Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
When he slowed, she tightened her grip on his scales. That was totally unnecessary as he landed with an easy thump. Ciel scrambled off his back and gave him some space to change.
Her jaw dropped in surprise when he lumbered past her in dragon form to wade into the water. Ciel ran after him, hesitating at the edge. “Daddy? Do dragons swim?”
Of course, Little Ciel. I like water a lot. Not as much as the Green Dragon. He’s closely aligned with nature and loves to wallow in rivers and lakes.
She continued to talk to him aloud. It seemed more normal to her when he could hear her. “Do you float or sink?”
He moved a bit further out into the water and disappeared. Ciel watched the surface and saw him show up a few feet away. She waded in a bit more, wanting to get in and play with him. Turning, she looked for a sheltered place to change.
When she shifted back to look toward the ocean, she jumped in surprise to see his dragon head a foot from her. “You scared me. How can you move that quietly?”
Dragon.
“Of course. That explains everything,” she said, lifting her hands out in an exasperated motion.
His chuckle resounded in her head as he moved. Curving his body into a U-shape, Argenis provided a guarded area around her. She could only see the ocean in front of them. Quickly, she stripped off her clothes and slipped into her bikini while under the watchful silver eye of her mate.
“I’m ready.”
Argenis scanned her outfit. That’s almost like wearing nothing.
“I don’t think anyone will come flirt with me while I have a dragon guardian.”
Daddy.
“Yes, Daddy.” She accepted his correction without hesitation. “Can we go swimming now?”
When he nodded toward the water, she knew he was waiting for her to lead the way. Turning, she darted toward the ocean and raced forward. “It’s freezing!” she yelled over her shoulder, refusing to stop until she reached a point where the water covered her beaded nipples. She knew she’d never adjust to the temperature of the water until her sensitive peaks were under the surface. “Damn, that’s cold.”
No cussing.
“You don’t think it’s cold.”
Come stand by me.
As she moved closer, Ciel felt the water becoming warmer. He was like a water heater. She sidled up next to him to enjoy the heat radiation from him. “Mmm!”
With a flick of his tail, Argenis flicked water on her, soaking her completely.
Grateful she wore her hair in a braid, Ciel flipped the soaked plait over her shoulder and wiped the straggling hairs from her face. When she could see, she calmly swam away from him, kicking water to pay him back. Sure that she had doused him, Ciel peeked over her shoulder and found him enjoying the shower like it was a multi-head shower massager.
Shaking her head at her failed attempt to pay him back, Ciel let her feet sink back to the sand. Eep! She disappeared under the surface of the water. She’d reached the sudden drop off of the land and was way over her head.
Argenis was there immediately to lift her up to the surface with a supporting tail. Little Sky.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” she sputtered.
Indeed.
“Are you laughing at me?”
No. Never.
She could hear the suppressed laughter bouncing around in his mind. It was impossible to resist his amusement. She had to laugh at herself.
Want to do some exploration?
“Like snorkeling?”
You’ll have to hold your breath.
“I’m good at that,” Ciel assured him.
Climb onto my back and let’s go.
Chapter 11
Moving slowly to not jostle his mate, Argenis forged though the water along the beach. The small pile of clothes Ciel had left on the sand waited patiently for him. Their explorations and the sunshine had zapped Ciel’s energy. His mate was almost asleep on his back.
Watching her reaction to the various sea creatures they’d encountered had pleased him to the core. It was impossible to miss her delight. Now, he would help her dress and they would stop to complete his reason for visiting the coast before winging it home.
The moment he approached her belongings, Argenis was on alert. Men and women came out from the tree line bordering the beach. They held weapons in their hands as they dared to approach.
His roar of warning made them back up. Ciel sat up on his back and froze at the sight of the crowd.
“Hey, you! We’re going to take your dragon,” one angry looking man called to Ciel.
Pretend you are the one in charge. Meet their bluff with bravado.
“Good luck with that. You know dragons will only attach themselves to virgins, right?” Ciel called. She knew Artemis could eliminate everyone with one massive burst of flame or simply launch into the air. She knew he was intrigued by their motivation.
The group looked at each other as if asking each other a silent question. She controlled her laugh when it seemed virgins were in short supply.