Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 105164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“I’ve bonded with the God of Storms. The same as Rayne Laurent and the Goddess of Life,” Shey admitted in a quiet voice.
Whoa.
That was not what he’d expected the prince to say, but maybe he should have. The Wind Stone was located in Sirelis and guarded by the royal family, though the number of people who knew that could be counted on two hands. Shey was lucky to be among those few.
“And you’ve bonded with Caelan,” Haru added.
Adrian squeezed his eyes shut and silently prayed to his new god, Caelan Talos, for strength. Did this dragon not understand the concept of a secret?
“What happened to Cael?” Prince Shey demanded. Adrian opened his eyes again to find that Shey’s expression had softened with worry. “Please, I see him as my friend first, ruler of Erya second.”
“The super-short version is that he bonded with a lot of gods, died, and was reborn a god. He bonded with me.” Adrian paused and winced. “I guess more like Rayne and Tula. He’s got a magic tether linking us together so I can find him, but I don’t have any special powers like you. I can’t communicate with him. I can’t even tell you how far away he is. The only thing I can safely say is that he’s still alive because I can feel the tether pulling me toward him.”
Prince Shey blinked at him. His blue-and-black hair hung in front of his eyes, his lips parted in wordless wonder. Yeah, Adrian didn’t blame him for that stunned look. He felt the same way when he had to say it all out loud.
“I will want the longer version of that story when we’re not fighting the Empire,” Shey finally replied in a somewhat strangled voice.
“Your Highness, if you help us save King Caelan, I swear I’ll make sure you get the full story straight from the source.”
“But that is not going to happen if we do not get past this roadblock,” Haru reminded them.
Shey turned his attention to Haru, one corner of his mouth tilting up in a half smile. “Would the dragons be interested in a different kind of demolition work?”
“Oh, Adrian,” Haru purred with a wicked glee. “He is a very interesting human. The dragons would love to help you destroy the Empire’s forces. What did you have in mind?”
“I’ll tell you my plan, but…” Shey paused and arched one eyebrow at Haru. “Do you ever accept riders?”
Shit.
Tomas Soto was going to kill him.
King Caelan was going to kill him, too, when he found out.
But if Prince Shey was going to be riding a dragon into battle, there was no way Adrian was going to be left behind.
One hour later, Adrian was seated awkwardly on Haru’s back, his legs dangling down on either side of his long neck while his magnificent wings were spread behind him, catching the wind. The sunset-colored dragon was gliding hundreds of feet above the ground, drifting through the clouds for added cover as they approached the ridge New Rosanthe forces had claimed.
They’d quietly sneaked out of the temporary camp with Prince Shey. When they were a safe distance out, they’d divided into two teams. Prince Shey was riding Omari Mika to the east with half the dragons, while Haru was leading the charge from the west with the other half.
The plan was simple. They headed away from the camp and ridge until they could get above the clouds. Once they were as hidden by the low bank of clouds as they could be, they would circle and firebomb the fuck out of the empire from the east and west, shattering their protective lines. Haru seemed to think that he and Shey would be protected from harm while on the backs of the dragons.
Now that he was so high in the air, Adrian found he was more concerned with falling to the ground than stray bullets striking him. Haru’s scales might be sleek and almost silky in their smoothness, but they were also incredibly hard. He didn’t have to worry about bullets, and it was probably a safe bet that he was also fireproof.
Tearing his gaze away from the incredible view that peeked through the wispy white clouds, Adrian looked at the dragon beneath him. How was all this power and strength packed into Haru’s lithe and elegant form? The man’s every movement was about grace and poise, as if he had perfect muscle control. Just a wave of his hand was a perfect symphony of motion. And yet, he could turn into this powerful creature of destruction and chaos.
Directly in front of him, the scales were a hypnotic cascade of orange and yellow with the slightest hint of pink. He was a summer sky as the sun slipped below the horizon when the air was still a warm embrace and the world was at peace. Without thinking, he released the rope that had been tied around Haru’s neck to offer him some sense of security and ran one hand over those slick scales, getting lost in the color. He was beautiful. When he was in his dragon form, Haru filled Adrian with a breath-catching feeling of awe and wonder.