Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
I stand frozen near the iron door, the torch long since extinguished in my hand, my heart hammering in my chest.
Goddess… what a monster!
But even as the thought crosses my mind, I know it isn’t true. He’s not monstrous—not to me. Because when he turns his enormous head toward me, his movements are slow and careful. His eyes—those same molten gold eyes I’ve come to know so well—glow like twin suns.
He lowers his massive head until it rests upon the ground before me. The gesture is gentle, almost reverent—a giant bowing to someone fragile but greatly valued.
His head is twice as long as I am tall. His horns are elegant curves of polished onyx, and the scales along his snout are small and smooth, shimmering faintly with hints of deep purple where the light touches them. Steam curls faintly from his nostrils as he exhales, and the scent that fills the air is the same as Xaren’s skin—spice and smoke and something clean, like rain striking hot stone.
And yet, despite his size, despite the teeth and claws and the faint shimmer of flame deep in his throat, I don’t feel afraid.
If anything, I feel…drawn to him…drawn to the beast.
It’s a pull deep in my chest, a magnetic tug that feels older than memory—a feeling too deep and true to ignore or deny. I want to go to him. No, more than that—I need to.
The Drake’s massive golden eye regards me solemnly. It blinks once, slowly—almost like a nod. And somehow, I know it wants me to come closer.
It wants me to trust it.
“No,” I whisper to myself, and shake my head. “Not it… him.”
Because the Drake isn’t just some mindless beast—it’s Xaren. His other self. His truest self.
I take a shaky breath and step forward.
“Hello, er… it’s nice to meet you,” I say, my voice trembling despite myself.
The great golden eye blinks again, a long, slow shutter of the lid that feels more alive and expressive than any words could be. Warmth flows from him, rippling through the air—heat that radiates from his body like the steady hum of a furnace.
I get the strangest feeling that he wants me to touch him. Not because he demands it, but because he needs it. The thought presses into my mind, soft and insistent—like a whisper without sound.
“Can… can I touch you?” I ask softly, raising my hand.
The huge head remains still, and that blazing eye holds mine. It blinks again—I take that as a “yes.” I walk forward, towards him.
The closer I get, the more details I can see. Each scale is perfectly formed, not sharp like I’d imagined, but smooth and faintly iridescent. They catch the light like polished gemstones. His neck is as thick as a castle tower, and the slow rise and fall of his breathing makes the very ground tremble beneath my feet.
My hand trembles as I reach out and press it lightly against his muzzle.
Heat thrums beneath his skin—almost too hot, but not quite painful. And then—
Oh Goddess of Mercy—something shifts inside me.
It’s like a wave crashing through my soul. I’m suddenly flooded with emotion—fierce, wild, and utterly pure. There’s no mistaking the feelings that roll through me in a rush: possessiveness, protectiveness, and beneath it all, a love so deep and vast it feels like drowning in the ocean.
The Drake loves me.
Not just with Xaren’s love—but with his own. His love is primal…ancient…boundless. He wants to keep me safe, to guard me, to wrap me in his wings and keep me warm and protected against every hurt in the world.
No one has ever felt this way for me before—not even my parents. For though they were loving enough when I was a child, they sold me to the Citadel when the Queen’s men came looking for a bride with the right bloodlines—the right coloring.
But I know that the Drake would never give me up—not for money or treasure, because I am a treasure to him—the greatest treasure that could ever be or ever has been. I am his beloved, just as I am Xaren’s beloved.
The thought comes to me again—he loves me.
My throat tightens and my vision blurs. Before I know it, I’m pressing both hands against his muzzle, then leaning forward, wrapping my arms around him as best I can. My embrace is pitifully small against his massive head, but he makes a low rumble in his chest that feels like a purr, vibrating through my body.
“Oh, you’re so sweet,” I whisper, tears slipping down my cheeks. “I care for you too—I love you too.”
The Drake exhales softly, a gust of air that lifts my hair and smells of spice and heat and open skies. He closes his eyes halfway, as though savoring my touch.
And that’s when I feel it—something stirring inside me.
Deep in my chest, something moves. Not my heart—something deeper. Something with wings. Something that feels like it’s been sleeping my whole life and is now beginning to wake.