Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
“Are you ready?” Shey inquired.
Haru nodded. “Yes. High winds and darkness are helpful. Rain is less helpful.”
The corner of Shey’s mouth twitched. “I’ll keep that in mind. The goal is to stop the ships from cutting off our route to the port. Those warships are faster than they look. They can catch us and sink us simply by ramming. They don’t even need their guns.”
Tyche sighed heavily. “This sounds less like a good idea now,”
Haru grinned and winked at the little god. “Stop the ships from moving, and stop their guns. Easy enough.”
Adrian reached up and tugged a lock of Haru’s hair. “And no showing off. You’re going to have a passenger.”
As if Haru would do anything to risk Adrian’s life. That comment didn’t even merit a response.
Instead, he crossed to the center of the deck where there was the most open space and shifted into his true form. Relief washed over him as if a muscle he’d been holding tight was suddenly unclenched. He stretched out his wings as far as he could, reveling in the first touches of the wind as it skimmed along his body. Next, he extended his neck as far as he could, tilting his head this way and that. Okay, so maybe he also realized he had an audience of Caspagir sailors who were gawking at him, and just maybe he was showing off, but these poor people had traveled all the way to the Isle of Stone and had seen very few dragons for their trouble. Shouldn’t they at least get to marvel at the very best dragon?
Adrian strolled close and rubbed a hand under his chin, causing a low rumble to move up Haru’s throat. “You’re showing off.”
Of course, his mate knew him so well.
Haru bumped his nose against Adrian’s chest, nuzzling him to get more rubs. He soaked in any and all affection that he could get from this man.
Without another word, Adrian climbed onto his back and got settled. Adrian was a natural. He was born to be his rider. Haru moved to the bow of the ship, and with a gust of wind coaxed by Prince Shey’s magic, Haru lifted into the air. He flapped his wings, pulling higher to give him a better view of the battlefield.
Yet, with every pull of his wings higher into the air, the voices that had whispered since he’d gained Yesuntei’s powers crowded his mind. He could never make out what the voices were saying. They were fear-filled whispers that created shadows in his mind. However, each time they started, his worries and doubts spiked. What if something happened to Adrian? What if he failed his clan? Or disappointed Nori? His uncle loved him and devoted so much time to him. Haru couldn’t disappoint him.
A strong hand smoothed his neck and patted him. Just that gentle reassurance was enough to blow away the darkness and quiet the voices. Adrian was here. Adrian would never leave him. He was safe.
Haru’s control over his thoughts and emotions tightened, and he climbed into the sky.
Before leaving the ship, Shey had shown them with tiny models on a map the positioning of the Order ships, pointing out which ones Haru should focus on so they could slip through the blockade. He couldn’t understand why Shey wouldn’t let him sink all the Order’s ships and be done with it. That felt like the smarter decision, but Shey had shot down that idea.
Thunder rolled low and angry through the clouds, and the scent of rain danced on the wind. A wonderful laugh rose from Adrian above the wind, and Haru let out a roar of glee. If his mate was happy, so was he. It was even better that Adrian seemed to enjoy flying as much as Haru did. The wind picked up, carrying them as Haru banked toward the ships he could see blocking their path.
“Clouds!” Adrian shouted, the single word nearly lost to the wind, but Haru was skilled at catching the brief directions his mate called out. He was stunned that Adrian wanted to risk moving through the dark clouds, but it would help to launch a surprise attack.
Haru shifted the tilt of his wings and headed higher, disappearing into a large bank of black clouds. The wind instantly buffeted them, and rainwater coated his scales. Adrian shivered, and his grip tightened on Haru’s ridge of scales. His knees pushed into him, urging him to dive, and Haru obliged.
Twisting and pulling in his wings, Haru plunged through the clouds, tearing through the sky like a missile. He opened his mouth, and rolling billows of dragon fire poured out, covering the deck of the ship and every sailor outside. Screams rose, but the sound was lost to his roar as he pulled up at the last second and soared into the clouds. Bullets chased him, and a few of the bigger cannons fired, but nothing came close to him.