Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“I don’t know how to answer that.”
“Then, I am assuming that is a no.”
“Fine. No. Anyway, I have to go, but thank you for packing the bags.”
“As I packed, I hoped you would not need them.” He frowned. “My queen wants you to stay.”
“I am aware of that.”
“Then, I cannot convince you to stay either?”
“You can’t.”
“Oh well.” Ian shrugged. “I thought you were too dangerous to be around her anyway.”
I scowled.
“However, I’m a gentle vampire. Let me at least help you put the bags on the horse.” He took one step forward.
I positioned my hands to get ready to grab his heart. “Stay there. I don’t trust you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t trust vampires.”
“Or mages?”
“Correct.”
“What about elfkins? Do you trust them?”
“I’ve never met any.”
He winked again. “Stick with me and I can introduce you to a few.”
“I’m not interested.”
“What about a joke?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Do you trust jokes?”
“I. . .” I widened my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I have the perfect joke for you.” He curved his lips to a smile. “Why are blood mages terrible at keeping secrets?”
Is he serious?
“Come on, Seraphine. Why are blood mages terrible at keeping secrets?”
“I don’t know.”
“Because they can’t help but spill the details!” He chuckled to himself.
I frowned. “That was not funny.”
“Neither would your death be.”
“I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”
“You will die if you leave mage territory—”
“I will not. I can sneak by the Quiet King’s army—”
“And would you be able to hide the lush scent of your blood?”
I tensed. “Stop smelling me.”
“I could smell you thirty feet away from that hut.” Ian deeply inhaled. “You see, Seraphine. Blood mages have a special fragrance that no other beings possess. And with my brother’s power. . .he would probably smell you sixty to seventy feet away.”
I trembled. “I would make sure to never be that close to him.”
“That would be smart.”
My bottom lip quivered. “What about other vampires? Can they smell the difference in my scent too?”
“They can, but they would need to be closer. And in these days many aren’t experienced with blood mages to even understand why you smell different.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because there are benefits to talking to a stranger.” Ian quirked his brows. “What happened to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you so guarded and scared to trust anyone?”
“People tend to not be good to me.”
“What happened?”
“At what point in my life?”
He nodded. “I want to know it all.”
“I don’t have time to say it all.”
“Then, tell me some of it.”
I shrugged. “Mages killed my family and destroyed my village. The Quiet King kept me in his dungeon and had his men drain me once a week.”
His voice went shaky. “You were one of the dominas that my brother drained for Phinova.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He studied me. “I have another mystery that needs to be solved.”
“I don’t have time to help you solve it.”
“There is the scent of death in the air. It reeks and is coming from the hut that you were put in. Someone is dead in there.”
Tension gathered in my shoulders. “A guard.”
Ian eyed me. “Who killed him?”
“I did.”
“How?”
“I squeezed his heart with my power.”
“Why?” Ian frowned. “Did the guard try to hurt you?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Was he threatening you?”
“No.”
“Then, why did you kill him?”
“He had the crown tattoo. He was a bad vampire.”
“Hmmm.” Ian nodded. “And in your life there are vampires with that tattoo that have hurt you?”
“Y-yes.”
“How did they hurt you?”
Shivering, I inched back. “I am done talking. Good night.”
“I have a horse nearby. I can guide you out of the territory, help when I can and at least make sure you—”
“No.”
“You still do not trust me?”
“I would need a lot more than one bad joke and a few minutes of conversation.”
“That was not a bad joke.”
“It was.”
“What do you know of jokes?” To my shock, he walked over to me.
Terrified, I froze.
He passed me, picked up the book that I had dropped on the ground, put it in the bag, and grabbed the rest of the bags. “Do you know of any good jokes?”
“I. . .don’t know any.”
Ian lifted the bags and began securing them to the horse’s straps. So close, his scent filled the space. It was intoxicating—a blend of aged leather, the cool night air, and something uniquely him.
I swallowed.
Continuing to pack the bags on my horse, he grinned. “Come on, Seraphine. Surely you know one joke.”
I slowly lowered my hands.
Once Ian finished with the bags, he rubbed the horse’s side and then backed up. “Tell me the joke.”
I gritted my teeth.
“Go ahead.” Ian crossed his big arms over his chest. “Understand this, Seraphine. I will not let you leave until you tell me one joke.”
“Let me leave?” I rolled my eyes.
“You may have killed that little vampire guard in the hut, but it will take a lot more to squeeze my heart.” He smirked. “Tell me the joke or remain in this village forever.”