Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
That was longer than he’d estimated, but still too much time away from his clan. They had to be worried sick about him. At least Shixiong1 was there to keep his other clan mates from doing anything too rash and reckless. He doubted all of them together were strong enough to take on a dragon. No, it was up to him to escape and return to them.
“Why are there no clocks in here at all? The dragon collects every rare and valuable thing, but not clocks? That doesn’t make any sense,” Xiang continued to rant as he wandered away from his companion to head toward the only door in the room.
“Time has no meaning to the dragon, so why would he value a thing that tracks the passage of time?” The man’s voice grew more distant as they moved in opposite directions. At least, he hadn’t seemed to notice that Xiang wasn’t following him any longer.
That made some sense and was a little frightening. Did that mean the dragon was immortal? A god? There were plenty of dragons from his culture’s mythology. Some were helpful while others weren’t quite so helpful. He’d caught only a glimpse of this dragon with its blue scales; long, slender body; and a massive head with horns and whiskers. Just thinking about the dragon lured his mind to questions about how the fae had gained command of a dragon.
How was that even possible?
Dragons were supposed to be powerful, unstoppable creatures who answered to no one. Not even the gods sometimes. There was no way Queen Belladonna of the fae was more powerful than a dragon. Rei would have warned them, or at least given some kind of hint that she was more dangerous.
“What are you doing?”
Xiang screeched and jumped into the air, his heart bouncing into his throat. Mr. No-Name’s voice sounded as if he’d whispered that question right into his ear. Xiang spun to find his companion standing a couple of meters away, an unamused look on his face as he stared at Xiang.
“What the hell!” Xiang shouted. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! I thought you were off cleaning or straightening or making sure I wasn’t stealing any of the dragon’s treasures.”
A thick, dark eyebrow lifted to his hairline, disappearing behind a few locks hanging in front of his eyes. “Do you plan to steal from the dragon?”
“What? No! I don’t want anything from the dragon. I want to leave.”
Mr. No-Name sighed and grabbed Xiang’s elbow. He dragged Xiang over to one of the burgundy sofas and forced him to sit. “You’re not leaving. The dragon cannot allow it. You need to accept this. The sooner you do, the sooner you will find comfort in your surroundings.”
“No! I won’t accept it!” Xiang sprang to his feet and stepped into Mr. No-Name’s personal space. “I need to return to my clan. It’s driving me crazy. Are they safe? Did the dragon go back and attack them after it brought me here? Did the queen send her army after them? I have to know if they’re safe.”
The man placed a hand in the center of Xiang’s chest and shoved, forcing him to sit on the sofa. He crossed to a nearby chair that matched the sofa and sat as well. “The dragon has not left the cave since dropping you here, so if anything happened to your clan, the dragon did not cause it.”
Some of the weight resting on Xiang’s shoulders tumbled away, and he slumped into the cushions. He covered his face with his hands and concentrated on breathing. The dragon hadn’t attacked his family. That was a large reassurance. There was at least a chance that Xiao Dan, Yichen, and Rei had made it out of the woods.
That night, the others had already started their retreat to the vehicles. He’d heard messages that Sky had released his dead army and was running for cover with the other witches with the help of the Variks. The rest of the Zhang clan were also heading for their home. Only he and Xiao Dan had traveled deeper into the woods to make sure Yichen and Rei were leaving.
Of course, that was when all hell broke loose. Yes, King Ash was dead, but the fae had set free the spell to expand the woods. Not to mention, Queen Belladonna had shown up to threaten her son and summon a dragon.
What a fucking mess. He had to get home. The clan didn’t need to waste time worrying about him. Their focus should be on stopping the fae. And that was assuming his clan was still standing.
“Were you afraid the dragon would eat your people?” Mr. No-Name broke into his thoughts. Xiang lowered his hands to see an obvious expression of disgust on his handsome face.
“Are you telling me that the dragon doesn’t eat people?”