Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
"What kind of vibes do you want it to give, then?"
Simone thinks for a moment, and then chuckles to herself. "How about 'I will lick your pussy so hard you will see God' vibes?"
Oh. Ohhhh. "That kind of friend."
She shrugs, not looking me in the eye.
I put my hands on my hips, thinking. "Well...maybe something with cream? Like a donut filled with cream but you shape the donut like a vagina? Or is that too on the nose?"
She giggles. "There's a yeast joke in there that I don't want to touch."
"Oh god, please don't," I chortle, inwardly cringing.
Then she keeps laughing, and I keep laughing, and that's how Zhur finds us—both leaning against the bakery cart and wheezing with laughter, tears running out of our eyes. He frowns at the sight of us losing our shit. "What is so very amusing?"
"Donuts," I manage to choke out.
Simone bursts into fresh giggles, a hand clapped over her mouth.
Zhur doesn't share our amusement. He gives me a devouring look and when I straighten, he runs a hand down my arm and leans in to whisper to me. "We need to talk."
I forget all about the hilarity of donuts and bad yeast jokes. "Well, that makes two of us."
CHAPTER
ONE HUNDRED THREE
MAEVE
"You want to go first, or do you want me to?" I ask Zhur when we're back at home. It was a silent sled trip back to the house, because Zhur didn't want to talk about it until we had a cup of tea, and I decided to hold onto mine for a bit longer, too. So I made some tea and we checked the feeds on the cattle and the fields to make sure that everything was running smoothly, and now we're seated at my table, staring at each other warily.
Zhur gestures at me. "I am curious what you have learned."
I wrap my fingers around my mug and try to think of the best way to say this without sounding accusing. I don't want him to think that I thought he was lying to me. I mean, I did think that at first, but I don't want him to think that. I want to seem more chill than I actually am. "So I was talking with Daphne—she's the one that's making the dresses for Lady va'Rin. Remember your brother's wedding?"
"Do you think I could possibly forget?" His voice is dry, his tea untouched. He looks unsettled.
Maybe he's already heard my news. "I heard a bit more about your brother's marriage. It turns out that he's marrying a human woman."
And I wait to see his reaction.
His ears prick and then flatten. I can hear his tail swish through the air even though he's seated. "Not possible."
"What do you mean, it's not possible?"
Zhur shakes his head. "My brother usurped my throne, knowing that it would look badly upon him. My people admire strength, it is true, but we are also very particular about bloodlines. I can see Rem marrying a high-ranking praxiian female in order to secure his throne, or even a celebrity of some kind, something that will bring the public to his side." He cuts a hand through the air. "Marrying a human is the worst idea he could have."
I lean back. "Well, maybe your brother isn't the military genius you think he is, because he's marrying a human. Now tell me your news."
But his expression grows distant. He gazes at something over my shoulder, and I get the impression that he's staring at absolutely nothing at all while his mind turns over this tidbit of information.
I tap the table in front of him. "Hello? Zhur?"
The praxiian's gaze fixes on me again. "Not a human," he states again. "There is no possible advantage to such a union."
"Maybe he loves her." Maybe my tone is a little snottier than it should be. "Like Lord va'Rin loves Milly. Is that so weird?"
"It's not that it is 'weird,’" he replies. "It is that it is political suicide. My brother is usually quite astute at such things. This doesn't fit." He strokes his chin. "It must be a lie...or some sort of plan designed to entice me out of hiding. Perhaps that is what it is—he is making a bad move in a high-profile way to lull me into a sense of security, and then he will strike."
My stomach clenches. "Seriously? You think that's what it is?"
"It is far more likely than Rem marrying a human," he huffs. "My brother has always been a stickler for propriety. Even more so than me."
Well damn. That's quite the propriety, because Zhur can be impossible at times. "So what do we do?"
He strokes his chin fur again, thinking. "We must verify the information before we do anything. I do not want to make extreme plans around something we do not know is true."