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)
Dimitri pulled away from Ha Na, reaching out with both hands in a clear come here. He tried to say with his expression alone that there was nothing to fear here. It must have worked, as Sam wasn’t the least bit worried as he quickly crossed the distance between them. He didn’t even glance at Rodrigo or hesitate at the ward’s boundary. He just stepped right through.
Excited, Sam said rapidly, “You will not believe this! There’s—oomph.”
Dimitri swooped in on him as soon as he was clear, grabbing him by the waist and hauling him in. Finally. Finally, his mate was back with him, and that nasty ward wasn’t keeping them apart. Dimitri’s heart shook under the wave of relief and his breathing was loud even in his own ears.
No more wards. Dimitri wouldn’t ever, ever let this man go again. Especially to a place he could not follow. Once was most definitely enough.
His bones were going to be turned to dust at this rate. Dimitri was squeezing him so tight he couldn’t breathe, but he could also feel the fine trembling running through his dragon’s entire body. His poor Dimitri had been scared out of his mind with worry.
Never again.
He would never scare Dimitri like that again if he could help it.
That was assuming he survived this hug in the first place.
“Dimitri, son, you’re killing your mate,” interjected a sweet voice over the blood pounding in Sam’s ears.
The dragon instantly released him and took a step backward. Sam twisted his fingers in Dimitri’s T-shirt, holding him close while gasping for air.
“It’s…it’s okay,” he panted. “I’m okay.”
“Oh, he is a cute one,” the same gentle voice murmured.
Sam’s head popped up and he found a tiny Asian woman with blue hair and a warm smile standing next to Dimitri.
“Oh. Hello.” Sam straightened, trying to quickly pull himself together in front of a stranger.
“I’m sorry we didn’t meet earlier. I’m Ha Na, Rodrigo’s mate.”
Sam’s smile froze at the mention of the Valerii king. He’d noticed that the gathering on the other side of the ward had grown significantly while he was gone, but when he’d spotted a worried and frantic Dimitri, everyone else seemed to vanish. His entire being had been focused on one thing—returning to his mate.
Now that he was standing there beside Dimitri, he had to face the king of the Ice Dragons. Fear gripped his heart with icy fingers, and it was a struggle not to take a step closer to Dimitri for protection.
King Rodrigo turned toward him, instantly wrapping an arm around Ha Na’s slim shoulders. Yet the expression on his handsome face wasn’t one of anger or even disgust. It was sadness and a healthy dose of worry.
“Samuel, I know you’re not well acquainted with me yet, but I wish to reassure you that I would never judge you purely on your bloodlines. As long as you never wish harm on my clan, how could I not seek to help and protect you? You’re a mage first, and our job is to protect mages.”
“Even broken ones?”
The worry in Rodrigo’s eyes was pushed back by the smile that transformed his features. “We don’t see broken or unbroken. When we look at you, we see only mage.”
Dimitri wrapped Sam up in another hug from the side, but this one was gentler and allowed him to easily drag air into his lungs. He dipped his head and pressed several sweet kisses to Sam’s temple, washing away the last of his fears and anxiety. He was safe. Dimitri was safe. He wasn’t going to fight with his clan or find himself suddenly homeless because he’d been bonded to a mate with Jaeggi blood.
With his place within the Valerii secured and Dimitri content again, all he needed to focus on now was getting his core fixed—
“Shit! I almost forgot!” He pushed at Dimitri enough to put a little space between them so he could meet his mate’s gaze. “I forgot to tell you what I found. There are a small group of Jaeggi within the ruins, but they separated from the main branch of the clan years ago.” His eyes darted back and forth from Dimitri to Rodrigo as he started to explain what he’d discovered. Other dragons and mages gathered closer with every word, but he ignored them for now. “They used the Nazis to fund their research mission to find the Sousa. Since they located the ruins, they’ve had little contact with the outside world and none with the rest of the Jaeggi Clan in the past five years. They had no idea what’s been happening, especially with the Jaeggi. They’re archeologists and researchers trying to find a way to fix their cores, just like me.”
“Have they found a way?” Evora asked as she moved to stand beside Rodrigo.
“They found a lot of old texts and devices, but they aren’t fluent in the Tupi language like I am. They’re still working on the translations. Plus, it looks like a lot is missing still. So much work needs to be done.”