Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42796 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42796 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Brooks! Come here!
This time, he moved immediately. As he scrambled away, a hand grabbed at his biceps, but Brooks wrenched his arm away, hitting the ground. His fingers brushed the heavy knife. Automatically, his fingers closed around the handle, and he pulled the blade up to defend himself as he pivoted to face the second man.
No way! He wasn’t going to be a hostage ever again.
“Get away from me,” Brooks growled.
Just me, Mate, Rogan told him as his arm wrapped around Brooks to toss him several feet behind him into the hay.
The man shrunk away from the dragon shifter, innately sensing that running from the beast would be the last thing he did. “I can tell you what they’re planning. Kill me and you’ll be clueless until it happens.”
“Rogan, let us take him away and you can see to your mate,” Drake’s voice sounded from behind them. Rogan didn’t look away from his prey.
“He attacked Brooks,” Rogan snarled.
“He will pay for that,” Keres assured him, appearing behind the culprit.
“Wait! No! I’m not going to tell you anything if you hurt me,” the man yelled.
“You’re going to tell us everything,” Oldrik promised. “The amount of pain it takes to get the truth is completely up to you.”
“Keres? Will you take care of tying this guy up so he can’t do anything stupid?” Drake asked, pulling a length of rope from the wall and tossing it to Keres.
“On it.”
“Hey! Watch it. Oof! That’s too tight! You’re going to cut off my blood supply.”
“You don’t need those hands to talk,” Keres pointed out and continued binding the man into a neat, tidy package that a dragon could easily transport.
The pounding of Brooks’s heart slowed and he could feel his blood pressure coming down as the shock and adrenaline wore off. A purring visitor had come to check on him as soon as he’d landed. Instinctively soothing Brooks, Marmalade busily rubbed against his face and licked on his hair. Curling his fingers in the silky fur, Brooks told himself it was over. He needed one more thing.
Daddy?
Rogan whirled at that messaged plea and raced to his mate’s side. Brooks sat on the bale of hay where Rogan had tossed him, but now an orange tabby kitten curled up in his lap. “Are you okay, Adventurer?”
“I think I’m done with adventures for a long time, Daddy,” Brooks whispered. “I’m okay.”
“Let me see where he cut you,” Rogan demanded, gently tilting Brooks’s chin up. His fingers smoothed softly over the stinging injury. “You’re okay, Mate. Let’s get this cleaned up so it doesn’t get infected.”
“Can Marmalade come?” Brooks wasn’t quite ready to let the purring kitten go.
“Marmalade, huh?”
“I’m guessing you have a cat now, Rogan. He’s already got a name,” Drake observed.
Rogan rolled his eyes at that observation. “I knew I had a cat the minute Brooks came down here to visit them,” Rogan answered, acknowledging the creature’s place in his household. “Marmalade can come to the house for a visit while we get you doctored up. Then his mama will want him back.”
“Okay,” Brooks agreed. As long as he didn’t have to give the sweet kitten up yet, it would be okay. “Can I sleep down here with him?”
“No, Brooks. You will each sleep in your own beds for a couple more weeks. Come on. Let’s show Marmalade the house. Maybe he’ll decide he’d rather stay in the barn,” Rogan suggested as he helped Brooks to his feet.
The kitten meowed his denial of that suggestion, as if he understood what they were discussing.
“I’ll haul this guy to my mountain for questioning,” Keres stated.
“I’ll take him,” Drake declared.
“Fine. You have all the fun. I’ve got other things to do. Call if you need help,” Keres offered.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Drake told him as Rogan led Brooks from the barn.
Epilogue
Keres shifted and waited for Oldrik to arrive. He’d put off this moment for as long as possible. Now with black thoughts pummeling him from all sides, Keres knew he needed to act now. The bronze dragon’s wings reflected the sunlight as he landed.
“Oldrik. Thank you for meeting me.”
“I don’t enjoy disguising anything from my mate and Ardon. You said this was urgent,” the dragon shifter flatly stated.
“Tell me where your sister is.” Keres got straight to the point.
“Why?” Oldrik asked bluntly.
“You know why. It’s the end for me. I’ll replace myself for the horde.”
“Your mate might be on the next transport,” Oldrik pointed out.
“The numbers of those arriving have dwindled to a handful every month. The list of missing Wyverns is blank, except for a few older people. There are no arriving mates now, Oldrik. I have to face the truth. There isn’t a mate for me in this generation. I can’t last for another one. It’s over for me. Tell me where she is.”
“I can’t do that for her safety, Keres.”