Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
You are greedy, comes the teasing voice. I warned you.
“Warn shmarn,” I mutter aloud, but I’m grinning. Zohr did warn me. I just…can’t help myself. I love sugar far too much to slow myself down. “At least I made the candy canes last a few weeks,” I tell him.
True. You ate all the cake in one night.
“Had to. It was going to go stale once I took the vacuum wrap off of it.”
Bah. Excuses.
Yes indeedy, I do love myself a good excuse. Turns out I love them almost as much as I love cake. “It’s a shame you didn’t find me more,” I hint.
I told you I would find you more, but you said this place was safer.
Damn it. Hate it when he’s right.
It’s true that our current home is a lot safer, even if it’s not as exciting as one of the warehouse stores. It’s an old chain auto center, complete with lifts and a bunch of bay doors and everything. The reason why it’s super defensible? Not many windows. No windows, in fact. The first thing I did when we moved in was lock down the bay doors with chains on the inside and welded all the crevices shut.
Well, I didn’t weld them. Zohr did, since he’s the fire-breathing one and all. After those were secured, we continued to scavenge the local area, setting this place up as our hidey-hole. I have a ladder that goes up to the rooftop, which is kind of our vacation pad. I’ve decorated with patio furniture under an umbrella, and stacks of books and binoculars up there. We hang out up there when the weather’s too hot to stay inside and it’s a non-dragon day.
Downstairs, I’ve made a thick, comfy bed with mattresses (from a nearby mattress store), pillows, and all the non-destroyed sheets I could find. There’s a working sink, a pit we can use for barbecuing, and if it’s not the most comfy or attractive spot, it doesn’t matter because no one’s getting into that building without us knowing about it.
Almost done hunting, boo? I send out to him.
I will return soon, I promise. His thoughts are full of goat and fresh meat.
Bring me back a chicken if you see one, I tell him. There was a whole flock of them wandering the street yesterday.
I shall.
Hurry back, I tell him, and send a few sexy thoughts in his direction. Your mate’s lonely.
I can practically hear his pleased growl.
Truth is, I’m not full of shit when I say that. I am lonely when he’s gone. It’s funny how I’d always prided myself on not needing anyone. On being happiest solo. Those days are long gone. I adore Zohr, and spending time with him is one of the greatest joys ever. I love touching my mind to his and sharing a random thought or a smile. He laughs at all my stupid jokes. He loves helping me weaponize. We read books together at night and play card games—and snuggle.
Lots and lots of snuggling.
I’m in love. I’m happy as could be and all I need in the world is him. Nothing else but Zohr matters…which is why I’m determined as hell to make sure this place is as safe as we can possibly make it.
So our little “home” is more of a compound than an actual cozy house to live in. My idea, not his. He says if we were living like dragons do, he’d pick someplace high up and settle us in for a nest, but he can’t fly and I’m not keen on a hundred flights of stairs just to do anything, so that idea’s out. Since we’re on the ground, I’m making us as defensible as possible.
Our little garage of a home no longer looks welcoming in the slightest.
The perimeter’s totally fenced off and barricaded. That took a few days of work, but we’ve got barbed-wire coils all up and down the sides of the building and through the parking lot. Spikes and broken glass carpet everything except for our “landing” spot. Since the front door’s welded shut, the only way to get in and out is via the hatch in the roof. Zohr carries me on his back, and if I need to get out on my own, I have an emergency ladder I can lower down the side of the building.
I’ve got a few booby-traps set up, too. Buckets are lined around the edges of the building, ready to rain down tacks or broken glass if someone gets too close. I have clear fishing-line trip wires set to tinkle wind chimes if someone approaches. Over the last week, we’ve blockaded all the nearby streets by moving broken-down cars to block the roads, so no one can ride a motorcycle up to our front porch.
No one’s getting close without us knowing about it, and I’ve worked hard on weaponizing from within, so even if someone does get close, I’ll be ready. I have guns, knives, homemade Molotovs, and a number of rather ugly implements ready to throw at anyone that approaches. If Azar’s human men come, we’re ready. On that end, we’re safe.