Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
They’d left the thin trail—if you wanted to be daring and call it a trail—behind three days ago and had been cutting through the thick growth with machetes. It was incredibly slow going through the jungle as they worked steadily higher, trimming back the greenery and avoiding the local wildlife, while at the same time checking for any signs of either the Sousa or the Tupã. There hadn’t been many. Over the past four days, they’d located only a couple of carvings in rocks that looked to be symbols from the Sousa language, but even those had been so weathered and worn away Samuel hadn’t been able to read them.
The signs should have been heartening, but they sent a shiver of fear through him. What if the notes and artifacts left behind were too damaged for him to read? Five centuries had passed since anyone had seen them. They had been living in a mountainous region that saw constant rainfall and humidity with the chance of flooding and landslides. What he was searching for could be completely lost to time. What was the chance any of it was preserved?
Egyptologists had it easy. The dry desert preserved everything. Why couldn’t the Sousa have lived in the desert?
Of course, that would have meant he’d be trekking through the scorching desert right now. Sand would be everywhere. In every hole and crevice. Ew.
“We got another knot!” Gregori shouted ahead of the group.
Samuel tipped his head back and closed his eyes, feeling the sweat on his forehead slip down his temples and into his hair. “Oh, thank god,” he whispered to himself. A knot meant they’d hit a tangle of vines and bushes that required a brief halt to the march so a team could hack an opening big enough for them to pass through.
At first, Samuel had been incredibly grateful the dragons had allowed him to serve in the rotation. He’d wanted to feel like he was pulling his weight and not slacking because he was surrounded by powerful dragons who could do it ten times faster. He’d had enough coddling and questions about his own skills from his family. It was nice to be treated as an equal.
But after four days of this shit, Samuel was only too happy to leave it to the dragons. They were faster than him and seemed to have a hell of a lot more energy.
“Whose turn is it?” Gregori grumped as he stomped back toward the rest of the group. He’d taken the lead for the last few miles.
“Vasily and I have it,” Dimitri called out.
Before he left, Dimitri wrapped an arm around Samuel’s shoulders. Just as Samuel was about to ask what he was doing, cool air swirled around him and kissed his skin. It was like he’d stepped into a walk-in freezer for a second. All the heat, humidity, and misery were sucked away. It was fucking heaven and he never wanted Dimitri to let him go.
“You good to hang back with Luka and Gregori for a few minutes?” the dragon asked. “Or should we call a longer break? It’s hotter today than it has been.”
“Nah. Short break should be enough,” Samuel answered and then inwardly cursed himself. He tacked on a heartbeat later, “But if you and Vasily need a longer break after you’re done, we can definitely take one.”
“Good deal,” Dimitri murmured. His lopsided grin did stupid things to Samuel’s heart that he refused to think about.
Gregori sucked down some water quickly from his canteen. “I’ll show you where I think the best spot to cut is.” He screwed the lid on and handed his water and pack over to Luka. Vasily did the same but also stopped to steal a lingering kiss from the dragon. Samuel tried not to stare.
What would he have done if Dimitri had tried that?
Let him. He would have fucking let him after that brief cooling session. Also because he was craving some more physical time with the dragon that went beyond just sleeping together.
But Dimitri hadn’t tried to steal a kiss. He’d just smiled and handed over his pack to Samuel for safekeeping while they slashed and sawed through the growth.
“Yes. A break.” Luka sighed and flopped down on the ground. He set the packs against a tree as cushions and lounged against them while pulling out his canteen of water.
Samuel snorted and dropped down next to him, situating his and Dimitri’s packs in the same fashion. “You say things like that and I’m going to start thinking you’re not one of those outdoor dragons,” he teased.
Luka choked on the water he was drinking. He threw Samuel a dirty look while wiping his face. “Bite your tongue. I am not one of those outdoor dragons who likes dirt and bugs and sleeping in tents. I will argue with anyone that man’s greatest invention was the Memory Foam mattress.”