Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Walking carefully, she tugged the first one out as she watched his face for any type of reaction.
“Stop! We don’t want to put you under arrest, miss. That’s a dangerous animal.”
“He hasn’t hurt anyone,” she answered, continuing to pull darts out of him in hope that would stop the flow of whatever they contained from affecting him.
Drake still didn’t move. She could see him breathing. He just needed to wake up.
“Miss, please back away from the beast. We’ll take you to safety,” the police ordered.
“I’m not leaving him. You all should be ashamed of responding like this. What are you going to do now with a giant drugged dragon? Kill him?” she shouted, at her wits’ end.
The quiet that followed answered her question. That’s exactly what they planned to do. Suddenly, her anger with Drake for not telling her the whole truth about his life evaporated. He could have left and protected himself from all this. He had chosen her life over his.
Tears ran down her face. Aurora knew what she had to do. Sitting next to his handsome face, she shouted, “Grandmother! Get all the original families here. We have to protect Drake.”
“She’s already calling, Aurora,” her grandfather told her.
From the direction of his voice, she could tell he had stationed himself behind the massive beast to make sure no one would attack Drake there.
“Pull out any darts,” she instructed.
“None stuck here,” her grandfather answered. “He’s obviously got a hard ass.”
Nervous laughter followed that statement. Aurora cheered inside for her wonderful grandfather who’d just cut the level of concern in half. If the crowd didn’t fear him, they would be less likely to attack.
“I brought you a pizza, miss.” Angelino placed a large, flat box next to her on the ground.
“Thank you, Angelino. Thank you for bringing your family here. And the pizzas. Keep track of what we owe you.”
“Some flour and water, a bit of tomato sauce, and some cheese. It’s nothing,” the pizza maker told her. “Making everyone happy is the most important. You need to get him to wake up, Aurora. I’m hearing rumblings in the crowd.”
“I know. I don’t know why he isn’t waking up.”
“Does he have anything to wake up for?”
Aurora stared at him as her heart sank. Surely, he knew she was just mad at him. She couldn’t stop loving him. A dragon rejected by his mate might not wish to survive. But I didn’t reject him! Did he know that?
“Oh, Angelino. I’ve screwed this up so badly.”
“Then fix it.”
Blinking as that short statement zinged straight to her heart, Aurora knew he was right. She slumped against Drake, trying to send him reassurance that she was there. She hadn’t left.
Something faint whispered at the back of her mind. She could feel Drake.
Blinking up at Angelino, she said, “I know what to do. Keep them distracted.”
“Yes, my lady.”
His old-fashioned address made her smile. She loved that he remembered all the old ways and the importance of keeping the pact with the dragons. “Thank you, Angelino.”
Aurora closed her eyes and felt the air move against her as Angelino moved away. She turned her focus inward. Lifting one hand, she pressed it against her forehead, just as Drake had done. Concentrating her attention there, she forced herself to turn mentally just as Drake had taught her to face her brain.
Even with her eyes closed, the world swayed around her. Biting her bottom lip, Aurora fought to center herself. The first pulse of light caught her attention and made her less dizzy. She concentrated on seeing another one instead of feeling lost in a black void.
There! A pretty pink electric line appeared. She felt the corners of her mouth lift as her discomfort dissolved.
Gold. Look for a gold one, she told herself.
Thoughts zinged around her in all different colors. Finally, she saw something faint in the background. Instantly, she zeroed in on the pale gold light and followed it.
Damn it! She lost it when it faded out.
Drake! Help me!
An image of her handsome mate filled her mind. Another gold line zinged past her. This time it was a bit stronger. She focused on it and kept thinking of Drake. Brighter and thicker, the line gained that gold flash she loved to see in his blue eyes.
“I’m coming, Drake.”
The noise around her grew but Aurora never wavered. Her grandparents and the ancient descendants would protect their bodies. They had to.
A large door appeared before her. Its color was darker and dingier than it had appeared before. The symbol she had drawn on the door looked half erased, making Aurora’s heart sink. She should have never turned away from Drake. She reached for the bottom key—the only one that remained embedded in the locks.
It didn’t budge.
She had to get that door open. Aurora wrapped both her hands around the stubborn key and tried again. This time she leaned in, straining as she used her body weight to add power. She was forced to give up when everything started going black and she realized she was holding her breath. Aurora let go and tried to problem solve. She needed something to lubricate the lock.