Page 39 of Splintered Shadow
There. A spark, a cool silvery burst that felt like reassurance, like a promise. Not a direct thought, but an impression of one, like understanding body language.
“Thank you. I know you’ll take care of me, Ghost. You’ve got all these teeth and such big paws.” He was going to be huge, if the paws were any indication.
The puppy’s tongue lolled out the side of his muzzle.
“Ghost? Do you like that one?” she asked. Yes, yes, yes came back to her. “Good. I like it, too.”
Twelve days ago, her life was upended. She had no control over what would happen. Her fate depended on how useful she could be to the king.
* * *
Sarah knocked twiceon the doorframe before entering. “So this is where you’re hiding.”
“I am not hiding. I am reading.”
Vekele had sequestered himself away in the library, or what Sarah assumed to be the library. The bookshelves were a clue. He lounged in a chair; head tilted at an awkward angle over a book.
It was endearing and so, so hot.
She needed to get a grip on herself. This panting after the aloof, haughty prince was getting embarrassing. Vekele tolerated her. It didn’t matter how attractive she found him, or that she giggled uncontrollably when he scowled. He was a prince. She worked in a bookstore.
As much as she wanted to convince herself that she fell through a portal into a Cinderella story, she didn’t. It was, at best, Beauty and the Beast. The way Vekele looked at her, it was clear she was the beast.
“This room is nice.” She trailed a finger along a shelf, marveling at the lack of dust.
After scrubbing Ghost clean, she’d wandered through the house, all bazillion rooms. As much as Vekele claimed it was a small summer house in the country, it was a palace. Disused, water -stained from a leaking roof, but still a palace. The only rooms that appeared to receive any regular cleaning were the kitchen, the bedroom, and the library.
That said a lot about Vekele’s priorities, and she liked it.
“You are no longer confined to the bedroom. You may be anywhere in the house. You do not have to be here,” he said, his tone crabby.
“I miss reading.”
“You are free to read any book you please.”
“But I can’t actually read.” She grabbed a slim book at random from a shelf. An indecipherable print filled the pages. Being illiterate sucked. “You know, I never really asked about the language thing.”
“The organism that infected you can communicate with similar organisms in other hosts.”
“So, magic.”
“Not magic. Science.” He paused, then added, “We can install a chip to allow you to read.”
“Sounds good, and I like the way you saidwe.” She winked, holding the book out to him. “Read this to me.”
“This one?”
“Why not?”
“It is an economic analysis of the undue burden the outer planets pay in taxes.”
“Yeah, maybe not that one. What are you reading?” She peered over his shoulder to get a look at the page. Worn at the edges, the book had seen a lot of use.
He snapped the book shut. “It is nothing.”
“Is it porn?”
“No.”
