Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
“Can you do me a favor now?”
Haru blinked. He hadn’t expected that. “Of course.”
“Stay and talk to me. You can talk about anything you want. Tell me about your home. What it’s like to fly. How your clan makes its wonderful wine. I don’t care. I feel like time goes faster when I’m talking to you. Otherwise, I’ll go crazy with worry.”
Yes, this was an excellent idea. He could use the distraction, too. Haru stood up so he could lie properly on the bed with his head on the pillows. He folded his hands on his stomach and proceeded to tell Tyche all about the different wines that were made on the Isle of Stone. The conversation was painfully boring and dry, but it meant that neither of them was worrying about the mates who were somewhere in the darkness of Bellcairn.
Close to dawn, Haru woke from a light doze. There were sounds of a commotion on the first floor. He tapped Tyche awake and was on his feet, crossing the room in an instant. Tyche followed behind him without making a noise.
Haru didn’t even think of grabbing a weapon as he charged down the stairs, but he saw that it wasn’t needed. The crowd at the front door parted to reveal a filthy and exhausted Adrian, followed by Shey.
He didn’t hesitate or even think. He shoved people out of his way and wrapped his mate up in his arms, threatening to squeeze the very breath from his lungs.
“You are late,” Haru growled into Adrian’s damp hair. He sucked in some air and his nose wrinkled. “And you smell awful.”
Adrian huffed a near-silent laugh and leaned on Haru more than held him. “It was a long, tiring night. How about you help me wash and tuck me into bed? We can talk about things after we’ve had eight hours of sleep.”
“What he said,” Shey echoed in a very weary voice.
That was fine. Haru didn’t care about all the whys and hows of what had happened. All that mattered was Adrian safe in his arms. A bath, though, was a splendid idea. He did not want his Adrian to fall asleep smelling like a heap of wet, rotting garbage.
THIRTY
ADRIAN WESTERGREN
Adrian didn’t ever want to move another muscle again.
After a shower that mostly consisted of him leaning on the wall while standing in the spray and eating a sandwich that he couldn’t recall tasting, Adrian fell into bed and was unconscious before his head was on the pillow.
Hours later, someone claimed it was time for a meeting. How the hell was he supposed to get up when his body was still so tired? Plus, there happened to be a sexy, half-naked dragon wrapped around him, holding him as though he never meant for them to be parted. Why the fuck would he ever willingly get up?
Oh, that’s right.
Evil man trying to kill gods. Someone had to save the world. Blah blah blah.
He just wanted five more minutes.
Maybe ten now that Haru was kissing along his shoulder.
More knocking on the door. This time it was Shey, and he didn’t sound happy.
After another shower and another sandwich he couldn’t taste, Adrian was up and cradling a cup of coffee as if it were his lifeline back to the living. He glanced through the living room crowded with people he didn’t know. He vaguely recalled some quick introductions on his way to his first shower, but it was all a blur.
He found a familiar face at last. Tyche sat on the sofa with his legs folded in front of him, holding his mug of coffee the same way as Adrian. Shey was beside him, perched on the sofa arm and scowling like an angry rain cloud ready to burst all over the meeting. Neither of them looked as if they’d gotten nearly enough sleep even though it was late afternoon.
Haru stood beside Adrian’s chair, his arms crossed and a rare frown on his lips.
Jules perched on the edge of the sofa cushion beside Tyche, all of his attention on the map spread out on the coffee table. Both he and his companions appeared as if they’d gotten some sleep. The unfamiliar faces all had an air of discomfort or awkwardness, as if they weren’t sure how to handle Adrian and his friends.
“Nigel, why don’t you start with what you’ve learned?” Quill coaxed.
The young man with the thin hair and narrow face swallowed hard and nodded as he stepped forward. “They moved up the flag ceremony.”
“What?” That single word exploded from several people, and Haru even took a menacing step toward Nigel as if the change in the timing of their attack was all his fault.
“My sources say that the situation within Bellcairn has grown too volatile and if they wait longer, it will only get worse. To get ahead of it and to keep the chancellor safe, they’ve moved up the timeline by nearly a week. It’s happening in two days.”