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)
“Prison…” I wonder out loud to give myself time to think. Surely, it won’t come to that? I don’t even know what human prison looks like. I assume it’s no pleasure palace, just like the dungeon under the Nocturne Court is not a place I’d like to be trapped in.
But do I have any choice? I could always abandon Hawk, but even though I haven’t tied my shadow to his yet, the thought of doing so repulses me. Not just because I’m so greedy for the power he’d offer me as my Dark Companion. He is risking a lot for me, and I have given him hope by offering him a place at my side in the Nightmare Realm.
I am a prince of the Nocturne Court and my word counts for something. If he could challenge his own father for me, then I shall stand by him too.
I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment as fatigue settles over me, reminding me how long the past day has been. But I can’t doze off when my promised’s mother is talking to me, so I clear my throat and take another bite of the crunchy sandwich. “I am taking this leap of faith, and so far Hawk has proven himself to be a man of strong conviction when it comes to me.”
She licks her lips. “I love my son, but you seem like a gentle soul, so I have to warn you that he has an insatiable appetite when it comes to men. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
Jealousy greener than swamplight flares up in me at the very idea of Hawk turning his attention elsewhere. “He will not have another.”
She stares at me incredulously, and gives a soft laugh. “How would you stop him? You would do yourself a favor settling on someone more like yourself,” she says, and I find myself massaging my eyes, struggling to stay awake.
Was I not supposed to be strengthened by the sweet concoction? My tongue feels so heavy when I try to speak. “He is… who I want to…”
It’s too late when I recognize I’ve been duped. As I tilt to the side, Hawk’s mother is there to catch me and settle my head on a pillow.
“This is for your own good, sweetie,” she whispers just before I’m taken by a dark fog.
Chapter 12
Sylvan
Ismell wood, stale fabric, and something sharp and biting… spirit? My limbs are heavy as bags full of gravel, and my head lolls from side to side in a world that seems filled with slime instead of air. The uncomfortable sensation on my tongue feels like the obvious consequence of whatever potion I’ve been given, but as I try to move it and swallow, it becomes clear there’s cloth in my mouth, and that it’s tied to my head.
Panic sets in as my eyes open to near-complete darkness, but when I try to move my hands to find out where I am by touch, I discover that my whole body is bound.
I’m trapped.
My wrists are fastened behind my back, my ankles are tied together, and I’m attached to the insides of this soft coffin by a belt strapped around my waist.
This can’t be happening. Could they know who I really am and seized me for the bounty on my head? If Lord Kyran installed spies around me at Best Burgers Bonanza, then I am already a known fugitive.
I attempt to make a sound, but the gag rests so deep in my mouth my whine comes out muffled. I would have tried knocking on the walls, but every surface around me, including the lid I just pressed my forehead to, is cushioned.
I’m frantic with worry, but will not let myself be overcome with it. I am a Goldweed and my life cannot be snuffed out like a candle.
Think. Think. Think.
It’s then that something crashes outside my prison, making me flinch with fear, but the sound of the familiar gravelly voice soothes the cramps inside my abdomen.
“I ask again, where the hell is Sylvan?”
I want to embrace Hawk’s words, let them wrap around me and know that everything will be all right from now on. I utter a whine, but as he keeps questioning his family, it becomes clear that the same thing that keeps their voices dull is muting mine.
“I told you, honey,” his mother says. “I couldn’t keep him here by force. He left as soon as he realized he had the chance. You’re delusional to think a boy like that would stay. He was probably too afraid to tell you, since he knows who you are.”
My heart sinks. They’re trying to get rid of me. Like I’m the problem. Like I could somehow hurt Hawk’s future prospects. Helpless anger fills me with fresh determination and I move my bound legs around to feel for anything that could help me escape. Elves have superior vision in the darkness, but even I can’t see anything in this coffin.