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)
My stomach lurched. I gripped the spikes tighter. My knuckles turned paper white. I tried not to think about how the ground kept getting further and further as we climbed. Cassius cheered behind me. His enthusiasm helped calm some of my nerves. It helped that I literally trusted Xavier with my life and knew he wouldn’t place me in harm’s way.
Another deep breath filled my lungs with fresh, clean air. I looked back to see the Blackthorne Castle perched on its hilltop, getting tinier and tinier. The Pacific Ocean looked beautiful from up this high. The sun painted streaks of light across the shining blue waters. Sailboats and surfers and Jet Skis dotted the horizon. It was beautiful.
And what was even more beautiful was looking down to see all the traffic we were skipping.
Yeah, I think I can get used to this.
Xavier wasn’t lying when he said it’d be a short flight. Just as I was really appreciating the beauty of it all, I felt us begin to descend. I almost wanted to tell him to keep going but something told me that this wouldn’t be the last time I’d be riding Xavier.
We landed gracefully on an empty side street. Xavier bowed down, and we jumped off his back. Cassius dropped his head back and shouted a “woohoo.” “Holy shit, that was incredible.”
Xavier’s dragon form was quickly consumed by golden smoke. It cleared to reveal a smiling Xavier, still in his black shirt and dark jeans. He wore a clean pair of black-and-white Converse, a silver bracelet glinting over the gold ring of scales. A rogue curl of dark hair fell on his forehead.
God, he was so fucking hot.
“Enjoyed the ride, boys?”
“Very much,” Cass answered.
I nodded, smiling. “It was funner than I thought it’d be. Definitely better than the Snake Way.”
Xavier winked at me. There was a flutter inside my chest, and it wasn’t from the flight.
What was happening between us? And why did it make me feel so freaking good? I hadn’t really felt these kinds of emotions in a long while. No one ever sparked my flame the way he did. At first, I thought maybe it was just me being a horny virgin having to spend so much time next to his built body, but that wasn’t entirely the case. There was more to Xavier than just his looks. I found his tastes interesting, his humor endearing, his passion inspiring.
He was beginning to give off “full package” vibes, and that scared me. It meant there were now stakes. Emotions. It meant there was a possibility of getting hurt, along with the possibility of getting healed.
“Let’s get going,” Xavier said.
Cassius pulled out his phone. “Hold up, let me just check something.” He opened up an app that showed a map on his screen, the circle moving as we did. I recognized that interface.
“You actually use that?”
“This? Yeah. Dad asked me to keep it on. He gets worried when it’s not.”
Xavier glanced at Cassius’ phone. “What is that?”
“A tracking app for government officials to use,” I explained. “It’s like the one you have on your phone to share with friends and family but way more locked down, obviously.”
“You should both use it. I can get you clearance, Xavier. I think it could come in handy if something ever happens.”
My instinct was to immediately say, “Fuck no. I don’t want anything tracking my location.”
“Are you sure? If we ever need to find one another, it’s honestly a solid way to do it. What if those shifters end up grabbing one of us?” he asked, pressing the issue a bit too hard.
“Yes, I’m sure. It reminds me too much of something my stalker would have used.”
Cassius looked apologetic as he realized. His thick brows dipped downward. “Sorry, you’re right. Forget it. Let me just let my dad know it’s on.” Cassius swiped out of the app and went to his text messages.
“Are you and your dad close?” Xavier asked.
“We are. It wasn’t always that way, though. Blake knows.” He sent the text and pocketed his phone.
I nodded, remembering some of the early blow-ups when we were teens. “But a lot of that probably had to do with you growing up and being a teenager.”
“Probably. But still, we clashed a lot. It was when my mom passed that we stopped all the dumb fighting and arguing. I realized life was way bigger than fighting my dad over the stupidest shit.”
“Sorry to hear about your mom,” Xavier said.
“Thanks. Yeah. That was dark. A really dark time. It was a car accident. One minute she was saying bye to me at the house and a few minutes later she was gone. It was sudden and so fucking hard. We made it through, but I don’t think either me or my dad are the same people.”