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)
“Sorry. I don’t know how to stop it. Or start it. Or even that I’m doing it.”
“I know.” She sighed. “In this moment, I like it. And in this moment, you’ve clearly realized I need it. It feels good to just sit here in anonymity and stare at the pretty light bugs.”
“Emberflies,” I whispered.
“Emberflies,” she repeated, just as softly.
A shadow blotted out the light of the moon, moving across the street. A great green dragon curved through the sky as the patrol did its checks.
A moment later, a loud belch announced a man coming out of an alleyway up ahead. He staggered to the right before turning, his top half swaying a moment before his bottom half joined in. He worked at his pants, moving like he was on the deck of a ship at storm, before untucking himself. A steaming stream of urine splashed against the shop face.
“What the . . .” Finley surged upward, striding over to the man and grabbing him by the collar.
“Wha—” He flailed, letting go of himself. The stream went wide, spraying the sidewalk as Finley flung him into the street. He dribbled the rest across his pants as he rolled across the ground.
“How about a night in the dungeons to sleep it off, huh?” Finley stalked after him.
“Bitch,” he growled, rolling over and pushing shakily to his feet. “Fuck you.”
He swayed and staggered as he tucked himself back into his pants, watching her approach.
“Stupid bitch.” He didn’t bother buckling his pants, instead clenching his fists, clearly ready to fight. He couldn’t have known it was the queen.
Finley’s wide smile made it clear that was the best news she’d heard in a long time.
“Or maybe you’d like to spend the night facedown in the gutter, knocked out? What do you think? I’ll leave you lying near all that piss so you can clean it up tomorrow.”
He swung at her, his movements slow and jerky. She hardly moved, dodging easily, circling him. The emberflies started to clear away from the disturbance. He growled, a line of drool escaping his mouth, and swung again, way wide.
She dodged and slapped his fist before throwing one of her own. A jab only. It smacked him in the jaw, and his head snapped back.
He wiped at his face and swore before launching at her.
I was distracted from the fight when I realized the emberflies weren’t fleeing from the disturbance—they were headed that way and beyond, fleeing from behind me.
My heart jumped into my throat, and I spun around just in time to see a large shape pull away from the corner where it had been watching me. It dashed between the shops. Shadows moved over the form, the person dressed in black, my night vision unable to pierce the gloom enough to discern if it was man or woman, young or old.
“Finley!” I shouted, up in a flash and rushing that way.
“Let me do it!” my wolf said. “I’m faster!”
“It will take too long to shift, just like with that rat.”
I slipped between the buildings, following the sound of fleeing footsteps ahead of me. Feet scuffed along the gravel just as the shape disappeared around a corner.
With a burst of speed, I was there in an instant, grabbing the edge of the building and swinging myself around it. I slammed into someone, knocking the wind out of me. Hands grappled at me, spinning me around so I couldn’t see his or her face, a thin arm holding me put, a glint of metal catching my eye.
A knife!
Panic surged through me, enhancing my reflexes.
“Stall so the dragon can catch up,” my wolf yelled. “You have hardly any training and don’t have a weapon, but a knife in your stomach won’t kill you. Play defense!”
I took the suggestion, slapping at the hand with the knife and throwing my head back to smash it against a chin. Still the person held me, but their movements turned sluggish. They stabbed at my side again, so slow it almost seemed like a joke.
“Aurelia?” Finley called, panic lacing her tone—panic and blistering rage.
“Here!” I yelled, smashing my fist down on the person’s wrist to try to dislodge the knife. They held on to it, but their other hand started to loosen from around my waist. They were aiming to release me, trying to get away from the dragon queen.
She turned the corner in a moment, power blazing through the air, her eyes on fire.
“There’s a knife,” I yelled, latching on to that loosening arm as Finley barreled into him.
She tackled him to the ground, and I was jerked down with them, wrestling with the weapon as she punched him. The person yanked, trying to free the weapon and stick it into Finley. I held on, just barely, until Finley hopped over to his other side and jostled me in the process.