Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Definitely time to go. I take Jurik’s hand and tug on it, indicating that I want to leave the room. He bristles, as if I’m taking him away from a fight he desperately wants to have, but his reluctant gaze slides to me and then he allows me to lead him out to the main area, with the open roof. I retrieve my pack and hold it out to him, then point at the sky.
“We need to go,” I say again.
His eyes have far too much black in them for my liking, but the message must be clear. He touches my cheek one more time, backs up, and then shifts to dragon form. In the next moment, his claws wrap around me, he grabs my pack, and then we take off, leaving Sasha, Dakh, and the crying baby behind.
27
JURIK
She has promised to be mine.
My mind is full of elation as I fly through the warm skies, hope coursing through my veins.
Mine, mine, mine, I repeat to myself with every pump of my wings. She is not averse to being my mate. She just wants to pick the right moment. It is up to me to provide her with that right moment, I decide. I cast aside all thoughts of Dakh and his displeasure with me, or his strange mate who made the same noisy, babbling sounds that my mate does. I push away Luminoura’s displeasure, because nothing matters right now except that Ruh-chul has promised to be mine.
I must find her the perfect nest. One where she will feel safe and secure, one where no other drakoni can find her and steal her away from me. It must be remote enough for me to claim as my territory and I must defend it if others approach. No one will touch my mate.
No one but me.
I circle over the spot of my last nest, the flat building with the large, cave-like rooms. That is where my mate tried to feed me, but it is not the right place for me to claim her, I decide. It is flat upon the ground and any could try to snatch her from me. Someplace high in the air, perhaps, like Dakh’s nest for his mate.
I roll the idea around in my head, and then discard it. My mate liked the water that came from the spout—she drank it happily—but she did not seem to like the place otherwise. I want her to smile when she sees her nest. I want to feel her joy.
Perhaps…the lake again. She smiled when I brought her there.
I veer in that direction, and find the place soon enough. There was a human hive here once, I think, but it was demolished long ago. The surrounding walls are destroyed, and all of the scents here are old and dusty.
It is a good place to stay with my mate until we find a better nest.
I land gently by the lake, taking great care to set her down easily. She makes more mouth-noises at me, gesturing at the lake and then the rows of mostly collapsed dwellings nearby. I remain in battle-form, testing the air for interlopers, and when I am satisfied that no one is around, I shift to my two-legged form and approach my mate.
She does not flinch back when I walk toward her, but she does not greet me with more of the “ks” either. Instead, she has her pack looped over one shoulder and gestures at the distant buildings.
“Ruh-chul,” I murmur, pulling her into my arms. “Ks.”
My mate blinks up at me, her fascinating face turning pink, and I remember what she told Dakh’s mate—that she is shy. Her gaze flicks to my mouth and she turns pinker. When I lean in, she gives me a quick peck on the mouth and then wiggles out of my grasp. She takes my hand and drags me forward, pointing at one of the places left standing.
I suppose we are hunting for a nest before we mate. Her nervous scent is obvious—mixed with a hint of her arousal. She holds my hand in hers, though, and if she wishes to find a secluded spot first, I will go along with this.
So I let my Ruh-chul lead the way, keeping my senses alert just in case of danger.
She does not like the first one, or the second, but the third dwelling fills her with pleasure. She goes from room to room, touching scattered objects, and twists the knobs that make water spit out. This makes her very happy. Ruh-chul touches more things in the dwelling, brushing dust off of surfaces and then pulling open doors and sighing with pleasure at the sight of more body coverings inside.
I fight back a groan at the discovery. When will she understand that I like her bare-skinned and touchable? I love the sight of her body. It makes no sense to hide it.