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)
He grumbles and gives my arm a gentle slap. “Very funny.” But he does smile and curls around me, with his head on my chest, as if he desperately needs the comfort of my forgiveness. “Everyone’s worried about you. Luke Moor was here with his husband, the Lord, and their bat baby.”
I curl my fingers into fists. “That fucking thing! I would have gotten away with my plan if it weren’t for that meddling bat. I managed to sneak into the Lord’s bedchamber, but the creature alerted him of my presence.”
Hawk frowns. “Flap actually licked you. Maybe there were berries in the salve they put on you.”
Hawk laughs at the face I make, but I don’t find it funny at all. “I understand the Lord honored his word? We get to stay at court? Me and my Dark Companion?” I kiss the top of his head, trying to forget that I have been licked by that creature in lace.
Hawk nods, and as he entwines our fingers, I focus on the soothing warmth of his breath on my skin. “He told me I’m your Bright Companion now.”
I bite the inside of my cheek at the sudden urge to cry. “He did?” It feels… special. Something just for me and Hawk. Suddenly, even my lack of access to any shadowcraft is meaningless. “I’ve not had any time to think about a future for us. I based a lot of my research in shadowcraft, but since I have a Bright Companion, I shall devote myself to figuring out everything I possibly can about the Sunwolf.”
I look into his black eyes. Perhaps I should be frightened, but I sense so much love and warmth in his strange gaze. Nothing scares me about Hawk. Not the sharp teeth, nor the golden tattoos on his face.
“Should I… tell them you’re awake?” Hawk asks, but I shake my head and wrap my arms around his thick biceps, just enjoying the warmth of his body.
“Not yet. Give me a few more moments with you in silence. We have all the time in the world.”
Hawk nuzzles my ear with a shivery sigh. “You are my forever.”
Epilogue
Sylvan
One year later
My mouth is dry as I watch the sunset gem twitch in boiling water. When it glimmers, Peregrin, my apprentice and assistant, takes a step back, worried the flask might explode, but I stand firm, knowing the steron mask will protect my face if the worst happens. Moments later, the small bead, procured at no small expense, stabilizes, and I continue watching the condenser. It’s full of moisture, but the receiving bottle is starting to fill.
My new laboratory has many windows, as tall as they are wide, and while the use of artificial light is still necessary when I’m performing more precise tasks, the glow of the moon is more than sufficient for now. Lord Kyran spared no expense once he understood the importance of my research.
The sputtering of the apparatus evens out, and I glance toward Peregrin, my smile not visible behind the protective gear. He’s wearing a mask of his own, as well as a leather robe with fireproof padding.
“I—I’m sorry,” he chokes out and joins me close to the large wooden table housing the equipment I use most frequently. Vials, devices, and materials take up all of the available space on wide shelves and inside heavy coffers, and for the first time in my life, I’m helped rather than hindered in my research.
“Even the simplest and most routine of alchemical operations might prove dangerous. And it’s even more so with experimental procedures. You’d do well getting rid of that fear,” I tell him, licking my lips as the distilled liquid fills the flask.
“I’m sorry,” he says again. He has a habit of apologizing for everything all the time, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not the worst quality in an assistant, so I just ignore it.
I light the small lantern filled with Sunlight, an object I needed a special permit for and which I’m required to keep in a safe box whenever it’s not in use. Once it illuminates the flask, Peregrin’s already large eyes go wide behind the thick glass of the protective mask, and his heart must be skipping a beat the same way mine does.
The tiniest particles glimmer in the liquid. Some are golden, others an intense orange.
“What are they?” Peregrin whispers as if he feared his voice could shatter the glass.
“I… don’t know actually. Which means we’ll get to do much more research. Next week, we will get right back to testing their qualities,” I say with my heart beating faster.
Peregrin dares to step closer. “Why not tomorrow?”
My curiosity is like an itch, but I put down the flask. “I’m afraid I have plans with my husband.”
His shoulders sag, but he nods. “I’m sorry for pushing.”