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)
“Yes. Short for silver. She still talks to him as if he were a real dragon. I warned her about taking a child’s stuffed animal to college. I didn’t want people to get the wrong idea.”
His temper flared, as well as his nostrils. How could this woman not know enough about her child? He reminded himself that she was there and worried. She hadn’t just sat at home, sending random thoughts out into the universe. She’d pushed herself to come to the meeting. His dragon huffed and settled down.
Memorizing the photograph, Argenis handed it back to Ciel’s mother. “I will bring her home.”
“You can keep that. I have more. And thank you.”
Stalking away without another word, Argenis folded the paper and placed it and the photo carefully in his pocket. He sent the dragons a mental blast.
I am off to hunt down a Wyvern citizen.
Their communication over the years had dwindled. Those dusty connections had revitalized over the last few days.
What made you choose this one?
The angry tone of the black dragon echoed in his mind. Argenis shook his head. The solitude caused by surviving without a mate had changed Keres. He tempered his retort to not respond with the same emotion. He did not want Ciel’s existence to be tainted by negativity.
This one is my mate.
Silence followed for several heartbeats as Argenis strode to a wide section of the town that would allow him to release his dragon. He did not add his apologies to Keres for having found his mate first. That wasn’t how it worked.
My congratulations.
The weary response made Argenis incline his head down slightly. He, like the others, grieved for Keres’s loss. Someday.
“My congratulations as well,” Khadar, the emerald dragon, chimed in and the others echoed his good wishes.
I will return with her as quickly as possible. Call me in an emergency. I will respond if it doesn’t put my mate in danger.
With the message sent, Argenis allowed the change to flow over him. The feeling of power and heightened senses never failed to flood his mind and form with energy. Now with an urgent mission, he felt back in his element.
Argenis roared a warning for villagers too close to get away and waited for several seconds. Powering upward with his muscular hind legs, Argenis took to the sky. He heard the shouts of the village kids in awe of his dragon form. The toy shop off the square had sold out of the dragons they had in stock when the demand skyrocketed.
“Being a dragon is cool again,” he thought and allowed himself to dive toward the building tops to thrill his onlookers.
Focusing on the woman who awaited him, Argenis set a path for the capital. He was concerned by the chaos on the ground below him now more than ever. It had not taken everyone long to figure out that the technology grid wasn’t just down. It was obliterated. Compounding the confusion and violent feedback with no instant communication systems, people felt abandoned and desperate.
Rioting and lawlessness were growing. People had begun to stockpile essentials and defensive materials. His dragon vision was extremely fine-tuned and didn’t require him to fly close to see the actions on land. Grateful that his mate was close, Argenis sped up his pace. The faster he found her, the better.
Chapter 2
“Hey! What do you have in the suitcase?”
She kept her gaze on the man. He looked scruffy and unkept. Over the last twenty-four hours, Ciel had grown increasingly concerned. The changes from interacting with the kind people in the grocery store to the growing desperation of the public milling around made her walk as fast as possible. Hopefully when she got out of town, she would feel less nervous.
An hour ago, she’d tried to buy an extra bottle of water from a man pushing a wheelbarrow down the street. He’d just laughed and told her she’d have to steal some for herself.
“Money won’t buy anything now. It’s worthless.” When he drew back the edge of his shirt, the handle of the gun in his waistband made her back away.
Sleeping last night… Sleeping was a wild exaggeration. She’d walked until she’d couldn’t go any further. Finally, she’d pushed her suitcase into a thicket of bushes and crawled after it. Trying not to think of the creatures who might lurk there, she hoped the greenery would provide her protection from the human predators. She’d caught a few catnaps between jerking awake at scary sounds.
Thank goodness for her frozen food choices. The peanut butter and jelly crustless sandwiches provided some protein and sugar for energy. The chocolate muffins? Reassurement.
When dawn broke, she fought her way out of the shrubs. Feeling awful, she took advantage of a broken store door to grab two more bottles of water, but left everything else. At the last minute, she walked to the liquor store’s register, intending to leave money. The buzzing of flies made her look over the counter.