Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 62528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Sitting there was a big white box with a black satin bow. She opened it, finding bundles of hundred-dollar bills.
“Oh my god.” She read the note inside.
Jac,
Sorry about your giraffe. But if you have any doubts about what happens when dragons get hungry, now you won’t.
– Dash
Jac’s eyes went wide. “Larry?” She bolted toward his enclosure, finding it empty except for his prosthetic leg.
“Oh, Larry.” Dash had said he didn’t eat people, but her giraffe?
Her eyes teared up. She could only hope that he’d been killed mercifully.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Deal’s off? Lying in his king-size bed in the presidential suite, Damien set down his phone and tossed his head back on the down pillow. The dragon must’ve slammed the baby-daddy door in Jac’s face last night, which meant Cimil wouldn’t help Sky. And it wasn’t like he had any leverage with the winged lizard. According to Jac’s text, the monster simply did not want offspring. Period.
If Damien believed he had a unique angle to argue with Dash, he would, but who was he to lecture anyone about the obligation to carry on one’s genes? Damien was basically a male spinster, who reveled in his bachelorhood. My life’s the best. I am the epitome of happiness.
So.
Happy.
He stared blankly at the gold-leaf ceiling, the early morning light sifting through a gap in the maroon curtains as he reminisced over the blissful moments he’d shared with Sky, along with the mistakes he’d made.
Like killing her. Her death was why he hated to throw in the towel, but maybe it was for the best. He’d only agreed to try to sway the dragon so that Sky could get another chance at life, one she might be more careful with next time.
Did he also secretly wish she’d grovel at his feet, regretting her mistake of throwing away their relationship, and then perhaps get a swirly tattoo of his name across the small of her back in remembrance of his heroic actions?
Maybe.
Damien sighed, feeling a weight in his chest. Is this how teenagers feel? All lovesick? Because when it came to relationships, that was probably his age. He’d lived a long life, yes, and he could kill just about anything with his pinky, but when it came to love, Damien was a rookie.
That didn’t mean he did not understand loss—his past was littered with it—but he had never been forced to navigate the complexities of dating. Sky had been his first relationship after breaking free of Willa, so perhaps he needed to accept it for what it was: practice.
Practice makes perfect. He really should consider trying out more people. Then again, my heart is fairly rancid. It would make more sense to go back to the way things were before Sky. Just him, tailoring, and nothing more.
“Sky, if you’re listening, I am sorry, but I cannot get you a new body.” It was difficult to admit failure, but he had to be honest. As well as honorable. “And you should know that my intentions were not entirely selfless. I wanted you to see what a mistake you made, throwing away a relationship with a man who truly cares for you.”
“I know,” said a faint voice to his side.
He turned his head to find Sky’s wispy outline lying next to him. Had she been here all night?
She continued, “But I didn’t want you, my sister, or my nephew getting mixed up in all the SBP business. It was my job to protect you, and I failed. Failed at everything.”
He rolled over to face her. She still had her dark hair in a ponytail, accentuating her oval face and large expressive eyes. So beautiful. Of course, it had been her large ass and curves that had first caught his attention. Nothing like a well-nourished woman. Something men had found very enticing back in the day.
“Yes, you did,” he said. “Spectacularly. But that does not make your efforts any less noble.”
“Thanks.” Her nearly translucent cheeks caught a faint pink hue. “I’m sorry I laughed at your hip thrusts last night.”
“Forgiven. Stripping was never my calling anyway,” he said.
“At least you’re an excellent tailor.”
“Thank you.”
“And you’re also good at all that saving-people stuff.”
He didn’t know about that. “I solve problems. Sometimes it helps that I’m older than most. More experience.”
“Oh, stop. You’ve changed MF’s and Maxton’s lives. You changed Bonbon’s and Gorgonzolina’s, too. You gave them a home and a sense of belonging. Then there’s Pet.” She paused. “Never mind. There’s no helping that one, but at least you tried.”
Tried to get rid of her. Pet simply wouldn’t leave. “Why are you being so nice and not making demands of me? Are you going to kill me now so Amelia and Miguel will be freed?”
Sky chuckled. “No, but I do think we should go home today and stage your death. After that, I’ve decided to move on. Permanently.”