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)
A loud bark of laughter exploded unexpectedly from Samuel as he rocked back against the packs. He liked talking with Luka. The dragon was highly intelligent with a frighteningly sharp memory and a quirky sense of humor.
But then, all the dragons were funny in their own way. Even the quiet Vasily would whip out a sharp quip that would shock them all or leave them rolling around the campfire at night.
Once he’d relaxed around his new companions and stopped waiting for them to decide he couldn’t do something because of who he was, Samuel had found himself sinking into an easy camaraderie that was an equal partnership. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t a dragon.
“Then why the hell are you out here if you don’t like hiking outdoors and camping?”
Luka held up a finger. “One, this is a chance for me to see the discovery of real history. No one has seen or heard anything from the Sousa or Tupã in centuries. There’s no way in the world I’m missing out on a chance to be there when you find their lost home. Uncovering a slice of history is a once-in-a-lifetime event, even for a dragon, and this is a part of history related to my own people.”
Samuel nodded. He got that. Even without the personal hopes Samuel had linked to the Sousa, he was a history nut and wouldn’t want to miss out on such a thing either.
Luka lifted a second finger. “And two—” He paused and leaned over so he could stare between the trees and brush. Samuel leaned as well to find Luka staring at Dimitri and Vasily as they hacked at the brush while Gregori stood off to the side chatting and “supervising” the work.
Despite being naturally cooled, both dragons had shed their T-shirts and were glistening with sweat under the little patches of sun cutting between the leaves of the canopy. Muscles danced and strained under tanned skin. Samuel found that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Dimitri’s powerful shoulders. How had he not gotten used to the sight of this man’s innate sexiness? It had been four days and still he was barely keeping himself from drooling.
“I mean, look at that ass,” Luka moaned.
Samuel looked at Dimitri’s beautiful, rounded ass as it was hugged by his cargo pants. It was an amazing ass.
“I would follow that ass anywhere. Even into the freaking jungle and up a mountain.”
Samuel sucked in a breath, choking on the air. What the hell was Luka doing staring at Dimitri’s ass?!
He just barely stopped his outburst when he realized Luka wasn’t staring at Dimitri. The dragon at his side only had eyes for Vasily.
Dear god, Samuel was losing his mind. He snatched up his water again with a slightly trembling hand and took a quick drink while dragging his gaze from the trio of dragons a short distance away.
“Do you mind if I ask…” Samuel started slowly when his brain was functioning again. “How did you and Vasily start dating?”
Luka’s grin was a little crooked, but there was a wealth of joy in his ice blue eyes. “Sometimes it’s just one of those things. We’d known each other most of our lives, but didn’t talk a lot at first. Of course, at the time, there were a lot of other dragons and mages in our clan. Our social circles didn’t overlap until I decided to go into training for the tracker team. Then we were working together and chatting more.”
“And then a lot more than chatting,” Samuel teased.
Luka chuckled. “Oh yeah. It was just supposed to be a one-time thing. Blow off some steam. Have some fun. Nothing serious. Of course it couldn’t be anything serious.” Luka rolled his eyes, but Samuel got the feeling he was sort of laughing at himself or maybe himself and Vasily. The amusement started to drain out of his face and his voice became more serious as he continued. “But we clicked more than either of us expected. The one-time thing became an only-on-weekends thing. We blinked and suddenly all of Vasily’s stuff was in my rooms and we could no longer sleep apart. I can’t live without him now.”
Samuel stared through the jungle, his gaze landing on Vasily as he easily worked next to Dimitri, snickering at something Gregori had said. “There’s no reason you should have to live without him,” he murmured.
There was something that went beyond the typical magic a person would expect when it came to mages and dragons. It was this close atmosphere of giving, sacrifice, absolute trust, and deep, unending love. It was utterly intoxicating. Who wouldn’t want to find that person who matched you perfectly? That was the other half of your soul. The one person who would love you for all of your days.
Yes, Samuel wanted that.