Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Micah had been pushing the limits since he’d first arrived in this kingdom. He didn’t like the title of beta. He wanted the alpha spot, like in the town or village he’d grown up in, in another kingdom. He’d tried to settle into a commander role, but it chafed, especially with a wolf, me, at the same rank but much better at the job.
“What about Vemar?” Finley asked.
“Not quite strong enough,” Nyfain said. “We’d need two dragons against Micah, but there isn’t room. We need to get him outside, and then we can deal with him.”
“Is he in human form now?” Hadriel asked, using Finley’s hand, fork in her fist, to spear a vegetable.
“Yes,” Nyfain replied. “Inside the billiard room.”
“Okay then, no problem. It’ll be fine. Here we go, love. Treat this thing like a kingly dick and shove it in your mouth. You’ll thank me.”
“Explain,” Nyfain said as Hadriel practically forced the food into Finley’s mouth.
Hadriel stepped back, looking at her chew. “Simple. Aurelia will handle it.”
Finley’s eyes lit up, and then her brows drew together as she looked down at the dish. “Whoa, this is good.” She waved it away, though, obviously worried about her kingdom. “My village reports that the woman Hadriel brought into town has a way of putting drug users to sleep. There are several eyewitnesses. It’s why I asked for her. But Micah is . . . much more dangerous than anyone she would’ve encountered in my village.”
“And right you were.” Hadriel winked. “I was one of those witnesses. Don’t worry about the danger. She can handle it.”
“You are part of this problem of Micah’s,” Finley groused, spearing a hunk of meat. “I’m too annoyed to cut this.”
“And that is why you pay me the big piles of gold that you do.” Hadriel stepped toward her again, treating her like a child. “You’re hangry. Come on, keep eating.”
“Well, hell, I’m curious.” Delaney leaned across the table and speared Nyfain’s dinner with her fork.
“And where is—”
He cut off as Aurelia jogged in carrying an armful of folded tarps. Vemar was right behind her, carrying even more.
“Where to?” Aurelia said.
I led her to the large billiard room. Micah was taller than Nyfain, though not as robust. His brown eyes were wild, and each large hand gripped half of a broken pool stick. Balls littered the ground. Several people stood in there with him, hands out, trying to calm him down. Their power pumped through the air, while tempers ran just as high. Dragons were terrible at handling things in a calm, collected manner. Micah was just about to go berserk.
“Oh yeah, this is great.” Aurelia slipped in through the large dragon males, a tiny figure with zero fear. She glanced around as Micah tensed his whole body and roared at the sky.
I was about to shoulder through to her when Hannon put out his hand to stop me. Nyfain was already moving, yanking the dragons out of the way, taking up residence just inside the doorframe.
Micah zeroed in on him, and more power seeped into the air.
“Get him out of here.” Aurelia spun and pointed at Nyfain. “Get the fuck out of here. You’re making things worse.”
“What did—”
“Go, baby.” Finley slipped by me and grabbed his arm, pulling at him. “Go, my love. She’s right. He’ll challenge, and you’ll answer. Go, go. Step out of sight. I’ll handle this.”
“You can’t handle him in human form.”
“Would you guys get the hell out of here?” Aurelia shouted, looking around the large room. “All of you. He’s not in human form, he’s in drug form. It’s fine. I’ve got this.”
“Go.” Hadriel shooed Finley back, Nyfain with her. “Go, seriously. Trust her. She’s very good at knowing what she can handle.”
There was no fucking way I was stepping back. I wouldn’t leave her to a dragon like Micah. Most of the time he was a good commander, but we’d never gotten along. Trust was hard won, and he’d never tried.
The big dragon shifter stared at me, his face sweaty and pale, his brown hair standing in all directions, eyes manic. He gripped his sticks, leaned back, and roared again.
As the noise died down, a hum in the same pitch rose, the sound calming and tranquil.
Micah cocked his head and turned, finding Aurelia at the back of the room, taking things out of the supply closet. She hummed that tune, keeping his focus and finishing her task quickly. Then she stood in front of the opened door and started a roar of her own, weak and almost silly. He matched it a moment later, suddenly entranced, all his focus on her as she ended in that hum.
Then she picked up a cue ball . . . and threw it at him in such a fast movement that he had no time to react. It hit him square in the middle of the forehead.