Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“I believe it is a perfectly appropriate name for a green dragon. I bet you’ll need to come home with us.”
“I can’t go without him.”
“Of course you can’t,” Khadar agreed before looking at the sacks in the entryway. “Let’s get all this put back away.”
It didn’t take long for Lalani to store the squished butter stick, a few withered potatoes and carrots, and the almost empty peanut butter jar. The additional things in the bags made Khadar’s blood boil. Knives, jewelry, and personal items that had become so needed: soap, shampoo, and toilet paper.
His gaze lingered on the knives. They had deliberately taken the only weapons Lalani had to defend herself. He felt the vein in his temple throb with outrage. Those people were the worst kind of bullies.
He sent a mental call to Keres.
Bring a transport cage to my location.
“Go pack a suitcase, Lalani, for you and Lettuce. You will return to my home with me.”
“But they’ll come back the minute you leave.”
“They will not,” Khadar assured her and followed her through the house to pick up the few things she’d unpacked over the days she’d lived there.
“Remain here on your front steps. That should be close enough for the mate bond.”
“O—Okay.”
Khadar walked outside and over to the neighboring house. Taking hold of their door, he ripped it off the hinges. Immediately, the father shot at him. Khadar dodged the bullet, enraged. He knew his dragon was close to assuming control and his eyes were blazing green.
“You have two minutes to gather anything precious you wish to take with you. Any further aggression will result in the loss of that privilege,” Khadar growled.
“You don’t have the right to tell us that,” Barbie said, stepping next to her father.
“You cannot endanger a dragon’s mate. Consider yourself lucky to be alive.”
Khadar stepped back into the open space in front of the house and released his control. Immediately, that area became much smaller as a large emerald dragon filled it. He treasured Lalani’s gasp of amazement while trying to tune out the squeal Barbie let out as she fled into her house.
Neighbors gathered in the street. Khadar was not surprised when no one came to the Petersons’ defense. Obviously, Lalani had not been the only one they’d targeted.
The sound of wings approaching made him shift away from the building. Put it against the door.
Keres, almost invisible in the night sky, hovered. He set the cage with its waist-high railings against the Peterson house and backed away.
Khadar blew a blast of smoke into the house.
“The house is on fire. Get out!” Barbie’s voice screeched.
The three came running out with empty hands. Jumping over the railing, they attempted to flee out the other side, but Keres immediately lifted it off the ground as Khadar’s snout kept them from escaping. Barbie’s father pulled his gun from the back of his pants. Before he could shoot, Khadar melted the metal with a pinpoint of flames that happened to set the sleeve of the younger man on fire as it blazed in a narrow path. While the young man frantically batted at the material, Keres soared upward with the cage trapped in his claws. A flaming shirt wafted down from above to smolder at Khadar’s feet. He stomped it out with one massive foot.
Spontaneous applause came from the assembled neighbors.
Drop them out of town?
Khadar confirmed the black dragon’s assumption. Shifting back into human form, he addressed the crowd. “They will not return. Take anything you need from this house but share with your neighbors. Leave the residence next door untouched.”
“We’ll keep an eye on it, Khadar,” a familiar voice called.
Making eye contact, Khadar realized the man who spoke was the leader of his gardening crews. Khadar nodded his thanks.
“I’ll finally get my favorite hammer back,” a male voice crowed as he ran toward the open doorway. Others followed him, calling out things the Petersons had claimed as their own. No one would miss that family.
Khadar shook his head as he walked back to where Lalani stood with her suitcase and her stuffie clutched tightly to her chest.
“Are you ready to go home?” he asked.
“I thought this would be home,” she answered sadly, before walking forward into his arms.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding Lalani close. “Your next home will be your last, Princess.”
“Can we go there now? Is it far?”
He was pleased to hear her voice had lost most of the frightened tone. “It is difficult to see at night. My home is on one of the mountains that encircle Wyvern.”
“Not the one with all the trees and grasses planted in a pattern that looks like diamonds.”
“Emeralds,” he corrected. “You are correct. My team of gardeners has created the effect of stones joined together. Everything is green. Emeralds.”
“Do diamonds come in green?” She got the words out before an enormous yawn cracked her jaw.