Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
When she nodded eagerly, Keres wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to the large, oversized rocker. “Hold this for me, Snowflake,” he requested, handing her the book before sitting down. He guided her onto his lap before reclaiming the beautiful hardback.
“What shall we read?” he asked and turned to the index. “Do you want to read about a gold or silver dragon?”
“Is there a black one or… maybe a crystal?”
“There is a crystal dragon here. Let’s read that one first,” Keres suggested and turned the pages.
“Check out this beautiful crystal dragon. He is very handsome, but your dragon makes him pale in comparison,” Keres told her.
“You’re a bit biased,” she suggested.
“Of course. No one could out-sparkle my mate,” Keres said proudly. “Let’s see what happens.”
Reading aloud, he started the story. It didn’t take long for Rimi to relax against his chest. The story captivated them from the beginning. The crystal dragon was daring and brave. He detected the bad guys with his cunning skill and won the heart of a beautiful amethyst dragon.
Keres finished the story and checked in with his precious mate, “Did you like the story, Rimi?”
“It was amazing. Can we…” Rimi’s question was interrupted by an enormous yawn. “Can we read another one?”
“Yes. The next one is about a bronze dragon. Shall we read that?”
“Bronze like Oldrik.” She sighed and nodded.
Rimi closed her eyes as he read. Within a few minutes, her head dropped heavily to his shoulder and a slight snore wheezed from her parted lips. Keres rocked his mate gently and closed the book before setting it on the table nearby. They would read that story another day.
Holding his mate in his arms felt like heaven. Keres absorbed the sensation, fighting to keep himself from imagining what would have happened to them if he hadn’t found Rimi. The madness that had threatened him would have overtaken his mind. And her luck in evading capture by another couldn’t last forever.
But he had found her, and she had fought off the others. Keres pushed other possibilities from his mind. He brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “I love you, Snowflake,” he whispered.
“Daddy.” She sighed and cuddled closer.
“Can we go fly?”
“Of course,” Keres told his mate. “You lead us outside.”
In moments, he launched himself into the air and looked back to see Rimi follow him. She was the most magical of creatures. His staff was completely used to seeing dragons shift, land, and take off. They didn’t pause in their regular duties as he came and left. Rimi didn’t notice the crowd that grew outside when she shifted, but everyone who could gathered to see the sun reflect on her breathtaking scales.
No one found her more beautiful than Keres. He flew proudly by her side as Wyverns gathered below, pointing into the sky.
There’s a lot of people in Wyvern, she commented.
Yes, Mate. The horde helped gather all Wyverns back into the city after the change. Now the borders are closed so those inside can sustain their existence.
Is that a dragon down there? She pointed a talon at the center square of Wyvern.
It is. That is where all the mates are celebrated.
Celebrated? How?
Let’s land and I’ll show you. There is a space for dragons to land on the east side of the square. Keres led the way. He moved his bulk to the side of the wide area so Rimi could settle next to him.
A man knelt on one step. He’d turned around to watch them, holding tools in his hands. Keres and his mate had arrived at the perfect time. The worker smiled at the beautiful crystal dragon, obviously in awe of her sparkling appearance. Keres nodded at the stonemason. Thank goodness the skill of chiseling into the stone still existed. The workman inclined his head to both dragons and returned to his task, placing two more careful strikes of the mallet.
They are updating names on the steps.
Those are all the mates from the beginning of Wyvern?
They are. You can see Aurora, Ciel, Lalani, Skye, and Brooks there now.
The man blew on the riser before him, scattering small pieces of stone in all directions. After a quick brush with a large brush, he gathered his tools and moved out of the way.
Even in dragon form, Rimi gasped. She quickly shifted and ran forward. “You were adding me.”
Keres mirrored her actions to stay by her side.
“Yes. I am twice blessed today. Once to record you as a mate and then to see you in dragon form,” the workman said, bowing to Rimi. “My family has recorded mates since the pact began. It is an honor to meet you and to see you again, Keres.”
“Thank you, Samuel. I’m giving Rimi a tour of town, and she spotted the dragon. Did your family also carve it?” Keres asked.