Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
The truth of the matter was I didn’t care. I would never have admitted it, but I was tired. Tired of having a million accusations thrown my way. Casey is certainly not the first to spin a yarn about what Myrddin was doing. I was tired of being hated.
If I’d succeeded in ever taking Evan in when she was younger, she would still have been treated like the princess she was. She wouldn’t have gone on the run and eked out a crappy existence over shitty plane after shitty plane.
She would have had a place of honor in the Coven House. They all would have.
But no one was going to believe that because the fucking academics know how to propagandize. I knew it was either Henri or Hugo who came up with the ridiculous idea that Myrddin was looking for a way to close the lower planes off and let the demons run wild.
Then why does he need the Sword of Light? Why did he want Evan if not to prime it?
Fucking Kelsey. I ignored the doubts. Who the hell was I to question him? Myrddin was the one who was there for me when I couldn’t stand to look at myself in the mirror. When everyone else told me to give it time, Myrddin showed me how to get my power back.
“I thought I would offer you a deal.” Evan stepped inside, though the door stayed open. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and came out with something that made my mouth water.
A capped syringe. It was small. There was maybe an ounce in there. Way less than I was used to, but I wanted that taste like I’d never wanted anything in my life.
And that made me feel something I loathe. Shame.
Still, I didn’t prevaricate. She was lucky I didn’t attack her for it. “What do you want?”
I tried to imagine what the princess could want with me, but in the end it didn’t matter. I probably would give it to her.
A brow rose over her emerald eyes. “You don’t want to know where I got it?”
My eyes stayed on the syringe in her hand and the ink black blood it contained. The blood was like fire in my veins. The first time I took it, I screamed and cried for hours. I bashed my head against the floor and had to be treated for a concussion.
And then I worked my first spell and realized it was worth the pain.
“I figure it’s either Al’s or more likely that idiot Eddie’s,” I replied, still mesmerized. I had to wonder if Eddie’s blood would hit me differently since he was kind of a freaky demon. Eddie was a satan, a specialized demon class. They’re capable of judging contracts, but they aren’t the strongest at magic.
It would do in a pinch, though.
“Eddie is a kind being, but I did have to lie to him and tell him it’s for Puff. Feeding a hellhound demon blood bonds him to his house,” Evan explained, pushing her braid over her shoulder. Her hair had once been a brilliant auburn, matching her mother’s, but now there were streaks of pure black, and I kind of thought there were more of them than I’d seen before. “Eddie was thrilled I asked him instead of Albert. Al would have had questions.”
Of the two demon butlers, the queen’s Al was definitely the sharper one. Twelve years on the run hadn’t toughened Eddie up a bit.
“So what do you want?” It hit me hard. It had only been a couple of days since I’d thought she was going to bleed out on the floor while I battled with my bestie. When I thought about it, it was truly Evan’s fault I was here. If Evan hadn’t primed that damn sword by shoving it through her torso, Kelsey wouldn’t have been able to tap into Myrddin’s power through Gladys. The Sword of Light. Not Gladys. Except she did kind of look like a Gladys. I knew that a primal had saved Evan. I also knew what primal blood could do to anyone who wasn’t a primal. “You want to know if I can stop what’s happening to you.”
Her whole body went tight, and she wouldn’t look me in the eyes. “Yes. I want to stop it. I can feel myself changing. My body aches in places.”
“Because you’re fighting it. If you would submit, it would simply happen and you could get it over with and move on with your happy-ass self. I suspect your hair will likely go full-on obsidian and your eyes will be pitch black. There are sunglasses in your future, baby girl. You might get some nice fangs, but they probably won’t function because you’re not a real primal. Does it help that I think you’ll keep your hair? Primals usually lose it and get all Nosferatu-like, but that would have happened overnight. This is going to be a more subtle change.”