Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Such a sad story. It doesn’t answer my question. Why are you here?
To save my horde the trouble of killing me. Keres was almost to the end of the passage. She would have to make another move soon.
So, you came here for me to kill you?
No. I wouldn’t put that burden on anyone.
You came here to die?
Keres didn’t answer. An inner chamber glowed through the doorway ahead. What safeguards waited there? He considered the slight downward slope of the passage. Gravity might help him here.
After scanning the walls, Keres picked out a large round stone. He coaxed it out from its resting spot with his paw, working as silently as possible. When it slid free, he gently kicked it, rolling the roughly two-hundred-pound rock through the opening like a goal-earning soccer ball.
Flames rolled toward him. Keres ducked his head to protect his eyes from the blast and enjoyed the fiery bath. When it ended, he forced away his disappointment.
Still here, Rimi. I’m a black dragon. Remember my pretty scales? It would take at least ten times that amount of firepower to end me.
A second round of fire blazed through the opening. It lasted four times longer. Towards the end, the intensity fizzled out to a gentle warmth. She was out of energy.
Chapter 2
Keres strolled into the large chamber. He scanned the area. Where could she have gone? That alluring scent still wrapped around him. She had to be here somewhere.
Rimi. Where are you hiding? I know you’re here.
Silence filled the cavern. A flicker of light caught his attention. Keres glanced to the left. Just like a malfunctioning lamp, some of her scales sparkled before morphing back to blend into cave wall. Inside, his dragon did a happy dance. Look how special his mate was. Just her scent had pushed the darkness from his mind. He craved her with every fiber of his being.
Rimi, you’re out of energy. I know where you are. I won’t hurt you.
The mossy, craggy cave wall disappeared. Keres stared at the vision in front of him. A crystal dragon sparkled in the glow of the torches illuminating the cavern. She struggled to raise her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes blazed with hatred.
Go away! I will never submit to you.
Her dragon shimmered as she shifted into her human form. Rimi grabbed a large butcher knife and pressed the tip to her chest.
Wait! He shifted faster than he’d ever changed in his thousand plus years. Speeding toward her as soon as his feet landed on the ground, Keres listened to that voice inside him urging him to do anything to save her.
He could smell the coppery essence of her blood when his hand wrapped around hers. Rimi screamed as pain lanced through Keres. He ignored the burning sensation on his hand. It wasn’t important. Had he stopped her in time?
Controlling the knife she still held, Keres jerked both of their hands to the side roughly, and the blade clattered to the ground. He wrapped one arm around Rimi, securing her tightly against him as he ripped the shirt from her body to check the wound. Blood oozed from a cut between her breasts.
Oozed. Keres fixated on the word. If the blade had successfully reached her heart, the flow would be unstoppable. He pressed his palm to her chest and concentrated. His hand glowed red for several seconds. His prey burst into action, flailing her arms and legs to escape.
“Ouch!” Keres glared at the petite shifter struggling in his arms. “You kicked me.”
“Get your hand off my boobs!”
“I’m sealing your wound, Rimi.”
“I don’t care if you’re raising me from the dead. Get off me!” She grabbed his shoulders and pushed.
Keres didn’t budge. He did lift his hand from her skin, enjoying the view of her pink tipped nipples as he checked out his handiwork. The wound no longer bled. “I think you’ll live.”
“Get off me, I said,” Rimi said, shoving him away.
This time, Keres allowed her to scramble away from him. After moving a scant distance away from him, she paused to sweep her long, white hair over her exposed breasts as she glared at him. She was glorious. Her fierce bravery thrilled him. Rimi swayed as she stood, and Keres reached an arm out to steady her.
“You need something to eat,” Keres admonished.
“No kidding. I can’t go out there. The world is madder than ever. A guy shot at me with an Uzi the last time I went out. This stupid town had already slaughtered all the livestock. And now you’re here to force me to defend myself and zap the last of my energy.”
Keres kept himself from smiling at her fury. He’d discovered with his first mate that females did not welcome amusement at the wrong time. “Would you like me to go grab carry out for dinner, honey?”