Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Why didn’t you want to stay local for school?” Cassius’ dad, Joshua, asked.
“I visited Los Angeles before and fell in love with it. I figured I can explore more of it while I take some summer classes. I’m still enrolling in Washington U for the fall semester, so I won’t be gone for long.”
My dad set his wineglass down on the table with a clink. “Speaking of, the bodyguard I hired for you should be arriving any minute now. I had one of my aides go and grab him.”
“He’s here? I thought his flight didn’t get in until late tonight?”
“He refunded the plane tickets. He said he enjoyed flying himself.” My dad shrugged. “Guess that’s fine when I hired a dragon.”
“I still can’t believe you hired a Blackthorne as my bodyguard.”
Everyone knew who the Blackthornes were. Not only were dragons rare, with less than a city’s worth of a population spread around the globe, but the Blackthornes may have also been some of the most famous dragons around. They were the ones who’d stopped a curse from taking out their entire species while also saving us all from a very power-hungry and maniacal vampire queen. There were also rumors that they had stopped a plot from the crazed cult, the Crimson Ring, who were trying to weaken the locks that held back Niazatos, the Chaos King. Living under his reign was the last thing any sane person wanted. It would mean rivers of blood flowing through suburban streets, kids being dragged out of their beds to be tortured in ways they likely wouldn’t survive.
So yeah, they were a pretty famous family, and now one of them was going to be in charge of keeping me safe.
“Why not just send me with the Secret Service?” I asked. The waiters came around to place our Caesar salads down on the table. They worked in unison, wearing white gloves and clean-looking black uniforms.
My dad focused on his salad before answering me. “I feel as though a dragon with the ability to manipulate time would guarantee your safety.”
I narrowed my eyes. I wanted to ask what had my dad so scared in the first place, but he went back to eating his salad, shifting the conversation to a meeting he and Cassius’ dad had. Yes, I was the son of the vice president and would need protection, but he seemed extra concerned lately, which only worked to make me more anxious. Not even when I was being stalked did my dad think I needed a damn dragon to protect me.
“Excuse me, sir?” A soft voice drew our attention to the doorway. It was one of my dad’s newer aides. Curly-haired and doe-eyed, she likely still hadn’t gotten used to working under one of the most important political figures in the country. “Your guest is here.”
“You can let him in.”
She stepped aside and motioned through the doorway.
I waited, as if there were some big reveal, as if I already hadn’t searched Xavier Blackthorne online and drooled over the photos that popped up.
He came around the corner, and I nearly tipped right out of my chair.
Pictures didn’t do him justice.
He was gorgeous. Majestic. Handsome and hot and unreal and holy shit, how in the world was I supposed to speak to him, much less spend most of my day around him? My brain malfunctioned. Alarms were going off. An entire system reset was on the way. His dark, curly hair and muscular frame short-circuited my senses. My eyes went straight to his chest—my favorite part on a guy—which seemed to be deliciously filling out the dark blue T-shirt he wore. At first glance, I thought he had an overly expensive watch or bracelet on his wrist, but it wasn’t jewelry that glittered gold. It was his residual dragon scales. A subtle reminder of the immense power that bubbled underneath that calm, collected, and extremely fucking hot exterior. Another band wrapped around his muscular bicep.
My dad stood, a hand held out. Xavier walked into the room with equal parts grace and strength.
“Mr. Vice President,” Xavier said, his voice sending shivers down my spine. “Mrs. Second Lady.”
“Wonderful to meet you,” my mother said.
“Please, call me Richard.” My dad motioned to me. “And this is my son, Blake. He’s who you’ll be keeping safe.”
Xavier turned his golden gaze to me. I immediately started to blush. I wasn’t entirely sure why, but I could feel my cheeks heat, as if I had squirreled away two hot coals inside my mouth. If there was ever a time I wished I had the powers of a blue Marvel so I could make myself invisible, it was now.
“Great to meet you, Blake. I’m Xavier.”
He reached for my hand. I hadn’t even realized I was holding it out. He grabbed it, my fingers feeling so tiny inside his. And wow, was his palm smooth. Did he lotion? He must lotion. Probably his entire body. Did dragons need to lotion? Were they always naturally so perfect and smooth and attractive?