Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Nobody disrespects my wife and lives.
Speaking of my Crew, I invited them to the ceremony as well. They were there to cheer me on and all of them were jealous of my beautiful wife. I couldn’t say I blamed them. My Princess is the most gorgeous woman in the whole fucking universe and I’ll end anyone who says otherwise.
Since everyone was there, the ceremony was a huge success. In fact, the only person I saw who looked upset—besides Lyrah who had a sour look on her face the whole time—was my little sister, Jessina. I noticed she was quiet and upset but I thought it was just because she was still angry at Aurora on my behalf.
I would have taken her aside and talked to her, but later on, after the ceremony, I saw the two of them hugging. So I figured, problem solved. Right?
Wrong.
The next thing I knew, I was getting a holo call a few days later from my Sire saying she had disappeared.
“She what?” I exclaimed, my eyes widening in disbelief. “What happened? Where did she go?”
My Sire ran a hand over his horns distractedly.
“We don’t know! Her room was a mess, as though there had been a struggle. And her window was wide open.”
My hands curled into fists.
“You think someone came and took her?”
“That’s what we fear,” my Sire admitted heavily. “I’ve got men out looking all over for her, but so far we haven’t been able to locate even a trace of her.”
“But who would do this? Who would dare to steal the daughter of a Brutal Chieftain?” I demanded.
He shook his head.
“I don’t know. Your mother is worried sick of course.”
“Yeah, right,” I muttered. I knew how Lyrah felt about Jessina—she hated her almost as much as she hated me.
“I just can’t believe this has happened!” my Sire tugged on his horns—a sure sign of distress. “And just when we were planning her Binding Ceremony, too!”
“Wait a minute—Jessina was getting Bound?” I asked. “When? And to who?”
“A wealthy merchant from the second quarter—your mother was handling the whole thing. She assured me that he would be perfect for Jessina.” He sighed. “I had already given my blessing.”
“What? You’re letting Lyrah choose who Jessina marries?” I demanded.
“Well, someone has to handle it,” my Sire said. “I’m too busy with my duties as Chieftain and she can’t just marry anyone.”
“What about giving her time to find her Fated Mate?” I asked, frowning.
He made a shooing gesture.
“Not everyone finds their Fated Mate. Your sister has had plenty of time and failed—she’s almost past marriageable age.”
I thought it was a fucking mistake to just write off Jessina’s hopes of finding the one She of the Four Faces had set aside for her, but there was no point in saying so. Once my Sire decides something, good luck getting him to change his mind.
“So you think someone snatched her out of her bedroom?” I asked, getting back to the point.
He nodded.
“Yes—there’s no other explanation.”
“I’ll help search for her,” I promised.
“You can start at the spaceport,” he told me. “And post some guards at the nearest Space Gates.”
“On it,” I promised. “I’ll let you know if I find any trace of her.”
“Good.” He nodded and signed off with a worried look.
I switched off the projector and turned to see Aurora coming into the room.
“What is it?” she asked. “Something about Jessina?”
“Yeah.” I sighed and ran a hand over my horns. “She’s gone—my Sire’s afraid someone has kidnapped her.”
“Did they ask for ransom?” Aurora asked, reasonably.
“I don’t think so—my Sire didn’t say they did.” I frowned. “You’d think they would, though. And if it was a rival Clan who took her, they would have left a token.”
She frowned.
“A token?”
“A sign to show they were responsible. Clans don’t war against each other without leaving a clear sign. It’s part of the code—so everyone knows who’s fighting who. Otherwise all Four Families would be at each other’s throats all the fucking time.” I shook my head. “Only none of us are warring right now. So it can’t be that.”
“I think I know what it is,” Aurora said quietly. “I know who took her.”
“You do? Who?” I demanded.
“She took herself,” Aurora said. “Jessina wasn’t kidnapped at all—she ran away.”
“What?” I exploded. “But why? My Sire said she was about to get Bound.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Why do you think she left? I talked to her at our second ceremony—she was very unhappy. She didn’t like the man your stepmother had chosen for her and your father—er, Sire—wasn’t listening to any of her objections.”
“Fuck!” I swore. I got up and started pacing. “So you think she ran?”
Aurora nodded.
“That would be my guess, yes. Of course, I don’t know for sure,” she added. “Jessina didn’t tell me her plans—she just said she couldn’t marry the man your stepmother had picked.” She looked troubled. “I wanted to talk to her some more—I was going to offer to let her move in with us, but I thought I’d better ask you first.”