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)
“Save yourself if there is a conflict. A male dragon won’t hurt me. Well, not to the point I couldn’t try to produce an heir.”
She forced herself to stop talking when Keres’s intensive glower brought his brows almost together in the middle of his forehead. “I get it. I’m yours.”
“Good girl.”
She didn’t understand the thrill that went through her at the small bit of praise. Keres stepped forward to pull her through the darkly shadowed water. He hugged her tight against his hard muscles and dipped his head to capture her lips.
The kiss seared through her, staking his claim. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he dominated her so deliciously. Her brain went on overload, unable to focus on anything else but him. Rimi panted when he lifted his head, as she struggled to pull her thoughts back together.
“Now. We’ll figure a way out of here and start our way home.”
“Can we stop and get more cows?” she blurted.
“Of course. Let’s go see what those two disasters did to the entrance.” Holding her hand, he helped her out of the pool.
Rimi treasured those small gestures. He didn’t know he was her first for so many things. She squeezed his hand before letting go. Did his fingers linger against hers?
After checking out the amount of rubble filling the entrance, Rimi figured she needed to scout for another exit. Between Keres sealing the opening behind them and those two raging dragons, the passage appeared permanently sealed. She’d already checked for a secondary way out when she’d settled here. After two months, she’d given up.
“Scoot back, Snowflake. I’m going to change and see if I can push some of these stones out.”
Keres shifted effortlessly into his striking black dragon form. If anything could create an opening for them, it would be this massively muscled beast. Keres lowered his head to press against the rubble. Nothing moved. His talons dug into the stone floor of the cavern, and his muscles shook with the strain. Rimi didn’t detect any movement at all.
Feeling ridiculous just watching, Rimi shifted as well. Squeezing her smaller bulk beside her enormous black mate, Rimi set her forehead against the stones and pushed. Again, nothing.
Fury filled her. She finally had a chance to live instead of hide. At least to share her life with someone, and now those rocks kept her trapped. This was completely unfair. She strained forward with everything inside her. When she considered giving up, a muffled tinkling of rocks falling drifted to her ears.
That’s it, Mate. Push with me, Keres encouraged her.
Remembering how Keres dug his claws into the stone, Rimi pushed hers into the hard surface. Small stones skittered across the ground under their feet. She lined up shoulder to shoulder with her mate, and Keres’s powerful muscles strained next to hers.
I’m trying.
That’s it. The rock is moving, Keres announced.
The quiet dribble of rocks steadily increased to a torrent. How much would they have to move to create an opening? She backed up and lunged forward, hoping momentum would help clear the way.
That was it! Suddenly, Keres threw himself over her vulnerable form. The impact knocked the air from her lungs. Rimi pushed at him desperately, trying to shove him off. She struggled to breathe, pinned under Keres’s weight. What was he doing?
That thought had barely formed in her brain when enormous boulders rained down on top of Keres. He jolted into her. Keres!
She grabbed ahold of the foreleg closest to her and wiggled backward. Her muscles burned with the effort to move both of them away from the assault from above. Keres didn’t yell at her. He didn’t move.
Her heart leapt into her throat. He had to be okay. She heaved herself backward, yanking him to what she hoped was safety. Seconds later, a massive boulder crashed down on the space where their heads had been seconds before with a thunderous impact. The sliver of sunlight it revealed gave her hope that an escape was possible. A menacing rumble sounded above them, demanding her attention.
Keres! We have to move now!
His mind brushed hers, and she seized on it. Help me, damn it! She flung herself backward, dragging him with her, and felt Keres assisting her efforts. She rose as high as she could on her legs and threw herself backward with Keres’ help.
A ton of rubble cascaded from the side of the mountain. The tumbling mass created a slanted platform, ushering the stone rock face past their location and down the slope. From their new location, she could see their former position had become the impact zone. As debris filled the air, Rimi hid her face against Keres’s scales and held her breath.
The glint of sunlight ricocheting off Keres’s pitch-black scales signaled it was safe to assess their situation. Motes of dust twinkled in the bright glare. Rimi dragged air into her starving lungs.