Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
It’s another thing I’ll worry about in a few days. For now, I need fresh water, or I’m not going to make it a few days. My throat is dry and aching, and I’m feeling like I need a quick wash. If he can lead me to fresh water, that’s the first priority.
He hands me the canteen back and I loop it around my neck, settling it between my naked breasts. “All right, I’m ready, Jurik,” I say brightly. “You lead the way.”
The dragon-man studies me for a moment, then moves close. He cups my face in his clawed hands and I think for a moment that he’s going to kiss me. My heart pounds in anticipation and heat pulses through my body. But he only rubs his nose lightly against mine, smiles down at me, and then takes a few steps back.
The shift he makes is instantaneous and leaves me breathless. One moment, Jurik-the-man is there. In the next, Jurik-the-dragon looms over me, all golden scale and massive body.
But Jurik's eyes are still whirling with more gold than black, so when he extends his big claws toward me, I step into them, clutching my bag. I hold my breath, heart hammering, and the scars on my face ache as if the thought of trusting a dragon has reopened them again. This is the best option, I remind myself. Jurik doesn't want to hurt you. He just wants to be your friend.
And lover.
And mate.
“Friend” makes me panic the least, though, so I chant that word in my head as the claws gently curl around my body and he pulls me against his chest. His wings spread, and then his entire body hunches, as if coiling like a spring, and then he leaps into the air. His wings flap hard, and the air buffets my hair into my face, my limbs swaying with the force of his launch. Then we're in the air, rising higher, and I open my eyes to peek out. The world spreads out below, and all my fear disappears. It's not the heights that frighten me, it's the dragon.
This part? This part is really cool. I watch with interest as we fly over clusters of old neighborhoods, utterly demolished. We pass by highways that look more like parking lots, and keep flying outward. I have no idea where he's taking me, and after a while, I start to enjoy the ride. I'm seeing parts of Old Dallas I've never seen before, and my mind is alight with all the possibilities. We pass by a shopping area that looks more intact than the ones near the fort, and I long to go down there and start exploring, to scavenge through what's left to see what I can find. But we keep flying, and I hide my disappointment.
To my surprise, Jurik keeps flying in a straight line and the buildings start to thin out. The suburbs, I remember vaguely, as more houses appear than businesses, and when he zooms in toward a particular area, it looks like just more and more houses. An old gated community, I realize, the gates destroyed and hanging off their hinges at the entrance to the neighborhood. Most of the tightly clustered houses have collapsed or been burned, but at the far end of the neighborhood, surrounded by an overgrown concrete walking path, is a sparkling lake. There are ducks on it, and when we approach, I see a man-made fountain still burbling in the center of the lake, cycling the water to keep it fresh.
Well, mostly fresh, I decide as Jurik lands in the grass at the edge of the lake and the fleet of ducks go flying. This water will be fresh enough, I decide, and if I can't drink it, maybe I can find a working faucet in one of the houses nearby.
The dragon sets me down gently onto the grasses, and my bare feet touch poky weeds that prickle. I grimace, remembering my abandoned shoes. I'd slept with them off because they pinched my feet, and now I'm regretting that.
Fresh water, new clothes, and shoes, I remind myself, keeping a mental list. Now I just have to somehow let Jurik know what I need. I set my bag down carefully on the grass, get out my canteen and turn to look at the dragon.
He hasn't shifted back to human form yet. His tail flicks back and forth and he keeps his head high, nostrils flaring as he scents the air. Checking for danger? Or is there something else in this area I need to be worried about? I think of nomads, and the horror stories I've heard, and cross my arms over my naked breasts. I'm incredibly vulnerable right now without a lick of clothing, and I might have an ugly face, but naked boobs trumps everything, I'm pretty sure. I watch Jurik, concerned, until he relaxes. He leans in and nuzzles me with his enormous head, and then shifts to his human form.