Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Dax leaped, ripped the snake away from him, and he fell to the ground. The chimera turned its snarling heads toward Dax. The snake whipped toward him, and he grabbed it and squeezed. He knew chimeras, knew that though the teeth in the lion’s head were sharp, it was the snake venom he had to worry about. He kept his grip on the snake strong, using his other hand to fight off the lion’s snapping jaw.
With time not on his side, he risked letting go of the snake to grab the more fragile goat head. He lifted the creature up over his head and heaved it at the brick wall. It slammed against the rough surface and slid to the ground but quickly regained its feet.
The snake head hissed and whipped back and forth as the chimera began circling him.
Dax growled. He didn’t have time to fuck around with this thing. The human had venom racing through his body and needed treatment. Dax rushed the chimera and ducked to grab two of its legs, avoiding the razor-sharp teeth. With a yell, he swung it around and smashed it into the wall, then spun around to smash it yet again.
It went limp, and he dropped it, only taking enough time to make sure it was unconscious. Out or dead, he didn’t care which. When it didn’t move, he rushed back to the human, ignoring the people gathering at the mouth of the alley, drawn by the noise. The cleanup wizards would use a spell to blur their memories.
He dropped to the ground, leaning over the man, who was gasping and staring into the night sky. His blue eyes suddenly locked onto Dax, and he seemed to hold his breath. He reached up to gently touch Dax’s cheek.
“Oh,” he whispered. “Who are you?”
There was some kind of wonder in that glazed-over gaze, and it was Dax’s turn to hold his breath as they stared at each other. In that moment, it felt like something momentous was happening. A warm rush of hope filled his chest. The way this man stared at him—was he seeing the real Dax?
Dax let the breath out when the man’s eyes closed and his body slumped. He had passed out.
Dax jumped to his feet, pulled out his phone, and called Xavier.
“I need a cleanup crew at the restaurant.” He rattled off the address. “I just killed a chimera who attacked a human.”
“Was he bitten?” Xavier asked.
“Yes.”
“You need to get him here fast. I’ll call Alaric.”
“You’ll have to send someone here to take over.” Dax didn’t give a shit if he did or not. The client didn’t need a bodyguard, just a prop, and this man needed care right away. That thought took over everything. Dax lifted the man’s slight form carefully into his arms and hurried toward his car. He didn’t bother to tell the client he was leaving. His only goal in that moment was to reach Alaric before the chimera’s venom left this man a vegetable for life.
Dax broke every speed limit to get to Protective Solutions. He’d laid the human in his back seat, and he kept glancing back the whole time he drove. The man lay frighteningly still. At every stoplight, Dax reached back to make sure he was still breathing. He was, but it was shallow, and his skin felt clammy.
His own heart kept racing, and his palms sweated on the steering wheel. Fear was ripping through him in quite a profound manner, and he had no idea why.
He was overwhelmed with worry, and he didn’t even know this human’s name.
When he finally arrived, he jumped out of his SUV and opened the back door. The human was still breathing, but his face was sickly white. Dax carefully lifted the human into his arms. He cradled him close and hurried into the building. Xavier and Alaric were waiting for him. Xavier pointed toward a first-floor conference room that held a couch.
The man started to convulse as Dax raced that direction.
“Shit!” Dax gritted out. He held the human closer. His sense of urgency still had him reeling because he didn’t know the man. But he’d felt something when they’d looked at each other in that alley. Something he was too hopeful to name.
“Dax, you have to lay him on the couch.” Xavier gently touched his arm. “He needs healing right now.”
Dax reluctantly laid the convulsing man onto the gray couch, then stepped back to watch anxiously. Alaric knelt and put his hands on him. It took only moments for the human to still.
The relief that swept through Dax made his knees feel like jelly.
Xavier pulled him aside. “What’s going on? I’ve never seen you this agitated.”
All Dax’s words tangled in his throat. He swallowed back the lump before trying to answer. “I have no idea what’s going on. I’ve never seen this man before tonight, but you should have seen the way he looked at me right before he passed out. I think he could really see me. I think he’s one of them.” He paused and cleared his throat that still felt knotted. “There was absolutely no fear in that look, Xavier. It was like he was looking into my soul. So I just…” He trailed off, unable to put his hope into words.