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)
“Absolutely not,” Warrick said. “I’ve been left out of all this world-saving business for too long now. I want to go!”
“And I can’t let my brothers have all the fun either,” Dawn said with a wink.
Cassius leaned back into the couch. “I think I’m staying behind. I’ve had enough excitement for now.”
“I’m going,” I said.
Xavier looked to me. I couldn’t believe I’d been sucking on him like a lollipop only hours before this. Sure, I’d been daydreaming of doing it ever since the first day I met him, but to have actually broken that seal made me feel different in a way I wasn’t quite expecting. I felt closer to him, but the boost in confidence I had was a bonus surprise. “Are you sure?” he asked me.
“Yes. I want to be there. I want to help figure this out.”
“It could be dangerous.”
“That’s why I’m bringing my bodyguard with me.” I winked at him. He seemed speechless.
I got up with a chuckle. “Are we driving or flying?”
Simon’s home was in a secluded part of the nearby desert. The flight had been a long one, but it allowed me to relax a bit as we approached. There were moments when it’d hit me: I was flying through the air with three dragons on our way to save the world; what could possibly go wrong? It was a beautiful sight: Dawn’s glimmering white scales slicing through the clouds on one side and Warrick’s evergreen and nimble body gliding through the air on the other. I could feel their ancient power surrounding me, making me safer than I’d ever been.
I appreciated that. There were many moments in my life when safety felt as rare as the dragons were. Not even living in the White House, one of the most secure locations in America, did I feel truly safe.
Not in the same way I did now.
We landed near the secluded home in the desert. The house was small, but the property was vast, surrounded by a high fence and dotted with Joshua trees. The isolation made it the perfect hiding spot. There was a trailer next to the home. No signs of life drew our attention. It was quiet. The air smelled like baked earth.
“Stay alert,” Xavier said, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
The front door was slightly ajar, an eerie invitation. Xavier pushed it open, and we stepped inside. The interior was dimly lit, the air thick with dust and an unsettling silence. The house was sparsely furnished, with old, worn furniture and a musty smell that suggested it hadn’t been lived in for a long time. There was woodworking material strewn about, with carvings and statues that reminded me of the Rachels we had seen in Kalen’s home.
“This feels wrong,” Warrick muttered, his eyes darting around. Dawn nodded in agreement. Electricity buzzed around her hands. She was ready to fight.
“I don’t think anyone’s in here,” I said.
“Let’s split up,” Xavier suggested. “But be careful. Call out if you see anything suspicious.”
We moved cautiously through the house, the floorboards creaking under our weight. I stuck by Xavier’s side. We walked through the quiet living room. There were no photos on the walls, nothing on the scratched-up coffee table. The curtains were all drawn. There was dust on the television and cobwebs crowning the corners of the room.
A sound made all four of us freeze. It had come from the back of the house. Like nails scratching against the wall. I looked to Xavier, who raised a finger up to his lips.
Dawn moved forward. She stepped over a threshold, placed her foot down.
A trap triggered. Powder fell from the ceiling. Dawn coughed, shouted to get back. Dragonsbane.
I blinked.
I froze. A sound had come from the back of the house, like nails scratching against the wall.
Xavier shot up a hand. “Dawn, stop!”
Dawn froze as she was about to enter the hall.
“There’s a trap there. Move back.”
Dawn did as she was told. She looked down at the floor. “I can see the discoloration in the wood. Good catch.”
The scratching got louder. It sounded like something was running toward us. My eyes went wide. Fear clamped around my throat, making it difficult to swallow. Whatever it was that was coming for us did not sound friendly in the slightest.
“Get behind me,” Xavier said.
Warrick and Dawn retreated to Xavier’s sides.
“Careful,” Xavier said. “I just used my powers. I won’t be able to rewind time again for a while.”
“That’s fine,” Warrick replied.
A crashing sound made me jump. A shadowed figure lurched into the wall, bouncing off it. The trap triggered, Dragonsbane falling from the ceiling but not having any effect on— ”A Shade!” I gasped.
Shades were some of the most feared beings walking this Earth. They were extensions of the Chaos King. Creatures drenched in a cloak of shadow, with long and lethal spider legs protruding from their backs, their faces reflecting nothing but death. They had circular mouths with rows and rows of teeth that they used to suck out the bones from their prey’s bodies. They would feast, crunching on ribs and chewing on tendons, leaving their victims as a gelatinous mess on the floor.