Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 111898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
His brain provided a mental picture of the female in question doing as accused and attempting to win his affections. He saw Neeka, naked in bed, beckoning him closer. The female equivalent of lightning in a bottle.
Every muscle in his body hardened, and guilt stabbed him anew. “Only three bones are needed.” The words were minced against his teeth. “You’ll be in my arms soon.” Then, his confusion would end. Surely.
Gliding closer, she reached for him the way she used to do. Though her fingers ghosted through him, she remained at his side, petting his chest. “There’s nothing I desire more than becoming tangible and being with you. I’ve missed you so much, my love. More than I can ever express.” All silk and velvet, she purred into his ear. “Why don’t you sit in your throne while I list everything I adore about you, hmm?”
Something she’d done many times in the past. Today, he had no interest. Curiosity was blooming. “Come. Behold.” He flashed to the sitting room with his portraits.
Lore appeared a second later. She gazed around and gasped. “Who dared disrespect you in such a manner?”
Well. Not the reaction he’d anticipated.
“There’s something else,” he muttered. He flashed to his bedroom, and once again, she appeared seconds later. “What do you notice in here?”
She peered here and there, then smiled at him. “This is beautiful, and I’m excited to share it with you.” Gliding forward with the grace of a gazelle, she soared through the open doors that led to the balcony. The soft, smoky breeze from the River Styx blew in, scenting the air with burning sandalwood. “I’ll love being out here with you, showcasing our love to the world.”
“A circumstance I have envisioned many times,” he intoned. Just not lately.
Her smile faded and she returned to him. “You’re still upset with me?”
“No.” He didn’t know what he was. Disillusioned, perhaps? Did they have anything in common? “Come.” He teleported to the throne room and snapped the bone in place.
She appeared at his side, smiling again. “Will you sit and allow me to share my list now?”
Perhaps this was what he—they—needed. Intimacy. Connection. Fighting his longing to check on Neeka, whose room was above him, just to the right, he eased into his chair and gripped the armrests.
As Lore gazed at him dreamily, waxing poetic about his accomplishments, reminding him of the charming, sexy goddess he’d first married, his gaze cut to the ceiling. He struggled to sit still.
If Neeka failed to recover...
His entire body jerked at the thought. She would recover. No other outcome was acceptable.
* * *
Neeka awoke with a gasp. She sprawled in a ginormous bed, soaked in sweat but no longer burning up. Memories rose to the surface like bubbles in champagne, relief merging with anger. She’d survived the zombider toxin, no thanks to Rathbone, who had believed her when she’d spouted all that nonsense about wanting to be alone and actually left her alone. At least at first. How dare he!
The “healer” had merely raced in a few times, injected her with a sedative while begging her to recover, and raced out. Thankfully, the worst of her anguish had faded to a dull ache. Even better, the urge to munch on living flesh had vanished entirely.
A quick scan of the chamber proved she was riding solo. No healer, and no King of Agonies, the male who cared nothing for her well-being and everything for his results.
Well, dang. Her anger just brutally murdered her relief. Was he with Lore even now, thrilling over his newest acquisition? The one his nonprecious oracle almost died for?
Neeka pursed her lips. Well, no matter. This girl needed to get to work. She had harpies to rescue and all. The faster she fulfilled her mission, the sooner she could rid herself of the royal thorn in her side.
She eased into an upright position and rotated, letting her feet hang over the bed. Shadows crept behind the large bay window, heralding the arrival of night. The perfect opportunity to shine. She stood on trembly legs. Not yet ready for another visit from Dr. Jab Happy, she snuck to the bathroom on her tiptoes, turned the water to its hottest setting and stripped.
When her attention landed on her naked reflection in the full-length mirror, she cringed. Then she frowned. A series of words covered her body. “What did I write?”
“The elixir recipe,” Reflection responded.
Oh! “I’m brilliant.”
“Agreed.”
She read the ingredients, details snapping into place.
Drops of Deadpool—water from the Azure Isles.
Ground dirt snakes—tree roots from Etheria.
PB&J eggs—seeds from a nest of bonded mythical birds in Warslasea.
Fried Lot Us—the ashes of a special lotus flower found only in Atrichi.
Arrowhead—the tip of an arrow once shot by Eros. Something she’d collected years ago, for reasons she hadn’t understood until now. But, um, how was she supposed to acquire the rest of the items without alerting Rathbone to her purpose?