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)
My ears go hot, but I can’t ponder this idea right now. We need to go.
I smile at Hawk, so happy that this man, this massive wall of muscle with an endless supply of energy and a shadow so dark it stands out even underground, is mine. He might not be my Dark Companion yet, but he belongs to me already, and I cherish him.
“Maybe one day we’ll find out,” I tease and grab my bag.
I’m surprised when his big hand squeezes mine almost right away. The spores are still floating around the mushroom that was the scene of our tryst as we take the first step farther down the passage. “We better, because I’m leaving everything behind for one stubborn prince.”
“As far as I know, you’re a fugitive.” I poke his side, amazed at how easily I’ve adapted to closeness with another person after years without as much as a hug. “I’m doing you a favor.”
He snorts and places his hand on my shoulder in a gesture that feels protective. “Yeah, but I’m leaving behind electricity, the internet, reality TV, and even chocolate. You should appreciate my sacrifice, princeling.”
I smile up at him, filled with pure joy. I’m leaving banishment, I will have the greatest Dark Companion the Nocturne Court has ever seen, the Sunwolf Crown is hidden in my bag, and I’ve just had a spectacular orgasm. What more could I want?
“I do appreciate it. I will make sure to acknowledge that in my vows to you, and I will always be ready to meet your needs,” I glance down his body and grin when he winks at me.
How lucky am I to have found him by chance in the world of humans? He is not only handsome and strong. He’s proven himself thoughtful and kind, he fought for me against his own family, and he trusted me even when he suspected I might have lost my mind. He never complained about needing to carry my possessions, and made it clear that he wishes to take care of me. My heart soars every time I think about his tender touches and fond smiles.
We walk for another ten minutes before the steady row of torches comes to an abrupt end, but the final light illuminates the iron steps of a folded ladder attached to the wall at the end of the tunnel. The mushrooms have been mostly cleared around it, to create more space, but the trapdoor I see in the ceiling doesn’t look like anything special.
“Is there a trick to it?” Hawk asks, and I stew in the juice of uncertainty, because while I have crossed the border between worlds, I did so using the proper channels. This is an unofficial (or should I say, illegal) route, and I don’t know whether we should open the door in a specific way, like when we entered the grimsmith’s home, or force our way through.
“I’ll go first.” I reach for the first rung of the ladder and drag it down, so I can step on it, but sigh in frustration when I discover it’s beyond my reach. “A lift, please?”
Hawk chuckles, and the ease with which he can pick me up never fails to amaze me.
As I start climbing, I shroud myself in a pale veil of shadow. “It’s not much,” I explain, “but I might be able to hide for a moment if it’s needed.”
He’s right behind me, and while I roll my eyes, I suppose it’s best for us to not lose sight of one another.
The way up only takes a moment, and then I’m hesitantly touching the rough wood of the trapdoor, listening to whatever might surprise us on the other side. But I hear nothing, and while my stomach is shrinking from worry, I can’t be a coward in front of the man who agreed to give me his shadow.
I push the door up with the same kind of abruptness Kurt once tore off my Band-Aid, and the moment warm light touches my face, the world flips, and I’m falling.
I yelp, even though I told myself I need to keep silent. To make matters worse, Hawk is right behind me with his massive backpack.
I hit fabric first, but it doesn’t break our fall much when we drop to… a bed?
I panic when something moves right under me, and I’m about to stab it with a dagger I took from Tassarion’s when the creature yells from beneath the fabric.
“What in the Darkmoon!?”
Chapter 22
Hawk
Ijerk up to my knees in a frenzy, and when my toes find only empty space, the heavy backpack weighs me down. With a yelp of panic, I fall another dozen of inches, and finally stop with my eyes glued to the open hatch in the ceiling above. What I see there makes no sense, because the cave floor we stood on not that long ago is now... up there. As if the small square door is where gravity flips.