Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Thank goodness the swinging blade had discouraged them. When the bravest had entered the narrow opening first, that booby trap had taken him out. The remaining two hadn’t dared enter after that, thank goodness. It had taken days of hauling water to pour over the stones inside to wash away the stench of the slain dragon’s blood after she’d pushed the body out.
Hands wrapped under her, helping Rimi float on the surface. Keres pressed a kiss to her shoulder before straightening. He didn’t say a word, but simply held her.
To her dismay, tears poured from her eyes. Her entire life, no one had been there to help her. Her mom had abandoned her and her twin, Oldrik, as soon as he could forage for the two of them. Oldrik had protected her until he’d matured. The need for a mate had driven him to leave. He hadn’t gone willingly and had tried to convince her to come with him. Her mother had pounded into her brain the need to hide from male dragons. The idea of having a horde of dragons around her had terrified Rimi, so she’d refused. After he left, she’d felt so alone.
Keres lifted her into his arms. He hugged her tight to his chest as he brushed his fingers over her scalp and through her locks. She curled herself around him, yielding to the need for support. She could be weak for a bit.
“You are the bravest dragon I’ve ever met,” Keres whispered to her. “You will never be alone again.”
“Great luck I have. We’re trapped in here and will die. The last surviving one of us will turn to cannibalism to survive,” she muttered, imagining the worst-case scenario.
“Remember, bath first. Get out second.” His hands splashed water over her gently.
“I can get cleaned up,” she protested, shifting away slightly.
“You can,” he acknowledged as he continued to stroke wet hands over her.
“That means you can stop.”
His hands froze on her hips. “Do you not like my touch, Mate?”
She opened her mouth to tell him no, but as she met his gaze, she noticed his eyes had turned completely black. He seemed to see inside her soul. Rimi nodded. “I love the way you touch me.”
“Then letting me take care of you makes us both happy.” He returned his attention back to his task.
Two could play at that game. Rimi splashed water onto his chest and smoothed the liquid over his skin. How could anyone be in that incredible shape? His muscles felt like they had muscles. When she reached below the waterline, her fingers brushed his rigid shaft. Her gaze jolted upward to meet his as her fingers wrapped around him. That had fit inside her?
“If we are close, Snowflake, my cock is going to celebrate,” he told her with a smirk that she wanted to not like, but it was so darn cute.
He wrapped his hand around hers and guided her grip up and down his cock. “We will have a lifetime to share what excites us.”
“You like this,” Rimi whispered before she could stop herself.
“Yes,” he growled, easily revealing how much the caress meant.
She was disappointed when he drew her hand away, “But…”
“We need to figure out how to get out of here, Snowflake. Then we can play all we wish.”
Rimi nodded. He was right. “What happens if we get out and those two are still outside?”
“They die if they attack my mate. I don’t know if they’ll detect that we’re mated—or if they’ll care. This is unfamiliar territory for me as well. You will be safe, and we’ll head home.”
That term home seemed so alien. She’d never had a home. Only temporary shelter.
“You have a home, Mate, with me.”
“Stop reading my mind,” she snapped. It was disconcerting to have him pick up on her feelings so easily.
“I didn’t need to snoop in on your thoughts, Rimi. Your expression and the small bit of your history that I know clued me in on that one.”
“Do you really want to battle other dragons who want to mate with me?” She gasped when his hands tightened painfully on her hips.
“No one will mate with you. You are mine. No one else’s.” Keres claimed her with such a fierce look and tone that she shivered in reaction.
Rimi definitely didn’t want to tangle with him. Unfortunately, he had to understand her reality. “Keres, listen to me. Female dragons are rare. I don’t think nature is going to let you keep me.”
“It is. Nature doesn’t get a choice here. You are mine,” he repeated.
Shaking her head, Rimi stopped arguing with him. He seemed so sure. Could their mating have changed her allure for others? That little voice in the back of her mind asked if it would make her more appealing to steal away or less since she belonged to Keres?