Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
“You didn’t seem surprised,” I said.
“In the cottage, I recognized her scent from last night when you came back from checking things out. I’d figured you’d killed someone and didn’t feel it necessary to let me know. When she came in, though, I knew it had to be something else. Something more . . . dire to explain your loss of control.”
Dire. That was the right word for it. Very astute, Tanix.
He’d served time in the demon dungeons with me. He’d followed me to the dragon kingdom and stayed with me there, challenging to become my next in line. Not a lot got past him where it concerned me.
Just this once, I wished that wasn’t the case. I didn’t want him knowing my struggle to keep her at a distance, and I definitely didn’t want him nervous that she would prevent me from doing my duty. Those were two things I badly wanted to hide from the pack.
“Last night I had been blindsided by her,” I said by way of explanation. “Today I recognized her for what she almost certainly is—the creator. One of them, at any rate. We’ll protect her until we can get her back to the dragons. Then we’ll hand her over. They are not a forgiving breed. She’ll see her justice.”
Bile tasted acidic in the back of my throat. I swallowed it down. I would do what was necessary, regardless of how it affected me. That was what it meant to be an alpha, second in the kingdom only to the king and queen.
He was quiet for a moment. “Understood,” he finally said. “For now, she’s secure with Hadriel. I filled him in on the situation while I was tying her up. She might be fast, but she doesn’t have the strength to break the ropes. She’ll be there when we get back.”
Damn it, I couldn’t read his tone. What was he suggesting, that I wanted her there for personal reasons? Intimate, sexual reasons unlike any I’d ever experienced? To use her maybe, until I had to give her away, knowing she’d be using me in the process. She’d probably try to loosen me up, to work on my primal desire to protect her so I’d let her free.
Heat boiled my blood. I didn’t care why, I wanted her to use me. It was a testament to how desperately I craved her. The last time I was used, it was against my will, my body languishing in a dungeon. I never thought I’d willingly give up that kind of control again. Yet here I was, wanting her to take what she desired from me, as many times as she wanted, drawing out her pleasure as she bobbed on my cock and then struggled to take my knot.
Butterflies filled my belly, but I shoved those thoughts away. “For questioning,” I said firmly.
His pause was brief. “Exactly. For questioning.”
This time I could read his tone all too clearly. He hadn’t been thinking of anything more than our duty.
Fuck. She was so thoroughly in my head that I was even questioning those most loyal to the cause. He’d never want anything but to turn her over or kill her on the spot. I knew that. She’d been responsible for the death of his sister. He probably worried I’d grow weak and set her loose, allowing her to continue in her dangerous profession.
I didn’t know what to say to secure his confidence, so I said nothing. I’d have to show him I would remain loyal to the cause, regardless of this trial. This punishment from the gods.
“One thing, Alpha,” Tanix said.
“Go on.”
“Is Hadriel not an odd choice to watch her? He only wanted to come on this expedition for a little excitement and to see his old kingdom. I know he was entrusted to watch the queen back when the kingdom was cursed, but he turned into her accomplice more than her jailor. He says himself that he’s nothing but mediocre, something he’s proven on this expedition.”
“You haven’t heard even a quarter of the stories. His ability to steer the queen and king through that dark time is commendable. To even survive in that castle when the demons ran it is exceptional. We didn’t fare so well, as you recall. He’s a lot more than he looks, trust me. He’ll manage her just fine. She’ll be there when we get back and he’ll stay the course as befits the kingdom.”
I didn’t say it, because I hated that I even thought it, but men were his sexual preference. He would not be drawn to her beauty beyond appreciating it, like studying a piece of art. I might hate myself for it, but it didn’t change the fact that I didn’t want anyone else to touch her.
A travel pack waited on the path as though dropped and forgotten. I bent to it, catching her scent. She must’ve discarded it in her haste to get to Granny’s cottage.