moment lessens the chances that the man I fell in love with is still asleep somewhere within the Sunwolf.
I force my legs to move despite wishing to cry as I curl into a ball. The winding stairs make me dizzy but I speed up the closer I am to the top. My heart gallops in my chest as I think over everything I can still do to save Hawk. I don’t even know if the collar will work, or how to approach the Sunwolf with it. I’ve had the most basic training a prince needs in hunting or riding a kelpie, but this is way beyond my skill level.
By the time I emerge from the building, I’m panting.
All eyes turn to me expectantly, because they see I’m still holding the collar.
“I… He… He’s gone,” I choke out between one breath and another, and a hum goes through the ranks. The elves have started preparing food, but my emergence makes them all still. At the bottom of the stairs, Kyran shakes his head before jogging up to join me. His features are clouded as he and Tristan stand before me, but neither of them is out of breath, as if the universe wants to show me proof of how inferior I am to them both.
“Are you certain?” Kyran asks, and Tristan unsheathes his sword, lovingly stroking the flat of its blade.
“Gone feral, like we expected.”
I’m nauseated when I think of the dark metal edge anywhere near Hawk’s body. I push it aside, fighting tears.
“He can still be collared!” I raise my voice, because I can’t pretend to be calm any longer when Hawk’s life is at stake.
Tristan frowns, and the moon behind him adds more dimension to the strands of blood red hair that have come loose from his braid. “He’s no longer a person! He's a threat to every shadow-wielder in the realm, and you’re hardly a warrior!”
“That’s enough,” Kyran says curtly, but Tristan won’t be silenced.
“Before you spell that out, yes, I am angry at him for attacking me. But that is not why I want the beast gone. Sylvan’s not trained for fighting. If he goes after the beast, he’ll die for nothing. We’ve had our differences, but he’s still my cousin, and I don’t want that to happen. Reluctantly, I’ll even say he’s the most tolerable Goldweed I ever met,” he adds with a frown.
I take that in but find it hard to focus on anything but Hawk’s plight. “Am I not at risk of execution anyway? If there is any chance that Hawk is still inside the Sunwolf, I must try to bring him back. The collar offers me that chance,” I finish meekly, because it’s all in Kyran’s hands. If he chooses to imprison me right now, I won’t be strong enough to fight him.
His thick, elegant brows lower as he takes in his men, who listen to our exchange, no doubt ready to set out the moment he says the word. It might be Hawk who is to be hunted down, but I sense an invisible noose around my own neck too, because without him my own life will no longer be worth living.
I’m shocked when that thought crosses my mind, but right after comes the realization that it’s not a dramatic exaggeration. I would survive without Hawk. In fact, my life might even return to its pre-banishment state, but how could I forget everything I’ve lost after finally tasting the bond I never expected to forge? It would be a life without purpose, without meaning, drained of the one true joy I’ve ever known.
I need to reclaim Hawk and I’m ready to die trying.
“You do realize a loose Sunwolf threatens the whole Realm? We need strong shadowcraft to defend ourselves,” Tristan says.
Kyran exhales and meets my eyes. “I’ll give you an hour’s advantage. Then, I’ll send the hunters after him.” He gestures at the biggest of the hunters, whose armor is likely heavier than my whole body. “Dame Lorena, you will accompany Prince Sylvan to make sure he doesn’t flee when faced with the beast.”
I should consider that an affront, but I just grab Kyran’s hand, then bow to kiss a ring on his finger. “Thank you for the opportunity. I will not fail, My Lord.”
There’s a brief moment of silence before Kyran speaks. “Good luck. May the sun never burn you.”
I have no reason to feel touched. It’s just one of those things people say, but there’s something about the raspiness in Kyran’s voice that makes him sound genuine. I squeeze his hand and touch it with my forehead before straightening my back. I planned to respond with resolve, but my throat feels tight and raw, so I nod at him, then at Tristan, and finally meet the gaze of my guardian.