Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Holy shit! Not Dimitri! Definitely not Dimitri!
Dropping his phone, Samuel screamed and attempted to shove away the creature squatting on his chest. The little figure shrieked at him and jumped up into the air. The weak light caught a flash of a thin, gangly creature with enormous feet.
Feet that came crashing down on his rib cage.
Air exploded from his lungs, cutting off his panicked cries so that they were reduced to a pathetic, muffled moan.
The light on his phone timed out, leaving the tent lost in darkness. He thought he heard noises from the others in the camp, but he couldn’t be sure. All of his focus was on trying to grab the monster that was currently using his chest as a trampoline. Fingers came into contact with moist, scaly skin that made his own flesh crawl.
He gasped for air, but he couldn’t draw in a full breath. This was a horrible way to die. Suffocated by an ugly creature jumping on his chest.
Light finally filled the tent, illuminating the thing attacking him. He tried to seize it again, but both he and the monster froze at the ugly snarl that rippled through the camp.
What the fuck was that?
Definitely worse than this small creature. He almost wanted to hide with the baby Einstein.
In the next second, the door to his tent was violently ripped open and Dimitri was squatting in the opening. One powerful hand shot inside and snatched the monster by the hair. It gave a high-pitched squeal as Dimitri jerked the thing out and tossed it across the camp.
“Kill it!” he snarled before attempting to enter the tent.
Coughing, Samuel sat up and shoved at Dimitri, pushing him back so he could exit the tent. He wanted out where there was light. Waking up in the darkness to something squatting on his chest left him not wanting to be anywhere cloaked in shadows.
“What?” he wheezed and had to try a second time. “What is that?”
Dimitri’s hand wrapped around his elbow, gently pulling Samuel to his feet. His fingers were blissfully cold, instantly chilling Samuel’s sweaty flesh. He watched as the creature scurried across the camp on feet that were almost as long as it was tall. The physics of that body said it shouldn’t be able to move that fast, not without tripping over its own toes, but it did.
“Kill the fucker!” Dimitri growled again. This time, he threw out his left hand and an ice spike shot across the camp to embed in the ground inches away from where the figure had been. It screamed and darted into the thick bushes, escaping into the darkness.
“It’s only a pisadeira,” Luka said wearily, rubbing his eyes.
Samuel glanced from Dimitri to Luka, who was standing shirtless and half asleep next to Vasily. Gregori had wandered over to sift through the brush where the thing had disappeared but didn’t appear particularly concerned. The other dragons didn’t seem to be overly worried either.
Except for Dimitri.
Plumes of frosty air rolled off Dimitri’s body. When he exhaled, a cloud of white burst from his nostrils. The man looked as if he was going to explode into an icy temper tantrum at any second.
“What’s a pisadeira?” Samuel asked, debating whether he could pry his elbow out of Dimitri’s grip without the dragon noticing. Not that he really wanted to. Right now, the air surrounding him was at least twenty degrees cooler and it was heaven.
“Creepy little creatures,” Luka murmured, flashing him a tired smile. “Always women, as far as I know. Crazy hair, red eyes, long fingers, and huge feet. They tend to be drawn by the scent of food. They lurk until a person has fallen asleep with a full belly, and then they jump on your chest, paralyzing you. Once you can’t move, they tend to steal things like food or maybe objects that catch their interest.”
“Shit,” Samuel whispered, rubbing his sore chest with his free hand.
“They’re generally not a threat to a person, unless you’ve got a heart condition. The paralysis wears off after less than an hour, and they’ve moved on long before that,” Luka said easily.
“Except that this one attacked Sam!” Dimitri raged.
“It’s gone now.” Gregori shrugged. “We scared it pretty good. I’m sure it won’t be back.”
“It shouldn’t have been here in the first place! I thought you had protections in place,” Dimitri countered, narrowing his eyes on Luka.
Vasily took a menacing step forward, placing his body between Luka and Dimitri. The muscles in his jaw flexed, his fingers curling into fists. Oh shit, this was getting out of hand fast.
“I do have protections in place, but not for pisadeiras. They’ve never been seen this far south or east. The last time anyone spotted one, it was in Rondônia. Rondônia, Dimitri. Do you know how far that is from here?”
Samuel wanted to smile at Luka. The dragon might be slimmer and shorter than both Vasily and Dimitri, but he was not backing down. If anything, he looked willing to climb over Vasily to attack Dimitri.