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)
As he climbed, lightning streaked behind him, slamming into the ship he’d left in flames. Haru glanced at the ship to see that it had stopped moving. They had possibly crippled it. That was an excellent start, but there were many more to go as they crowded waters near Sirelis.
With a slight nudge from Adrian to indicate that he was ready, Haru plunged out of the clouds, hitting another ship like he had with the first one. But this time, instead of darting up for the heavens, he raced low along the water, weaving between two other ships. It was enough to draw their attention, creating an opening for a pair of Caspagir ships to attack.
Again and again, he dove and climbed. He darted and wove. Six of the Order ships were actively burning, and there was a seventh that was billowing black smoke that he hadn’t even touched. That had to be the work of the sneaky God of Luck. Lightning struck here and there while the winds churned up the waves, making it harder for the ships to maneuver.
Only when the Order’s fleet blocking their path was in chaos did Haru swing toward the prince’s yacht. The captain had turned the engines to full, and the ship was racing through the water at an impressive speed. Haru shifted course and flew alongside the yacht, pacing it, prepared to act as protection until it could reach the other Caspagir ships that were waiting to take over the job of escort.
As they passed through the blockade, with one of the first ships Haru had disabled still smoking badly, another smaller ship darted out to intercept the yacht.
“Motherfucker!” Adrian barked. They had overlooked this one because it was tiny and seemed to disappear in the shadow of the large ships. Yet it was still larger than the yacht and just as nimble. But the biggest difference was its gun. The Order ship had more than enough firepower to punch through the yacht’s hull.
Haru roared, shaking the air with the sound, as he flapped his wings to intercept the Order ship. At his approach, multiple guns opened fire, and he was forced to dodge the incoming bullets. He angled his body to take the brunt of the impact, protecting Adrian’s soft human flesh as best he could.
“Hit the side!” Adrian ordered, and Haru didn’t question it. He turned and pulled his wings up as he slammed his legs and tail into the side of the ship. The force was enough to rock the ship nearly onto its opposite side. Screams rose from the sailors. From the corner of Haru’s eye, he could see silver flashing through the air, and Adrian threw his daggers with flawless precision at anyone who’d clung to the railing closet to them. As Adrian kept the sailors from firing on them, Haru dug his sharp talons through the hull of the ship, tearing through layers of steel as if they were nothing more than warm bread.
With enough holes to cause trouble for the ship, Haru pushed off and took to the air. Adrian’s cackles accompanied them as they climbed. The ship that had tried to launch a sneak attack swung back so that it was properly upright, only now it was taking on water. It had no chance to attack Prince Shey’s ship as it slipped by them.
Haru let out another joyous roar and raced at the yacht that was now surrounded by three Caspagir battleships. As they passed the ships flying the blue and silver flags, all the sailors shouted and cheered for him and Adrian. Yes, that was a proper welcome for a courageous dragon and his mate.
Upon reaching the ship, Haru tensed for a breath and then flapped his wings, speeding past the yacht toward the city that was rising in front of them. Adrian’s surprised “Hey!” made him laugh internally as he faked out his mate. Naturally, Adrian had expected them to return to the ship and enter the city with Prince Shey and Tyche, but Haru had other plans.
All too soon, they would focus their attention on the growing war started by the Federation of Order—what a stupid name—as well as working on finding the evil men who were killing innocent people in Damardor. Stealing moments alone with Adrian was going to become hard. Shey would not miss them for a few hours while they wandered through Sirelis. The palace was easy enough to find. It was the big castle on the hill.
No, he wanted to go on a date with Adrian to celebrate burning so many ships.
TWELVE
ADRIAN WESTERGREN
The wily dragon swooped over the enormous city of Sirelis, giving them an excellent view of the tall buildings, unique architecture, and even a stunning glimpse at the royal palace. However, it was very clear that he wasn’t taking them to the ship. Instead, Haru dropped to the flat roof of what appeared to be a five-story apartment building in a residential neighborhood more than a mile from the palace and the harbor.