Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
But I’m not an animal. I’m a modern man, and I have a job to do.
“The chip,” I command, holding my hand out.
Reeve responds immediately. The chip is in my palm, and I place it against the delicate skin right behind her left ear. The chip disappears, burrowing painlessly through skin and bone and into the brain.
“My consort needs a bath. See that it is drawn.” I don’t leave my position. I move my hand forward, rubbing across her neck. She’s still beneath me, her eyes closed, her posture utterly submissive.
It fills something inside me I didn’t know was missing.
“Your consort?” Reeve asks. There’s no mistaking the shock in the gnome’s voice.
“Dante, what are you saying?” Beck questions.
“You heard me.” I grin, looking at the gnome. “I’ll take her. Do you need cash or will credit do?”
Chapter Five
Kaja
I sit quietly as the First checks the water. I’m not sure why he needs such a large bowl, but many things in this odd world confuse me. One thing I am not confused about? Him. I keep my eyes on the First. I think about running again, but he caught me so quickly. I still remember the moment when he placed his fangs against my neck and proved himself to be alpha. I was wrong. I thought him weak, but he is obviously the First in this pack.
“Bath,” he says.
There are many more words in the strange language he speaks, but the word “bath” stands out. He speaks rapidly to the creature in the pointy hat. My stomach growls. The little ones are fast. I haven’t been able to catch one yet. Perhaps now that I’m out of the cage, I can make a meal of the fat one. I will only feast on the male, though. He’s the one who spoke to the thin man with the sharp claws. The male is the one who locked me in the cage. The female brings me fresh meat and sings while she works in the tent. I find the sounds soothing. The small female talks to me. I don’t understand her words, but there seems to be kindness behind them. I know I shouldn’t, but I am fond of the female and won’t eat her.
Of course, I won’t do anything yet. The First keeps his eyes on me. Anytime I attempt to stand, he moves over, places his hand on my neck, and forces me back down. He says something called “wait.” I think it means to sit. He is First here, so I do.
When they walked in, I believed the large man with dark hair and the sword was the leader. Now I utterly discount the fact. He doesn’t even have fangs or claws so far as I can tell. He has the sword because he cannot fight with his hands. The one with the reddish-gold hair, he is the leader. He is the one who forced me to submit. He didn’t use magic to do it, either. If he did, I would still fight him as I fought my captor and the little ones. I will respect this First’s dominance because it is natural.
It isn’t anything like the Nightmare Man.
I let myself think about it for once.
It didn’t take long to get to the mountains Stellan spoke of. I stayed in my wolf form, preferring it greatly in the cold forests. So far from the small valley I grew up in, I saw many wonders. There were frost giants in the mountains, their massive forms almost too much for my eyes to take in. I hid my body deep in the snow and they passed me by. I took it as a sign from Freya that my quest would be fruitful.
I hunted freely. Without the restrictions of rank, I ate far better than I did with the pack. Rabbits at first, and then small deer were my prey. When my strength was up, I took down a buck on my own. Oh, I feasted. My belly was full for the first time in my life. The week I spent traveling to the mountains was strangely fulfilling. On my own, I was strong and capable. My foster mother was wrong. I did not die. I did not fade. I was lonely. But then even among the pack, I was lonely.
I searched for the magical doorway Stellan spoke of, but the Nightmare Man found me first. He was tall, not as tall as the frost giants, but much taller than me. His stick-thin body belied his strength. I underestimated him, as I underestimated this First. I should have run, but I attacked the thin man instead. Still, if it was only a battle of strength, I would have won. The Nightmare Man had a weapon. There was a terrible sting when he shoved it into my arm. My strength faded, and I changed without willing it. One moment I was a strong wolf, and the next I was small and frail and freezing in the snow. I remember the way the air and snow bit into my skin. It was so cold it burned. I tried to change. I needed my fur.