Eliora lost count of how many days had passed.
Three? Four? Maybe five.
Time blurred inside Zarek's massive palace.
She woke alone, slept alone, ate alone. Not a single glimpse of the King since the day his beast surfaced.
Her only companions were the soft-footed human maids who cleaned and brought her food, which still felt surreal.
Humans in the palace, serving her? She still wasn't sure how to behave around them.
And the books.
Thank the heavens for the endless rows of books along the wall.
She had read poetry, histories, old beast folklore she barely understood. Some calmed her. Others unsettled her even more.
Every time she though of the giant bed Zarek had left her on, heat crept up her neck.
Every time she inhaled the faint scent of smoke and pine that clung to the room, her chest tightened.
She didn't know if she missed him or if it was the bond aching. Probably both.
She stretched on the chaise near the balcony when a sudden knock startled her.
