Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Pie’s face screws up like she’s confused. “I’m not?”
“No, Pie! If you’re having someone’s baby, it’s going to be my baby!”
Pie swoons a little. And I feel better that I can still make her do that, even though she’s been love-spelled.
“I’m sure, once we take Tarq back to Eros, we’ll have another, better plan in place so we can just… win.” I shrug. Like this going to be easy.
Pie is not convinced. “What kind of plan? Because the way I see it, the next year of my life involves having Tarq’s baby.”
“I will destroy the world before I let you have Tarq’s baby.”
Pie swoons again. She still loves me. I can tell. So even if the eros did love-spell her to Tarq, she’s not really on board.
She isn’t.
“But what if you have to fight Tarq to make him come with you? Won’t that get messy?”
I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear the worry in her voice. Because that worry isn’t about me. And it’s my fault, I planted the seed. So I’m going to deal with this new twist like a mature adult. “It won’t come to that. I’m just going to lure him here using Nysta. Even if he did love-spell you, he didn’t love-spell Tarq. He’s still in love with Nysta.”
“Ooooh. That’s a little diabolical. And there is no love spell!”
There absolutely is a love spell, but I let it go. We’ll deal with that later.
“OK.” Pie blows out a breath. “Now that we’ve got a plan, we should… just… go, right?”
Her hesitation makes me grin. “You’re having second thoughts. You want to come with me, don’t you?”
“I am, and I do. But I’m not going with you. I’m just…” But she doesn’t finish her thought.
“You’re just what?”
“A little bit worried that I’ll never see you again.”
And she really does look worried. So far, Pie Vita has handled this particular challenge with grace and courage. And now she’s second-guessing herself. I take both her hands in mine, then lace our fingers together. “Do you know what I was doing right before the whole sanctuary went to shit?”
She pouts her lips a little. “What?”
“I was making you a ring. Actually, I already made it.”
“You did?”
“I did.”
“Let me see it!”
“Absolutely not. It’s a surprise. But I wasn’t done with it. Not completely. Because I was writing a spelling to make an inscription.”
“Tell me.”
“No, I can’t tell you. It’s for the wedding.”
“Wedding?”
“Oh, fuck yeah, Pie Vita. You see, this is why you don’t have to worry about us going two separate ways right now. This is why you don’t have to worry about the love spell, either. Because I’m gonna marry you. You will not fall in love with Tarq and you will not have his baby. And there isn’t a chance in hell that you never see me again. You’re gonna see me again, every day, for the rest of your life—and beyond.”
“Beyond, huh? That must be some spell. But where will we have the wedding? Here?”
“It doesn’t matter where, Pie.”
“But I want to envision it. And what about my dress? What if Eyebrows really does hate me and won’t make me a dress?”
“Please.” I scoff at her. “After you become the fairytale hero and save everyone? You’re gonna be the toast of the tombs. Our wedding is going to be spectacular. And you know what?”
“What?”
“I’m glad you’re saving everyone. Because then they’ll all be able to come to the wedding and watch me proclaim my love for you, and kiss you, and make you all the promises that I will absolutely keep. And they’ll bring gifts. They’ll probably get drunk and start having sex on the dancefloor, but we’ll be drunk too, so will we care?”
“Fuck no!”
“Fuck no.” I place my hand on her cheek and smile. “Thirty minutes. OK?”
She nods. “OK.”
“And don’t take any shit down there in the Bottoms. If anyone fucks with you, spell them into oblivion.”
She places her hand over mine and sighs. “I will.”
“Thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes.”
I kiss her.
And then we go to our doors, stand in front of them, take one last look at each other, and walk through.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - PIE
Just like the first time when I came up from the Bottoms and got a weird sense of out-of-placeness, I get that same feeling going back down. And it’s something very different than when I walk through any other door.
Of course, it’s still Pell’s tomb. It’s just… not Pell’s tomb, too.
The colors are different, for one. It’s murky here. Not like I’m standing in the shade, but more like the sun hasn’t come up yet. And it’s cold.
Was it cold last time?
I don’t remember. I have tried to block that day from my memory, and I did a pretty good job. It’s amazing how you can just force yourself to forget you enslaved your sister.