Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
“I don’t like it.”
There was nothing he could say. He didn’t expect that the dragon would ever like it. Dragons were social creatures, and they needed the company of other dragons. But Tyche was born a god. It was better to be alone. Safer.
Except, maybe recently, he’d started to think that he enjoyed listening to that other voice make stupid jokes and ask annoying questions.
“You should remain close to Shey. He will keep you safe.” Haru didn’t look at him, but he smiled as he gazed at the stream. What he’d said seemed to bring him peace, but it rattled Tyche in ways he couldn’t describe. Shouldn’t he be demanding that Tyche stay away from Shey?
“Hey, Haru!” Adrian’s voice cut through the woods, causing them both to twist to see Shey and Adrian walking toward them. “You ready? They need to eat. Shey says Ty wants coffee.”
“Oooooh, coffee!” Tyche moaned, forgetting Haru’s advice. He shoved his feet into his shoes, ignoring the noisy squelch. It didn’t matter. Coffee would soon be in his hands.
Yet his brain kicked in again as he stood. “How are we getting back to town? Do you have a vehicle?”
Haru patted his shoulder, and Tyche fought the urge to shudder. “Don’t worry. I am going to fly everyone.”
Fuck. No.
CHAPTER 27
Shey Thrudesh-Vo
Shey opened the door to the hotel room and peeked inside. When he’d left Tyche in their room, the grumpy god had been throwing pillows and calling him names after he’d forced him to travel by dragon.
And by dragon, that meant being gripped in one of Haru’s talon-tipped hands as they’d raced across the sky to Milway. Haru allowed only Adrian to ride in the place of honor on his back. Shey thought that was pretty much bullshit, but he’d gone along with it because it had gotten him to food, shower, and comfortable rest that much faster. Not to mention, a chance to at least get a message to his mother and sister that he was still alive. Adrian’s phone was getting no service in the middle of the forest and was only marginally better in Milway.
They would need to continue on to Bellcairn, but it would not happen until tomorrow. The stop at a motel in Milway was a chance to catch their breaths, eat, and shower.
Adrian had loaned Tyche some clothes so he could change after he washed. Meanwhile, Shey had borrowed the shower in Adrian and Haru’s room. Afterward, he’d grabbed a quick bite while Adrian and Haru had caught him up on news from Caspagir, Erya, and what they’d learned around Damardor.
Now that he was clean, full, and safe for the first time in weeks, all Shey wanted was to sleep. Yet, before he could close his eyes, he had to check in on Tyche. The one thing the god had requested—after he took a break from snapping at him—was that they share a room. It had been an unexpected request. Especially since they’d not had a real private moment in weeks. A wall had separated them while in that facility, but they could always hear each other. Maybe Tyche didn’t feel safe being alone.
As he peered into the room, it took Shey a few seconds to locate Tyche amid the carnage. There were piles of plates and bowls with only the thin remains of several meals. Room service had come and gone. From the mess, it seemed as if Tyche had ordered everything off the menu. Shey might have stuffed his face while he’d talked to Adrian and Haru, but not to this extent.
Shey knocked lightly on the door he was still holding open. “Have you forgiven me?”
A gurgling groan escaped Tyche. He lay flat on his back in the middle of one of the two double beds, his arms stretched out to his sides. His skin had taken on a rosy complexion after being scrubbed clean, and his messy hair was drying into loose red curls. He’d even borrowed a razor to scrape his cheeks bare of the scraggly whiskers that had grown there for months, leaving him looking even younger.
“You are forgiven,” Tyche said. He moved hands to his stomach and gently rubbed it. “Come see my food baby.”
Shey chuckled and entered the room, closing the door behind him. “I’m more concerned with you losing everything you just ate.”
“That’s why you can’t jostle the bed. My digestion is in a very delicate phase.” He lifted his right hand and motioned lazily toward the empty bed closest to the door. “You sit on that bed and talk to me.”
It was kind of adorable how amicable Tyche became after he was fed, clean, and comfortable. As Shey sat on the edge of the bed next to Tyche’s, he could see that Adrian’s clothes were at least one size too big. They would need to get some fitting clothes for both of them before the end of the day. Maybe he could ask Adrian and Haru to go out for them. He had borrowed some clothes from Haru, but they were all too snug for comfort. Haru was a few inches shorter and significantly more slender in build.