The Night Prince (The Wolf King, #2)(123)
Earlier this evening, he coaxed me into breaking the bond, and it hits me that if everything he is saying is true, the bond could be the only thing stopping him from handing me over to his master. Anything that happens to me will happen to him, too.
His chest deflates as if he feels my hesitance. “I know I haven’t given you much reason to trust me. But I believe that if Night, or any of his army, got their hands on you, you would be tortured and killed in order for you to release enough power to break the walls of his prison. So if you don’t believe that I don’t want to hurt you, then at least believe that my own self-interest will compel me to keep you away from the god I serve. But I need you to believe one of these options, and quickly. Because Alexander’s soul belongs to Night, too, and now he’s dead. He has told Night where you are. I saw it, just now, while I was dreaming.”
My breathing quickens. My blood cools. A part of me knew more acolytes would come for me, yet I thought I would have more time to figure everything out. Slowly, he climbs off me, and stands at the side of the bed. I sit up.
“I know what you want, little rabbit. I heard you talking to James. You want an army, and a kingdom, and a crown. I can give you your vengeance. I will drop your father’s head at your feet, if you ask it of me. You need to evade Night, and no one in this kingdom knows him better than I do. I can help you. I will help you. But we need to go.” He glances at the window, which rattles in the wind. “Night’s Acolytes, the beginnings of his army, any other prisoners that might have slipped through the hole in that prison wall. . . they are coming.”
I swallow down my rising fear, and cling to some hope that we still have time. There has to be more time. “We need to tell Ryan and the others—”
“No. They are coming for you. If you want to keep them safe, we need to go, now. We’ll draw them away. Just you and me.” He holds out his hand for me to take.
“Callum—”
“Fuck Callum.” There’s an uncharacteristic sharpness in his tone.
I shake my head, because I’m so sure that his game is not yet over. “And what do you want in return for your help, Blake?”
He cocks his head slightly. “There is something I want above anything else. You know what that is, don’t you?”
His eyes bore into me with such intensity that my breath hitches. The air in the room suddenly feels hot and thick. My skin prickles as the bond vibrates between us.
The dream I walked in on flashes through my mind—me on the bed, the flush of his cheeks, the way his face looked as he pushed me down onto the mattress. I blink the vision away because it’s too dangerous to look at. “You want. . . you want your freedom.”
“What you want, in exchange for what I want,” he says, without confirming or denying my statement. “A simple bargain.”
I look at his hand, still outstretched. Nothing is simple when it comes to Blake. I feel as if I’m making a deal with the God of Night himself. But Blake already has my soul. What more can he take from me?
Those dangerous dimples crease his cheeks. “Come on, little rabbit. We need to go. Now. They are coming.”
Goddess help me, I put my hand in his.
Author Note Thank you so much for continuing this journey with Aurora, Callum, and Blake. I can’t wait for you to see what is in store for them in book 3, which will be the last book in ‘The Wolf King’ trilogy!
If you'd like to stay updated about book 3, you can sign up to my mail list here.
Make sure you’re following me on Instagram (@LaurenPalphreyman), Facebook (@LEPalphreyman) or TikTok (@LEPalphreyman) for updates and teasers! You can also visit my website www.LaurenPalphreyman.com to find out more.
Lastly, If you enjoyed this book, I would be forever grateful if you’d consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or Goodreads.
I hope to see you again for book 3!
Love, Lauren
Acknowledgements
Thank you so much to everyone who read THE NIGHT PRINCE in its early stages.
In particular, thank you so much to my amazing team of alpha readers; Lauren F., Abigail Ballou, Caroline Reese, Ayu Chatterjee, Ida-Linn M?ller, Yulia Shtanko, Keeley, Stephanie Basilius, Natalie Holmes, Maggie Drummond, Danielle Weston-Ford, Casey Hollingsworth, Lacey Spinks, Makenzie Staples, Kinsey Beyer, Jana Schuler, Charlotte Miller, Ashley E. Matters, Caitlin Connolly, Kristina Haira, Nikki Stier Justice, Lauren Rondou, Mariagiovanna Cacopardi, Danielle White, Valerie Cuellar, Rachel Graham, and Daniella Draven. Your feedback was invaluable, and really helped shape the story.
Thank you to Rachel Rowlands for all your hard work on the copy edits.
Thank you to Damonza.com for another amazing cover.
And lastly, thank you to you. Thank you for continuing this journey with Aurora, Callum, and Blake. I can’t wait to see you again for the concluding instalment of The Wolf King trilogy!
You can also visit my website www.LaurenPalphreyman.com to find out more.
About the Author
Lauren Palphreyman is an Amazon bestselling romantasy author. She is best known for her The Wolf King trilogy. She writes books full of romance and fantasy. Her serial fiction has garnered over 70 million views online.
Connect with Lauren by following her on Instagram (@LaurenPalphreyman), TikTok (@LEPalphreyman), or Facebook (@LEPalphreyman). Or visit her website: www.LaurenPalphreyman.com.