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 have to fight.
Five days doesn’t feel like nearly enough time.
“Go on then. Tell me.” He runs the cloth over my shoulder before carrying it down my spine.
I swirl a finger through a patch of bubbles. “Korah told me that our parents knew each other.”
He pauses.
Silence.
“That’s not possible,” he says. “Your parents were on Earth.”
“My birth mother was in Vakeeli. Her name was Xinthia and she had a partner named Tepper. Maeve mentioned him, remember? And she knew your mother, right?”
“Yes,” he says as more of a question. “They weren’t particularly close, but they knew each other.”
“Well apparently your mom and mine were in an elite group of Mythics. It’s how your mom bonded us to Cerberus and Silvera—how she protected you in the past with magic.”
Caz is completely silent now.
I lean against the tub with a sigh. “Korah is the one who took me and Warren to Earth. She said we were like her own children. She cared about us. Bonded with us.”
“When did she tell you all this?”
“A few hours ago. We were on the beach. I was still mad at her and I was about to walk away, but she told me everything. I guess she didn’t want me being angry at her anymore.”
“Hmm.” The water sloshes as he dunks the cloth into it. “It seems my mother was a woman of many secrets.”
“Maybe, but she kept them secret to protect you,” I offer. “To protect us. She knew what you were, what you’d become.”
“Then why didn’t Korah save her? If she was around, why didn’t she protect my mother?”
“She did protect her from Decius. She said she sealed her cabin to keep him away when she felt his energy. Decius found out, and I bet that’s why he told your father about you—to try to rip the two of you apart. To leave you vulnerable.”
“She suffered too much for me to accept that answer.” He yanks his hand away, and when I look up, I see him pacing the side of the tub. “Like always, The Regals were bloody useless,” he grumbles. “Korah should’ve stayed with my mother. Maybe she’d still be alive.”
“Look, I understand you want to pin the blame on The Regals, but they had no control of your mom’s fate. Hey. Look at me.” I reach out far enough to catch the fabric of his pants, and he stops pacing.
“I believe Korah did all she could do, Caz. She didn’t know what Decius was planning. Like they said, they had no control over him. I’m sure they couldn’t read his actions like they can ours—not with him being such a huge attachment to Selah.”
“You believe a lot of what Korah says,” he mutters.
“Well, I don’t think she’s lying about this. You should’ve seen her, Caz. I’ve never seen a Regal get so torn up, but she was devastated when she told me the story about our parents. That’s probably why she didn’t say anything about it before. It was too painful to relive. And maybe she felt like a failure for not being able to protect them. But she saved me and Warren and took us to Earth, all so that one day I could mate with you. She made a sacrifice to try to protect our future. That has to count for something, right?”
His features soften, and he blows out a pent-up breath. Sitting on the edge of the tub, he takes my wet hand in his and strokes the back of it with his thumb.
“So much faith you have.” His smile is warm, comforting.
“I have faith we’ll get through this if we fight hard enough.”
His smile slips. “Willow, when it comes to this war, I don’t want you on the battlefield. Yes, I want you to train and prepare for the worst, but you can’t be in the midst of this fight. We have a bunker built below the manor. You’ll stay there with Maeve and Juniper until it’s over.”
I nod even though I wish I could do more. “Okay.” I hesitate. “There’s one other thing I want to talk to you about.”
When he connects those ice blue eyes with mine, my heart stutters. He’s so damn handsome. He clings to my every word like it’ll be his last.
I know telling him this—my request from Hassha—will shatter him.
But if I don’t tell him now, I never will.
So I open my mouth to speak, and as I do, his smile disappears completely and his irises flicker red.
SIXTY-ONE
CAZ
“I swear if you weren’t a Regal I’d shoot you dead right now!” I storm through the forest where Hassha and her tribe have set up camp. Cerberus is right on my heels, sniffing them out.
Hassha hardly reacts as she turns around to face me. “Ah. Willow told you.”
“Of course she fucking told me, and you will not do this, Hassha!”