Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
His mouth hovered just over mine. He hesitated to close the remaining distance, as if memorizing me, the moment, afraid it might end. As if he’d been starved for this sight for eons and now wished to savor it.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
He did. Softly. It wasn’t careful or reckless but inevitable. Slow and meticulous, as though he sought to fuse our souls. As though I’d become a lifeline beyond survival.
My world narrowed to the space between us, where heat bloomed. Invisible flames licked over my skin, through my veins, one languid stroke after another. I burned and I groaned, clutching his shoulders, soaking in the quiet wonder of his touch. He shook, yet he remained steady and unyielding. Devastating in the best way.
He deepened the kiss, feeding me the most intoxicating desire. I melted beneath him, my body molding to his. I clung to his broad shoulders, clutched at his back.
“Jasher.” When my fingers brushed the sculpted arch of his wings, his breath broke, and he jolted against me. I went still. “Did I hurt you?” Even the thought of causing him pain was unbearable.
His irises glowed, suddenly soft and vulnerable. “I feel you here.” He pounded a fist into the center of his chest, rough, honest. Wrecked. “Awareness of you burns in my cells. You live in my thoughts. Own my heartbeats.”
My head spun with tenderness. Not a code, but a declaration.
He rested his forehead against mine, panting, eyes blazing with too much feeling to contain.
“Baby.” The endearment left me, soft but unstoppable. Devastating to my inner armor. “Whatever happens, I will always love you.”
He lifted his head, his gaze holding mine, unguarded now. Not a warrior. Not a monster. But a man who’d been chosen. He gave me a little smile—and then he kissed me again.
More defenses crumbled. He kissed me and meant it.
A ripping noise from beyond us sliced into my awareness. Must have sliced into his, too. He wrenched from me with a growl. In unison, we scrambled to our feet. Jasher palmed his axes on the way up.
The rainbow birds had returned, squawking with panic. Then they flew off in droves. And my stomach sank.
“They warn of—” Jasher began.
Four adult rabdogs scaled the cavern’s outer ledge to stand in the only exit. Their wiry hair stuck straight up. Their bright red eyes writhed with shadow and light, and their claws flared against the floor, so sharp I swore I heard knives sliding against each other.
Like my Nugget, they were monstrously large amalgamations of wolves, hyenas, and some kind of prehistoric predator, with a spiked snout, huge teeth, and an abnormally arched spine.
“The runts,” he hissed as Kevin fell from his perch.
Jasher stepped forward, a warrior without fear, acting as my shield. The axes appeared in his grip. “Open a waterway and go,” he told me. “I’ll draw them away and find you when I can.”
Even as he spoke, a vision overtook me. For a split second, I saw a vicious battle that ended with three rabdogs dead and the executioner catastrophically injured. A final one-on-one showdown with the fourth runt didn’t end well for either combatant.
No. Not this time. But what should I do? My previous dealings with rabdogs had been wonderful. Other than giving them all a good cuddle and a tasty snack that didn’t involve our internal organs, I was at a loss.
“Here, little doggies,” he taunted, stepping closer to them. “Come and get me.”
As a pack, the rabdogs focused on his weapons, their lips peeling back to display not one but two rows of jagged teeth. Their bodies vibrated, every muscle coiled with malice. The air thickened, abuzz with collective aggression.
Think!
“What are you waiting for? Afraid of losing a limb?” Jasher swung the axes, taking another step forward. A single bead of sweat traced the curve of his jaw and dropped from his chin, landing on the smooth foundation under our feet.
I felt it move and splash. Felt every tinge of moisture in every part of my being. Inhaled its salty bouquet and reached for it…
Something seized me. An unseen hand that gripped my ankles and yanked me down, down into the thin sheen of water soaked into the stone. The world blinked out, swallowed in a rush of darkness. Then, just as suddenly, I absorbed the droplet and rose. But I was no longer behind Jasher. I shielded him, facing the pack.
I blinked rapidly. So did the rabdogs. “What—just—happened?” I demanded.
“Looks like it’s your time to shine, princess,” Jasher said, now calm. Amused even. “Do it. Dance within the mist.”
Did he say dance…within mist?
The rabdogs growled at me and advanced.
“How?” I cried and braced for attack. They crouched in unison, preparing to pounce.
“I’ve waited lifetimes for this moment. Do it. Dance,” Jasher commanded, and this time, my body obeyed as if compelled by the cuffs I no longer wore.