Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 66993 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66993 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Oh my.
His wings spasmed.
His vision flickered.
But his length—long and typically ignored in this monstrous form, responded—aching hard against his scaled belly, straining to feel more of her cold power.
Oh.
The throb in his length grew deep and anchored. Something ancient within him had been shaken awake.
Then, his beast’s length began to swell, brushing against his underbelly with weight and heat, demanding to be acknowledged—not by him, but by her.
His energy started to wane.
What is this? And. . .she’s draining me. I must. . .leave. . .
Korin roared, a sound torn between fury and wonder.
Soon, he surged upward, claws slicing through cloud.
He had to go.
Had to retreat.
Because if he didn’t—if she struck again—this woman, this force, might be the end of him.
And yet. . .when he got further away from her striking zone. . .he hesitated.
I should go, but I can’t. . .
He hovered in the clouds, panting smoke and watching her below.
Her hands were still raised.
Her chin lifted.
That silver gaze never faltered.
Stars above, she’s the only one who could kill me.
He saw it now deep within her.
Not just power.
Not just magic.
But will—a strength older than kings.
She had come to end him if she must—and she would not miss again.
She blasted more of her power into the sky.
Korin dodged it, veering left, wind howling in his wake.
Close, little one, but it will never be that easy to kill me.
He turned his massive head and grinned at her. It was a full display of wicked ivory fangs, each longer than a big man’s arm.
He did not grin at her in mockery.
It was in profound admiration.
She inched back in horror.
Perhaps, his dragon’s grin was a bit off-putting. He didn’t know. He typically never smiled in this form.
What is her name?
His wings slowed, beating the air. He hovered just above the city square, a shadow forged in gold and black flame.
And then—his length twitched.
Heavy.
Primal.
Aroused.
Once again, not in centuries had it stirred like this.
Not in battle.
Not in bloodlust.
But her?
She had pulled fire from his breath. Shoved want into his loins.
He shifted midair, rising higher, tilting his massive body just enough to reveal the full weight of his desire—thick, scaled, and unmistakably hard.
Let her see.
Let her know what she’d awakened in the heart of a god.
Below, she flinched.
Eyes widened.
Her lips parted as if to speak but no words followed.
Do you know what you are doing to me, little one?
Still—her hands did not drop. Her power did not fade. Her silver gaze held steady even through the shock. Even through the heat now rising between them like a forbidden storm…
Korin’s grin widened, fangs gleaming like curved blades.
She had seen his hunger.
Gods help him. . .
She hadn’t looked away.
Mmmm.
He lowered his massive body back to proper position, begun to breathe her in, and realized that her scent was a perfume unlike any he’d known.
Wild jasmine and stormwater.
Hot stone and forbidden fruit.
The smell hit his beast with a hunger so deep it rattled through his heavy bones.
Though her hands did not lower, though her magic hummed like a threat on the air. . .
He saw it.
A flicker of fear in her eyes.
Still, she did not run.
She did not flee.
She did not submit.
Yes. I like her.
He roared once more, not in challenge. . .but in promise.
I will see you again.
Then he fled into the dark— wings tearing across the moonlit sky. Flame curled in his throat.
He would definitely return.
He had to.
But next time, it would not be as a dragon.
No.
She’d seen the beast.
Next, she would meet the man.
His human form was one he hadn’t worn in decades; A form he’d buried to become legend.
But tonight had changed everything because he had forgotten what it felt like to be curious.
To wonder—not about war, not about conquest—but about someone.
What was her name? Her voice? Did she always smell this way? And where did she get such great power?
He was a god of flame, born for vengeance, carved from fury. And yet now, flying in the sky, he had shifted to a boy with a crush.
It made him feel confused.
Heart-warningly lost.
Nervously uncertain.
But not weak.
Just very. . .human.
It terrified him.
Because somewhere in the ashes of Hareef stood a woman who had taken his fire, silenced his rage, and stared down death like it owed her something.
And gods help him. . .
He didn’t think he would survive another day if he didn’t at least know her name.
Chapter eleven
Burn or Behold
Nyomi
The next evening, Zo stood at the window, peering through the blinds like we were under surveillance.
He’d already dressed me to perfection.
A white strapless dress formed around my body and ended just above my knees. A black waist corset, intricately detailed with tiny beads carved with Japanese characters, hugged my center. Zo loved draping me in white; he insisted the color complemented my deep brown skin perfectly.
Granted, white was his favorite shade, so he'd find any reason to use it.