Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
I take Caz’s hand, give it a squeeze, and he drops his eyes to mine. “Let’s go home,” I murmur.
His mouth twitches before he leans down to kiss my temple.
When he shifts his attention to Killian, he says, “I’m glad to see you made it out of that place alive, brother. I was worried your temper would cause you to lose your head.”
Killian chuckles as he rubs the back of his neck. “Fortunately for us all, I kept my temper at bay... well, as best as I could anyway. I made you a promise that I would protect Willow, and I did, even if it meant swallowing some of my pride.” He swings his gaze to mine, and I can’t help smiling with gratitude.
Caz reels him in for a brotherly hug. “I appreciate you more than you know, brother.”
Killian smiles over his shoulder, patting his back. “Anything for family, eh?”
A chuckle from Caz. “That’s right.”
We near the ship where a few of Caz’s soldiers are standing guard. Killian lumbers onto it and Rowan appears.
“Get over here, asshole.” Rowan reels Killian in with a sigh of relief.
Their relationship always warms my heart.
Before Caz and I walk on, I tighten my grip around his hand again.
“I have to tell you something Selah said.”
A frown takes hold of him at the mention of Selah. He examines me closely, like he’s searching for wounds or damage.
“What, Willow?”
“I’m pregnant.”
FORTY
CAZ
“I didn’t get the chance to have a deep discussion with Selah. She wanted me dead after five seconds of laying eyes on me. Seed of Yuri and all.” I sit at the dining table in the manor, taking a drag from a bloom.
Willow is next to me, Maeve on my other side, and Rowan, Juniper, and Killian are seated on the opposite side of the table, hunched over as they sip tea. We’ve been sitting here for so long our tea is starting to get cold.
When we arrived, we had to take a moment to digest all the events that’d occurred. I’d led Willow to our chamber to have a bath, and when we were both clean, changed, and warm, we made our way to the table and requested tea.
My clan was already scattered around the kitchen, waiting for us.
“I’ve heard only one story about there being another Regal, but I didn’t think it was true.” Maeve looks me all over as her head sways. “Of course, I knew you were special. You’re the son of Azira and she was quite gifted, but this? Seed of a Regal? Are you sure?”
“I am.”
“It explains why you had to be the one to wake her,” Juniper murmurs.
“All of it still puzzles me though.” I stab out my bloom. “All this time and all these years, I’ve never felt like I had any power. They said it took mating for me to tap into it, but why did they choose me? And why the hell does Selah want me dead?”
“She wants everyone dead,” Willow responds absently.
I cut my eyes to her. She’s staring into her teacup. When she doesn’t blink after a few seconds, I gently wrap my hand around her wrist. She snaps out of it, turning her gaze upward.
“Explain,” I insist.
She glances at Killian with dread. I can sense the anxiety coursing through her, and for once her thoughts are not guarded. They’re a jumbled mess and coming from every direction.
Arie. The crunching. Silver blood. The fire almost killed us. She burned it all down. I don’t understand. Warren…she infected Warren. Got him killed. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have stayed. The fire…the fire...it almost killed us.
“Hey.” I shift in my chair and take her hand. “Don’t think about that right now. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
“It’s impossible not to be afraid.” She takes a shaky inhale before releasing it. “Killian and I had a dinner with her. She told us about the gods from Earth. She said Decius was made from Kronos’s remains. Kronos was the god of war. Decius was basically her lovechild. I mean, all the Tethered were hers, but she seemed to favor Decius most. But then she just…ate him. She…”
“Ate him?” Juniper asks, frowning.
“Like dinner?” Rowan tosses in.
“Yes,” Killian grumbles. “Exactly like dinner.” His hands ball into fists on the tabletop, and he closes his eyes briefly. “Willow is right, Caz. We should be fucking petrified.” He opens his eyes to focus on me. “The things that woman did. The evil I saw in her eyes…there is no beating her. Regardless of the other Regals trying to stop her, she seems way more powerful than they’ll ever be.”
“Are you telling me you saw Decius again?” I ask, looking between him and Willow.
They nod in unison.
“How is that possible?”
“He was floating in a coffin above the ocean in the middle of nowhere,” Killian answers. “A commoner wouldn’t have been able to find him. Selah woke him, brought him back to Council Castle, and created this feast like we were celebrating. She told us a story about those gods on Earth and the other Regals’ betrayals, and then she walked straight up to Decius and ripped his fucking head off.”