Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Before Xiang could say a word, Kai disappeared from his arms. A rush of wind flew through the enormous cavern, rattling furniture and causing all the hanging fabrics to dance wildly. At the far corner, a long metallic bang echoed through the room.
Forcing his feet to move at last, he charged through the hoard and stopped suddenly. The door was standing wide open, and Kai was gone.
With a shuddering breath, Xiang walked to the doorway and rested his hand on the stone and steel frame. Temptation whispered to him to rush forward, to find a way out of the cave, but it was all too easy to shove aside. He would find a way out and rejoin his clan, but he was only going to do it if Kai was at his side. He’d given his word, and he was standing by it.
But what the fuck was happening? Why had Kai been summoned if the dragon had to answer to the fae queen?
Didn’t matter, really.
If anything happened to Kai, he’d skin that damn dragon and turn his scaly hide into armor.
Chapter 8
Kai
Kai burst out of the river and rose into the sky, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye. The wind whipping through his mane and sliding on his scales helped to ease the intense pain still radiating throughout his body, but it did nothing to calm the bubbling rage that left him wanting to reduce the fae encampment to rubble.
Unfortunately, so long as the queen held his precious sword, there wasn’t much he could do to hurt the fae.
The sun was creeping toward the horizon to mark the start of a new day, but Kai summoned up thicker and darker clouds to mask his movement, and just maybe to match his ever-darkening mood. Under him, the world was a blur of shades of green as the world continued to be wrapped in the beauty of summer. But Kai couldn’t revel in the perfection of a hot summer day.
A summons from Belladonna would not be a good thing. The queen had no interest in chats or thoughtful requests. From the second she’d lain her hand on the sword, the fae bitch had seen him as nothing more than an attack dog to order about.
He controlled the rivers and commanded the rains.
He fought beside gods and emperors.
He was as timeless as the mountains and endless as the oceans.
He was not a fucking pet.
The temptation to rip all this land asunder was there, but attacking the fae was the same as killing himself right now. And what would happen to Xiang if he died? How would he ever get back to his clan?
No, he swore to keep Xiang safe from the queen and return him to his family.
For now, he’d play along. Like a pet.
Soon, he would reclaim his sword, and he’d destroy every one of those bastards who thought to subjugate him.
As he reached the forest land the fae had claimed for themselves, he plunged out of the sky, barely holding in an enraged roar to announce his arrival. Trees snapped and were tossed about as he forced his way into the wooded area while a loud crackle of thunder broke through the churning clouds overhead.
In the thousands of years that he’d existed, he’d rarely appeared in his dragon form before humans. Centuries ago, he’d been content to walk among them, reading their books and collecting their valuable trinkets. Their short lifespans and fragile forms made them interesting creatures, always rushing about to discover new things and invent devices to make their lives easier.
But since Queen Belladonna had stolen his sword, he’d never once revealed his human form. She didn’t want him as a human. No, she was only interested in him as a dragon and the magic that was born from dragons.
He intentionally landed hard in the central courtyard of the fae stronghold, shaking the ground and causing the elves surrounding their queen to stumble in order to catch their footing. White stones cracked, and some even toppled from the highest towers. Everywhere he looked were elves in shining armor holding swords, spears, and bows with arrows pointed at him. There had to be at least two hundred gathered. Maybe more. Points quivered, and the warriors shifted from one foot to the other. They should be anxious. A slender thread of magic was all that held him at bay. If he could snap the hold of that spell, he would be unstoppable and they all knew it.
There were others hidden inside the castle. Their greedy eyes watched from the shadowy windows, weighing his strength against the queen’s, likely wondering if they could steal his power from her. Use him for their secret desires. To them, he was just a weapon to be stolen and used.
But Queen Belladonna was his primary target.