Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 136061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 454(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 454(@300wpm)
At the edge of town, where the paths narrowed, too small for the carriages and carts, we climbed down and left them behind to be tended to after we found a place to rest.
Micah led us down a couple of really cute cobblestone streets, the houses beside us modest but well kept. We emerged into what must’ve passed for their town center, with a little park to the right and a winding path that led in front of little shops with glass doors or large windows. Flower boxes dotted the way and everlass grew in cracks or along the pathways, wild but mostly pruned.
I smiled down at one of the plants before bending to strip away a few leaves that were floundering on it.
“Micah?” we heard.
I stood, seeing two middle-aged women walking down the path arm in arm, their eyes widening. One of them lifted her fingertips to her breastplate.
“Micah, is that you?”
“Desiree.” He smiled at her as all the blood drained from her face.
“But…we thought you were dead…” Her gaze traveled his body, clothed in ill-fitting pants and a shirt he had grabbed after we docked. Thankfully, Govam and the other demons had thought to bring some gold. “They made inquiries and found out that you’d never made it to the merchant in Fiddler’s Green.”
“Demons captured me on my way there,” he replied, walking toward them slowly. It looked like he didn’t want to spook them, which was probably wise. They looked like they were staring at a ghost. “They took me back to their castle and imprisoned me in a dungeon. It’s a story I only want to tell once, the details of which are cause for war. I’ll want to see the elders. For now, though, I need to find lodgings for my friends and take a hot bath—”
“Goddess bless you!” Tears in her eyes, she ran at him, slamming into him and wrapping her arms around him. The other woman piled on, crying.
The rest of us scooted back awkwardly, some with half-smiles and others clearly uncomfortable, probably wondering if anyone from their old life was left.
Micah was greeted like that throughout the town, everyone running to see him again as word spread. It was clear he was someone with a lot of status, and they’d missed him terribly. It wasn’t until evening was kissing the sky that he was finally able to get people to listen for long enough to explain our needs. After that, they wasted no time in finding us lodging, even the demons. We were treated to a delicious, fresh meal, hot baths, and soft beds in the local tavern.
The next day, I found myself listless and edgy. Any shifting lessons were put off because the village elders had wanted to see Micah as soon as possible, and the dragons from my kingdom were too wary of our power differences to attempt to guide me through the shift. Basically, they’d figured out my dragon was a temperamental ass-bag and decided I’d do best with a powerful alpha. So we had nothing to do but wander the paths and check out our surroundings.
It was a lovely place, full of blooming flowers, well-tended walkways, and smiling people who made Hadriel incredibly nervous. He didn’t like being cooped up in a village with so many dragons. And I didn’t like being away from home. Nyfain had started to distance himself from the bond, I could tell. His emotions seemed like they were going dormant. He knew I’d gotten out, he knew I wasn’t in danger, and he was letting me go. If he were right in front of me, I’d kick the living shit out of him for it…then fuck his brains out.
Since he was hundreds of miles away, the thought filled me with terror, and my impatience to get to him turned my dragon listless.
“I’m going to go for a walk,” I announced too loudly the next morning.
We sat at a large round table in the tavern common room—we, meaning the people from my kingdom. The demons had decided to stick to their rooms whenever possible, not liking the narrow-eyed looks they got from the locals.
“I thought we could get in some sword work today,” Tamara said, eyeing the weapon on my hip. I had no idea why I’d put it on that morning. Force of habit, perhaps. Or maybe the weight of it on my hip reminded me of him. It kept him close to me as the feeling of the bond receded.
“Sure.” I pushed back my chair and stood as a brown-haired server whisked my plate away.
“Do you want company?” Hadriel leaned forward, pausing in the motion to push his own chair back.
“I’ll go.” Hannon blotted his mouth and stood. “I could use the walk.”
“Good.” Hadriel relaxed. “I don’t like the way people here eyeball me. It’s like they are about to yank my head off at any moment.”