Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Looking back and forth between the dragons, she saw their eyes flash as they stared at her. One pair bright blue and the other pure bronze. If she hadn’t already thought she would burst into flames at any moment, Skye would have run and never stopped. They felt the connection too.
“Mate,” Ardon claimed her as he tried to draw Skye close.
A vicious growl came from the older dragon. “Mine.”
Neither released her hands as they turned to confront each other. Their bodies formed a living triangle, bristling with territorial mating energy. The hustle and bustle of the square died out as Oldrik’s challenge echoed on the stone walls surrounding them. Yanking herself free from their grip, Skye stepped forward instinctively, pressing her hands to their chests as she created a human barrier between them.
She shifted her attention back and forth between the two shifters, trying to figure out what to do. Raw masculine power radiated from each man. She suspected their dragons were close and the men would soon yield to their more powerful form to end this.
You’re scaring me. Please.
Ardon’s eyes lost a bit of their fire first. His chest relaxed under her palm.
And you said you aren’t polite.
Sensing Ardon was back in control, she addressed Oldrik, enlisting his assistance to pull him back from the brink of violence. I don’t understand this. Can you help me?
His ice blue stare unthawed. Mate. I do not mean to scare you. What you felt was the mating bond snapping into place. Look at your hand.
Skye stared at her hand pushing against his shirt. A faint raised line formed in the shape of a roaring dragon, darkening with every breath. The earlier searing sensation echoed in her mind. She protested, It hurt.
A fleeting injury that I regret.
Ardon interrupted their mental conversation. How is this possible? She has two marks.
They all turned to stare at Skye’s other hand, holding Ardon back. It, too, held a darkening dragon outline.
Two mates. That’s why Ardon and I were confused. You smelt like ours, but something was missing.
Mates?
Bewildered, she glanced back and forth between the dragons. My picture today was unlike any other. Today, the dragon statue blurred my vision. I drew two. One blue and one bronze. Skye waved a hand toward their feet.
The dragons glanced down at the sketch pad, which had tumbled to the ground. Opened, it revealed an exquisite depiction of two dragons facing off against each other. Blue snout to bronze.
“I don’t think they’re going to kill each other now.”
The grumbling words interrupted the trio. As one, they turned to see Keres. Standing with him were five more men who Skye suspected were dragon shifters as well.
“The whole horde didn’t come?” Ardon’s tone held a distinctive ring of annoyance.
“The call alerted everyone. More will arrive. Seems like you all figured everything out,” one suggested.
Drake popped into Skye’s mind from Oldrik. She nodded as Ardon sent her Gold dragon.
Waves of panic gathered around her. She’d been okay with her mate, but all these dragons and the attention of the large crowd overwhelmed her. She grabbed their shirts under her fingers and balled the material into her fists. “Help me.”
“Take her. I will create a path,” Oldrik commanded.
Ardon scooped her up in his arms and followed the blue dragon. Oldrik roared, and the crowd scattered apart. She could feel him wavering between dragon and man and rallied to send him calming thoughts. That exhausted the last of her energy. Skye welcomed the blackness creeping into her mind, erasing her fright.
Oldrik studied his mate’s beautiful face. He couldn’t find her more enchanting. Those big blue eyes and the pale hair gave her an ethereal look. Her slight body was tall and willowy, invoking his protective instincts. He collected special treasures. Her value eclipsed everything.
Working together, he and Ardon had transferred her to a beautiful outdoor plateau between their mountains. Now he held her cradled in his arms as they both sent her mental reassurances. The tension inside her had evaporated as soon as they’d distanced themselves from the curious crowd that had gathered around them.
“Do you know of this happening before?” Ardon asked.
Oldrik shook his head. “Never in our horde. Logically, I’m sure we’re not the first. It would take a special mate to bond with two dragons,” he said. Even he could hear the pride in his voice at the uniqueness of his mate.
“Shall we figure this out before she wakes up?” Ardon asked him.
“Our lives will change immediately. What’s your comfort level in interacting with our mate?”
“Whatever she needs is what she will get,” the younger dragon answered.
“Agreed. I want Skye to feel at home with us. So, one household?” Oldrik suggested.
“And one lair in the case of danger,” Ardon added.
The two dragons stared at each other. Allowing another dragon past the entry of their lair was dangerous. The visiting dragon would know the location and safeguards in effect for the host dragon’s treasures. Taking refuge, however, would only happen in the gravest of peril.