Total pages in book: 362
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
“There is no need,” Saion replied as the hum of string instruments reached my ears, the notes drifting through the air.
Faces blurred as I nodded. They hadn’t felt the need to conceal their identities, not just because there were no other Primals in attendance but because they felt safe. Gods, that meant more to me than the cheers or being known.
And I would do everything to ensure they never lost that sense of security.
I let out a slow breath as the beat of drums joined the melodic dance. The rhythm grew louder, infusing the coliseum with infectious energy as I found Bele in the crowd. All I had to do was follow the wave of bows as the masses parted for the Primal goddess. She joined Aios, who stood with a petite woman dressed in a hooded, white gown with long sleeves who surveyed the revelers in front of her. It was Erlina.
The once-Chosen now had her own life, one where she wasn’t subjected to the whims of another. I reminded myself that the others in Dalos and the other Courts would soon have that choice. Now, we just needed to meet with the Primals. Hopefully, that went as well as this had.
I wouldn’t bet on it, but I also wouldn’t dwell on it right now. There would be plenty of time for that tomorrow.
Nightmare.
Bars.
I was staring at bars made of gilded bones.
Soft material brushed against my legs as I staggered back a step, my feet sinking into soft fur. I looked down at the swath of ivory gauze and saw the darker pink tips of my breasts through the transparent garment.
“No.” My heart thudded heavily as my head jerked back around.
The golden chests.
The golden divan.
My head swung to the other side as pressure clamped down on my chest. I saw the large bed draped in gold blankets and white furs.
“I’m not here,” I whispered hoarsely, my gaze slowly tracking to the bedposts and the floor at the foot of the bed.
Chains.
The air I breathed thinned as my eyes locked on the throne beyond the gilded cage set directly in front of the bed.
No. No. No.
This wasn’t real.
“I’m not here,” I repeated, closing my eyes. I wasn’t here. I’d escaped. I was free. I wasn’t here. I was safe.
Air stirred around me, raising the tiny hairs all over my body. Lilacs. I smelled stale lilacs.
“I have been so damn lonely, so’lis.”
Every part of my body went rigid at the sound of that summery voice. I’m not here. I held myself completely still, keeping my eyes tightly closed. I’m not here. I’m not—
Arms tightened around me like a vise, digging into my sides. Against my back, his heart pounded faster than mine.
“I just need to hold you,” Kolis pleaded.
“No,” I said—I know I said it. I felt the word rattle from my chest and claw at my throat. I felt my mouth move.
But I could no longer hear my voice.
I made no sound.
Nothing.
Suddenly, I wasn’t standing anymore. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, and I was in his lap, my feet dangling above the floor. That single word shook my chest again and scratched my throat. My mouth moved once more, but I still had no voice.
Sweltering heat bore down on me as my fingers splayed.
“That you would even speak his name,” he hissed in my ear.
No. No. No—
Fangs tore into my skin, sending a jolt coursing through my entire being.
I screamed the word now, and it came from the depths of my being. It cut up my throat and split my mouth but I heard only the sounds of his muffled moans as he drew harder and deeper on the wound. His mouth moved. His body shifted under mine, and…oh, gods, I could feel him—
“Liessa.” A voice of shadows and velvet pierced the golden cage.
I would know that voice anywhere.
“Ash,” I rasped, his name calming my heart and soothing my throat as my voice returned.
The bars before me disintegrated, and the chests and divan shattered into dust. The arms fell away from me, and the gown vanished…
“Wake up, Sera. Please.”
My eyes flew open with a jolt. I gulped in air. In the soft glow of the bedside table lamp, I saw silver streaked with eather, not gold-flecked eyes.
“It’s okay.” Ash was above me, a lock of chestnut hair hanging forward and brushing his jaw. “You had a nightmare.”
Just a nightmare? It hadn’t felt that way. I could still taste the fear and desperation in the back of my aching throat. Could he pick up on my emotions in dreams? Gods, that was an idiotic question. Of course, he could. I was probably projecting all over the bedchamber. And if I hadn’t been, I could’ve said something. My throat felt like I’d screamed.
Screamed—
Panic exploded, dousing my body in suffocating, red-hot flames. I opened my mouth, but only a thin, wheezing sound parted my lips. I needed air. Space. Anything. I jerked up, nearly knocking my head into Ash’s. A fist had my heart in its grip. My lungs clenched as my legs tangled in the blanket—