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)
Sam sat up in his seat and turned slightly so that he was partially facing Dimitri. “But Sofi…she’s with Ilya, right? They’re mates?”
“Yep. Apparently, fate had other plans for Sofi. She’s still working on growing her skills, but she’s now doing it with her mate at her side.”
Sam huffed and turned to glare out his open window.
“I think it’s harder for humans to understand,” Dimitri continued. “Your lives are shorter and you’re constantly surrounded by possible mates. For dragons, ours come in one flavor—mage—and, for most of us, it’s been centuries since we saw new mages.”
“Prior to the Burkhard revelation, the Valerii hadn’t found any new mages?” Sam asked so softly Dimitri could barely hear him.
“None.” Dimitri’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, making the leather and plastic creak. “Before the Dragon Wars, the Valerii Clan was enormous. The biggest of all the clans. Even bigger than the fire dragons—even if they won’t admit it. We had more than five hundred dragons and nearly as many mages. The clan had a central location, but our dragons flew all over the expanse of Russia and parts of Asia.”
“Do you mind if I ask…” Sam’s voice was so hauntingly soft and gentle, Dimitri wanted to reach across the center console and pull the archeologist into his lap.
“About thirty dragons now. Before the Burkhard revelation and meeting the Taavi mage clan, we had eight mages.”
“Oh god,” Sam gasped. “You lost that many in the war?”
Dimitri shook his head, the old dull ache echoing through his chest. It might not have been as painful as it once was, but it never completely left him. “Most before the war started. Over half of our mages were from the major clans. When the Jaeggi cast their blood spell, wiping out the major clans, we lost our heart. Their dragon mates quickly followed, because who wants to go on existing after your mate has died? We lost more dragons and mages to the war. Our numbers never recovered after that. Dragons don’t have babies often. I think there’s been one birth since the war.”
“I’m sorry. So fucking sorry.”
Dimitri reached across the console and squeezed Sam’s arm. “Thanks. I didn’t tell you to make you sad. Just to ask for a little patience. I know the mage thing is a sore subject for you, but those of us without a mate have been waiting for centuries to find that someone. Our entire drive, our purpose in life, is to find, protect, and support our mate. Those of us without one—it’s like being perpetually stuck in neutral. It can make some dragons pushy when they meet a new mage, or someone they think is a mage.”
“Wow. Yeah. I get it.” He stared at Dimitri for a second, his brow furrowing. “But then why don’t you seem antsy like the others? You’re really chill about everything.”
That was a damn good question. Why wasn’t he more anxious around Sam? When Panu and Sofi had first joined the clan there had been an itchy buzz along his skin, a sense of anticipation. The same thing happened when he was staying at the Burkhard Castle and he was constantly meeting new mages.
But it was different around Sam. He was relaxed, even if his dragon seemed extra grabby.
“I guess I’m chill because I know that when it’s time for me to meet my mate, it’ll happen. I need to trust fate.”
Okay, maybe he was managing to be chill around Sam, but his companions would be cackling their asses off. He hadn’t been chill with them. He’d been a wreck, because he couldn’t wrap his brain around the man seated next to him.
“I hope you find that person,” Sam murmured.
Dimitri reluctantly released Sam and placed his hand on the steering wheel. “Yeah, me too.”
Their conversation died gently, and it was probably for the best as the road became progressively worse. The paved road disappeared completely to become gravel for a bit and then deeply rutted dirt. Dimitri was forced to slow down or risk destroying the shocks on the vehicle.
Thick forest crowded the road on either side and even created a canopy at times, lending to the feeling of traveling through a verdant tunnel. The temperature was steadily climbing and the air grew thicker, more humid. Wind swept through the windows, helping to keep the worst of the heat at bay.
After another hour of dirt paths, they were forced to stop. The road was gone. It simply ended in a large dirt circle and a sharp wall of thick trees and brush. Apparently, the easy part of their journey was now over.
“Shit!” Sam unbuckled his seat belt the second Dimitri put the Jeep into park and glared at the wall of green.
“We knew this was going to happen,” Dimitri patiently reminded him as he turned off the engine.