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)
Hadriel was now doing that for me. “You’re like a pincushion. I know you have a high tolerance for pain, but this is beyond.”
“It’s not deep. I barely feel it, honestly. And it helps knowing that it’s short-term. I’ll be better in no time.”
“She really is very nonchalant about danger,” Vemar said. “Even as a dragon, I’m not used to it. It’s a little unnerving.”
I gave Hadriel a suffering look. “Vemar is helping me learn just how arrogant dragons tend to be.” Vemar chuckled. “Right, okay, let’s set up that other one—”
“No, you will not,” Arleth said, her tone steely. “You will absolutely not set up something like that again. It’s much too dangerous. You could get us all killed.”
I paused. “I will admit, that’s a fair point. It’s no problem—I’ll just go set up around the back, then.” I paused for a moment, my lips pursed in thought. “That’s better, actually. Then we won’t have to carry it anywhere.”
“I’m on it.” Vemar slipped through the doorway to get more supplies.
“No.” Arleth put out her hand to try to stop Vemar, but he was already gone. It was clear he was having a great time despite the danger. Actually . . . maybe because of the danger. “This is ridiculous. You’ll kill yourself.”
“All due respect, Queen Mother, but you guys are going to kill me anyway. What does it matter if it is sooner or later? Besides, I didn’t get where I am—making the best drugs on the market, as the queen said—by going slow and being safe. Granny rewarded speed over safety, and trust me, rewards were much better than punishments. It’s ingrained. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to try one more thing before I hit the library again. Then I’d like to sort out that Moonfire Lily, even though it seems quite happy in its bucket.”
Chapter 17
Weston
Dragons soared overhead as my wolf loped through the Royal Wood, using the pack bond to note everyone’s locations. The sentry and patrol placements spread out in our shared consciousness like a map, each person like a glowing point. In our mind’s eye, we added in the flight paths of the various dragons. They couldn’t form a bond like wolves or some other shifters and had to rely on sight and sound. The sheer distance they could cover, not to mention their power, made up for it.
As we were identifying the few places where we could tighten up the patrol before moving on to the various villages, a disturbance lit up along the bond. Fancetta’s route. Dante was stopped with her—he’d called my wolf through the bond, his request urgent.
No one else in the kingdom showed any signs of disturbance. This was good news. It meant whatever had drawn Dante’s alarm was not widespread.
My wolf headed his way immediately, taking as straight a path as the various trees and flora would allow. A wince of pain flashed through my mate bond.
“What could Aurelia be doing?” I groused as my wolf wound closer to Dante. We’d been feeling it for a few hours now; nothing too bad, but there were occasional flares from various places on her body.
“Whatever it is,” my wolf replied, “her wolf is delighted with it. She’s having fun.”
The trees ended in a jagged line along a strip of cleared land with a road leading into the only city in the kingdom. It was a fraction of the size of the port city in the Red Lupine, the populace here having been greatly diminished during the decades-long curse. Even so, there was no city in the magical world that could boast the same level of cleanliness and finery. The dragons were pouring a substantial amount of their kingdom’s profits into rebuilding, creating new homes, and extending their markets. It would take decades, but I knew eventually this kingdom would be the envy of the magical world.
Dante waited with Fancetta in the central market, a large, bustling affair with carts and stalls as well as permanent shops and extravagant merchant outlets. The brick-and-mortar sellers existed in organized lines and in orderly fashion, taking up about half of the current market. The rest, patiently waiting for more establishments to be built, set up temporary shops using any means necessary to catch the public’s eye. The king’s guard patrolled at all hours, ensuring there was no theft or vandalism, and even the smallest stalls kept to some sort of order within the bustling chaos. It was probably the safest central city market I’d ever been in, and because of it, commerce thrived.
Each wolf in the market wore a similar long slip. Clothes or fabrics were stashed in various locations in the kingdom so that official personnel could cover up in public.
“Beta,” Dante said after I’d shifted. He stood next to an empty cart cleared of items holding a rolled-up piece of paper in his left hand. Fancetta handed me a slip.