Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
"Calm your tits," Rachel says casually. "I'll let you down, but be careful and stay close. As long as Jurik's in battle-form, he keeps all the snakes away."
Snakes? Great, another thing to worry about. I clench my jaw and let her help me with the belts, and then I slide off the side of the dragon and collapse onto the asphalt below. My knees smack onto the ground and my palms smack hard on the parking lot surface and I wince, knowing those scrapes are going to bother me later. But right now, all I care about is getting away. I jerk to my feet, looking around wild-eyed to run away…
And that's when I see the other dragon.
He's a rich gold, but that's not what catches my attention. What catches my attention is that he slinks through the buildings instead of flying, like a gigantic cat. He moves along the ground, lethal, the large head lowered and his tail thrashing behind him. High up on his back, between the wings, sits a woman on a saddle. She's wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, and an old fluorescent windbreaker. The saddle she sits upon has clearly been used repeatedly, as it's decorated with a bunch of scarves and has multiple pouches hanging from it, along with a slew of straps. She unbuckles these and slides off the side of the dragon, putting a hand to the front of her windbreaker as she does.
I expect her dragon to shift, but he remains in his dragon form, watching his female carefully.
This is…weird, I have to admit to myself. I wasn't expecting a rendezvous, and I'm not sure what to think. Clearly this woman and her dragon want to talk to me, but…away from Fort Dallas, which means away from Azar.
I'm immediately suspicious, and the fact that Rachel is in on it doesn't make me feel better. She's been clear in her disdain for my husband. More and more, this feels like a trap.
The woman strides up toward us, pulling off her sunglasses and hat. She unzips the front of her windbreaker, and to my surprise, it looks like there's a baby's head under there. My suspicions are confirmed as she gets closer and I can see she has a baby carrier of some kind strapped to the front of her chest. A smile curves my mouth. That must be a half-drakoni baby, and Azar will be thrilled to hear of it. We need every single one we can to help—
"You did it," the woman announces, looking at Rachel and not at me. She's Latina, and beautiful, but unfamiliar to me.
I rack my brain, trying to think of someone that's mated to a drakoni and doesn't live in the city ruins. Claudia has a sister, but I know Amy, and this isn't her. "Hi," I say brightly. "I'm Melina."
The woman's expression isn't friendly. "I know who you are, traitor."
My brows go up. That’s a kinda harsh introduction to a stranger. “Excuse me?”
"This is Emma," Rachel butts in. She sounds nervous. "Emma, be nice. I thought this was a parley. Remember our goals here."
I glance back at Rachel, then at the woman in front of me—Emma. If this is a parley, calling me a traitor isn't the way to start. "There something I can help you with?"
Her hand goes protectively in front of her child, and Emma gives me a hard look. "I'm just trying to understand how you'd condone what he does. How you'd fuck someone as evil as him. How you're okay with his actions. Rachel says you're working hard to save the people of Fort Dallas, but I guess I'm just kinda curious if you're only interested in saving the humans of Fort Dallas. Are those the only ones that count?"
It takes everything I have not to cross my arms over my chest and glare at her. Clearly she has a chip on her damn shoulder. I want to make my tone as abrasive as hers, but I won't get answers. Biting my tongue, I keep my voice even. "You're throwing around a lot of accusations and I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. You say Azar's doing evil things. You're not in our fort. You don't know him like I do. He's working hard to make life better for everyone."
Emma's lip curls. "Everyone, huh? Everyone but the drakoni."
"What are you talking about? He helps them, too."
Her laugh is bitter and takes me by surprise. "You mean he helps himself to their bodies. He takes over their minds." She points at her temple, her expression so full of anger that she looks unhinged. "He slinks in there and uses them like fucking puppets, and you're okay with it?"
He…what? I shake my head. "No, you have it all wrong. That's not what he's doing."