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)
I am dazzled once more. This room is redder than the curtains in Fenren’s bedroom, and an elegant black fountain stands on a table in the middle of it. Cascades of red liquid drizzle into a dish at its bottom. Going by the elegant goblets next to it, I’m guessing it’s a drink, not blood.
Cushioned benches around the table invite us to sit down, but I stall halfway there, because the mirror I pass doesn’t show my likeness.
I cock my head with a growing frown. “Do… humans not have reflections here?”
Sylvan rolls his eyes and steps next to me, but the mirror doesn’t show him either. “Cheap trick for a vampire-themed parlor.” He sighs and points to a fresco of three elves in black coats feasting on a fainting maiden whose white dress is so see-through we’re treated to a view of her stiff nipples.
“Is this… a love hotel?” I ask but Fenren shakes his head and gestures to the table in the middle. “And also… there’s vampires here?”
“This is but a humble inn on the crossroads. Rest and enjoy yourself, while I work my magic,” Fenren says and taps one of the coin ornaments in his hair. He’s handsome, though his beauty is sharp as a razor where Sylvan is adorable and juicy like the ripest peach. Does this mean we have… time to ourselves?
As soon as our host is gone, I turn back to Sylvan, only to see him… steal a fork? My eyebrows rise, and when his eyes meet mine, Sylvan frowns despite turning pinker by the second.
“What? We don’t know what we might need on the way, and he took my gold and sapphire set of cutlery. It’s only fair that I keep this.”
The floor seems to give in under the weight growing in my chest. Has Fenren seen my insecurity and manipulated me into spending more of Sylvan’s money? We can’t know if our efforts to reestablish Sylvan at court will be successful, and if we end up spending everything we have on one party… I remember sometimes laughing at people who got into heavy debt to buy luxury items they couldn’t afford. How is this any different?
I clear my throat and pull him closer. “Maybe you were right? It’s a lot of money, Sylvan.”
Sylvan exhales and runs his pretty fingers through his hair. “No, I kept the most important books, we have the mask, and your redpole. Life is harsh and will always try to pluck your riches off you. As a royal Companion, you deserve so much more than I can offer today anyway. Maybe it’s for the better. The road ahead of us might be tough, and I do not wish to burden you with the heavy load.”
“That’s… really sweet, but I don’t want your life to be ‘harsh’,” I whisper and pull him close, until his face is squished between my pecs. I love seeing him like this, so small, and soft, and in need of my protection. But while I’ve never wanted another guy to take care of me in any way, this feels good. If this blue-blooded beauty thinks I’m worthy of him, then maybe I’m more than just the scum who gave up his life for a guy who never truly cared about him?
Thanks to Sylvan, I’ll get another chance, in a new world.
Sylvan settles against me with a deep sigh, and I sense his tension dissolve. He kisses my pec and rests his cheek against it. “You cannot shelter me from it all, but I appreciate it. I have never known the kind of care you have shown me. You took me to Boston at great risk to yourself, you fought your family for me, and you even stood by me when you had doubts about my identity. I want you to know you are worth everything to me. And deep down, maybe I also want others to witness my vows to the man I chose.”
I’m floored. I know every normal person would have called me crazy for claiming to be in love after the short time the two of us shared so far, but I don’t care. He thinks I’m special, he believes in me, and I want only him.
Wrapping my arms around him, I pull him up, and as he closes his legs on my hips, it’s me who listens to his heartbeat and finds peace in its rhythm. “The people who ignored you and didn’t see you for the gem you are are so fucking dumb.”
Sylvan kisses my ear. “And thanks to you, soon even they will be humbled.”
I don’t have time to answer, because a woman walks in without knocking, and I have to let Sylvan out of my grasp.
“Follow me, Your Highness,” she says with a bow. “You two are not to see each other until the ceremony.”