Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“Oh, you know.” Addie shrugged uncomfortably. “I was fine until the uh, silky spider thing got out of its cage and started screaming at me.”
“The silky got out? You must not have fed it enough!” Sparki remarked. “Weren’t there enough squeakers in the feeding box in your room? I’ll have a word with the Head Housekeeper about it.”
“No, no—please don’t bother,” Addie said quickly. She didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. “Actually, I think I just need to get home and sleep in my own bed. I’ve really enjoyed your hospitality but now that the Choosing Ceremony is over, I’ll probably go back to the Mother Ship.”
“But it’s not over—the Queen of Night hasn’t been revealed yet!” Sparki protested. “Just think how exciting it will be if it turns out you’re the Chosen One—the one to be crowned the Queen of Night!”
“Oh, I’m sure I’m not.” Addie tried to laugh self-deprecatingly and then remembered that she didn’t want to show her fangs. She didn’t want Sparki to know that she was in fact, “the Chosen One” because if the lady-in-waiting found out, it was probably going to get much harder to leave.
Sparki gave her another searching look.
“You never can tell,” she said. “Anyway, here we are! We’ll find out soon enough who’s going to be this year’s Queen of Night.”
She had stopped in front of the door to the Feasting Hall where they had been last night.
“We will?” Addie felt a stab of anxiety. She wondered where Drago had gotten to. He was always such a good Protector—always insisting on watching over her all the time. If he was here now, she would make an excuse to go with him and then tell him that they needed to get the hell off this crazy planet!
But the big Drake Kindred was nowhere to be seen, so she had little choice but to let Sparki lead her through the doors and into the Feasting Hall.
19
DRAGO
It took a long time but at last, Drago got full control of his Drake again. When it was finally settled, he dared to go back into the palace. He hoped that Addison had been able to get some sleep. He didn't like leaving her alone for so long, but he couldn't put her at risk by staying close when the beast inside him was trying to break free.
He hurried down the stone corridor, his bare feet slapping the flagstones. He still had on nothing but his sleep trousers, which he’d been wearing the night before when he heard the shrieking of the spider and Addison’s call for help.
That seemed about a hundred solar years ago now. So much had happened between them—so much that he couldn’t take back. He just hoped she could forgive him for not being able to stay with her after he tasted her…for not being able to Claim her.
He got to their rooms, but both of them were empty. The enormous spider was back in its cage in the corner of the main bedchamber, but it was completely silent. A quick glance showed why. The lid to the feeding box was open and when Drago looked, there wasn’t a single squeaker left inside it. There were, however, a number of tiny, silk-wrapped cocoons hanging from the ceiling of the cage.
Clearly the spider had gotten into its own food supply and satiated its hunger. Drago shook his head. He just hoped that Addison hadn’t seen the grizzly sight. She had a weakness for small, furry animals. She’d told him about a pet rabbit she’d had as a child called “Chewy” that had run away and gotten hit by a car. Her eyes had gotten teary as she told the sad tale, making him wish he could gather her up and hold her.
Just like you did last night and look where that led, he lectured himself. But he had no time for self-recrimination—he had to find his charge. Where had Addison gone to?
He pulled on his flight leathers and boots and hesitated a moment before putting back on the black leather harness. He didn’t love it and would much rather be wearing his uniform shirt, but he didn’t want to offend the Vargans.
As he dressed, he got more and more worried about Addison. He had a bad feeling that something was happening to her—but what?
Whatever it is you’d better go find her and stop it! a little voice in his head whispered ominously. Drago agreed with it.
He set out from the bedchamber at a near run to search the vast palace—he had to find her before something bad happened.
He had no idea that it already had.
20
ADDIE
“Ah, here is the last of the maidens from the Choosing Ceremony!” Ls Prissa clapped her wrinkled hands together, smiling grimly as Sparki and Addie entered the Feasting Hall.
Today the long table had been cleared away and instead there were three throne-like chairs arranged in the center of the room on a dais. In front of the chairs, a line of young women stood, looking like contestants at a Beauty Pageant waiting to be judged.