Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Slowly the door began to move. Aurora switched positions to lean on the door. The gap became smaller and smaller. Each small increment made the next one easier as the flow through the door decreased. As the door neared the wooden frame that encased it, she worried about where to stop.
Drake pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Keep going until the kiss feels like you want it to,” he suggested.
Enjoying the scattered kisses, Aurora celebrated the idea. When she could barely feel that he enjoyed kissing her and the lovely sensation of his lips against her skin dominated, she released her hold on the door. A scant fraction of an inch kept the door from being completely closed.
“Mmm! Nice,” Drake complimented, and she relinquished her inner focus.
“Did I do good?” she asked, looking up at his handsome face.
“There’s only one way to know, Little one. Kiss me.” He drew her lips to his.
The sweet exchange that followed made her heart skip a beat. Aurora clung to him, sharing all her emotions and love. When he raised his head, she whispered, “That’s perfect.”
“I love you, Little one.”
“I love you, too.”
Drake picked her up in his arms and walked to a large, overstuffed chair. Sitting down, he cradled her in his arms and held her close. Aurora laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Cherishing their time together, she reveled in the feel of the mate bond that linked them.
“Do we have any idea how long we’ll have together?” she whispered.
“It will not be long enough, mate. We should treasure every day together.”
“I can do that,” she promised.
“So can I, Little one.”
“I still have to work today,” Aurora told him.
“I probably have a few fires to put out,” Drake conceded.
“You think? After dragon outing yourself?” she asked.
“Dragon out,” he repeated, shaking his head. Aurora knew he kind of liked her phrase.
“Should I answer any questions from my team?” she asked.
“No. Just refer them to me.”
“No one is going to email you with a dragon question,” Aurora stated before laughing. “Oh, that’s perfect. That eliminates all the questions.”
“At least for those who are smart enough not to ask.”
“What are you going to do at the meeting with the town?” she asked.
“Whatever is needed.”
Rolling her eyes in aggravation the third time she had to restart her computer to connect to Drake, Inc., Aurora wondered what was going on. Surely no one had launched a cyber-attack against Drake after yesterday. Although, she didn’t put it past terrified people to take drastic actions.
Around noon, her screen went black. As she struggled to reconnect once again, Aurora noticed that even Google wasn’t working. Quickly, she cycled through several social media sites. Nothing was functional.
Glancing at the sweet picture of the two of them looking so happy, Aurora felt less panicky. Drake would take care of her just as he took care of everything. Look how fast he’d gotten the photo printed and framed.
Pushing away from her computer, Aurora walked to Drake’s office. He paced the floor as he talked on the phone. She heard him order, “Take all the funds you can get your hands on and go buy gold. No, don’t order it over the phone or online. Physically take it over to the goldsmith and make the exchange. Do not answer any questions as to my motivation. Do it now. Laugh it off like I’m an idiot. Take security with you and come directly here afterward.”
When he disconnected, Aurora asked, “What’s going on?”
“Reports are coming in that a rogue code has begun to corrupt tech systems.”
“That can be fixed, right?” she asked, wrapping her arms around herself as the tension reverberating from his body affected her.
Drake walked forward to hug her close. He paused to kiss her on the forehead before answering. “I haven’t ever seen anything like this, Little one. No one has.”
His phone rang and Drake pulled it from his pocket to glance at the screen. He answered immediately. “Twila? What’s wrong?”
“The vacuum cleaner stopped working. I can’t figure out what’s wrong with it,” she said. “I even checked the breakers.”
“We’ll get another,” Drake assured her.
The lights flickered and went out, leaving them in total darkness. A hum began and a faint light illuminated the room. “Twila, we’re on our way to you. Find the candles and oil lamps.”
“What’s happening?” Aurora asked, completely frightened now.
“The back-up generator just kicked on. The electricity is out.”
Drake led her into the castle section of their home. Twila met them in the foyer. She looked just as discombobulated as Aurora felt.
“The phones just went out,” she shared.
Drake looked at his device once again and then tossed it onto a nearby table. “Who is on the grounds today?”
“The maintenance team, the groundskeeper and three assistants, and myself.”
“Ring the bell.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What is happening, Drake?” Aurora demanded.