Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
“The s-s-storm. Our food is…” Dustin stuttered, his warm, wheat-brown eyes wide and fixed on Notalus as if he couldn’t believe he was there.
Notalus stood and held his arms up in a wide arc, his skin vibrating underneath with power and energy. He swung his arms around in slow, rhythmic circles, pulling in the wind and letting it build in his sternum. Notalus closed his eyes and exhaled, commanding softly for the winds around them to “calm.”
All fell silent as the storm clouds parted like a curtain on Broadway and allowed the heavens’ light to break through the darkness. Now he could take care of the man who’d called on him so desperately. Notalus could sense the shifter was in bad shape.
He knelt and scooped Dustin into his arms—careful to keep the robe firmly in place—then tucked him as close to him as his chest armor would allow. Dustin’s beast growled feverishly, and Notalus felt it so much inside that it vibrated his own chest, freezing him in place. He needed to get the man in his arms to safety and then some medical aid.
Notalus stopped his leap when he saw several young men running toward him at full speed as he held an almost limp Dustin in his arms. They all slid to a stop, their eyes wild and full of surprise and fear as they yelled out Dustin’s name, not getting too close. Which best suited Notalus.
“What’s wrong with Dustin? Did he get hurt in the storm? Is he breathing?”
Multiple concerns were fired at Notalus at once, but he wasn’t used to being questioned, so he didn’t listen. He only needed to know one thing. “Where is his home?”
“Dustin’s cabin is all the way at the end of the property near the gourd fields on the side of the stables,” a young man added, his chest heaving as he inched closer to get a better look at Dustin.
“Send your healers straightaway,” Notalus ordered, expecting his commands to be obeyed regardless that he wasn’t in Tir an Fhomhair now.
“We will,” another young shifter reassured quickly, clutching an old-school two-way radio in his left hand. “I’ll call right now for a golf cart so you don’t have to carry him all the way to—”
Notalus didn’t say anything else as he leapt into the air, summoning and catching the wind beneath his feet so that they coasted smoothly across the property. Notalus made sure to land softer than he normally did so that he didn’t jostle the delicate package in his arms. If Dustin wasn’t so hurt, Notalus would pause to enjoy the feeling of him tucked close to his heart, his breathing shallow and hot on his neck, but now wasn’t the moment for that. But one thing was for sure: Notalus wasn’t leaving this time until he’d had his feel of the beautiful wolf and his suspicions were confirmed.
Notalus walked up to the door, unsure if it was locked or open. Regardless, he blew it open with one breath. He stepped inside Dustin’s cabin and placed him on the first flat surface he found. Dustin groaned the moment his back came into contact with the couch.
“Your healers are on the way, sweet wolf.” Notalus knelt on one knee and grasped Dustin’s damp palm and pulled it to his lips. “Stay calm.”
Dustin’s throat bulged before he grimaced in obvious pain. “Don’t leave, Notalus.”
“Hellhounds could not remove me from your side.” Notalus touched Dustin’s cheek, ignoring the mud all over him. “Rest. I will be right here.”
Dustin
A Titan’s Touch
He came.
Dustin had been lying in the middle of that field alone, frightened, and drowning in what felt like quicksand before Notalus appeared over him dressed like a knight from the medieval era.
He was hefted into strong arms as if he weighed less than a pup. Arms that felt as solid and sturdy as oak branches. Then after which, he was airborne, coasting over the pack lands so effortlessly, tucked so tightly against Notalus’ hard chest that he didn’t fear. Being out of the storm and lying on his couch in his cabin made things slightly better and the pain a bit less crippling. Now all Dustin had to worry about was any permanent damage. Although he was a shifter, he was still capable of being hurt and even permanently disfigured. His wolf was more active now, and Dustin thought of shifting to heal faster, but if he had any broken bones, especially in his back, then his animal could possibly do more harm than good.
However, it was hard for Dustin to make a coherent decision when he had a titan in his home standing almost as tall as his ceiling. A lord who’d heard him faintly whisper his name… and he’d appeared. Dustin couldn’t resist staring like an idiot, his breathing escalating as his dream was coming true right before him. He took a deep breath, his heart trying to burst through his rib cage to get closer to Notalus. His wolf was fully alert now, howling and clawing to feel more of the titan’s magnetic energy as they stared unblinking at each other.