Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 62528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
She imagined his giant, winged form hovering over her naked body, heating her with his fearless strokes and expert hip thrusts.
Goosebumps exploded on her arms, and her nipples pearled. “But don’t you take off your clothes anyway? I mean, when you transform. I’m sure you don’t want to ruin your clothes.”
He swiveled and looked down at her with his stunning blue eyes. “Transform?”
“Into a dragon.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” he said.
Her mind stumbled. Why would he play dumb? It made no sense after their conversation last night. Unless he lived by a code that prevented him from speaking openly about what he was?
“Dash, say whatever you want, but you ate my giraffe last night. And just because I’m not punching you in the face right now doesn’t mean I’m okay with it. Larry was special.”
Dash was about to speak when a loud knock at the door interrupted them.
“Dash! We need you onstage for a dry run,” said a man.
Dash looked down at her, his expression stern. “I have a new lighting setup for tonight. We can talk after the show.”
“Um. Okay.” She should get to the bar anyway.
Dash grabbed his white robe from behind the door and opened the door.
Just then, Heebie ran into the dressing room and began rubbing his face on her ankles.
“Oh, hey, kitty.”
Dash looked down at the kitten like he wanted to strangle it. “Let’s go, Heebie.”
Heebie continued rubbing her ankle, ignoring Dash.
“Go on, little guy. And don’t forget your earmuffs.” She grabbed them from the vanity and placed them on Heebie’s little head.
When she stood back up, her eyes locked with Dash’s intense gaze. The air left her lungs, and her heart quickened. There was something possessive under his azure gaze that sent a spike of ridiculous wanting through her body. Something about this man absorbed her, and it was more than curiosity or a thirst for knowledge about dragons.
“See you here after the show?” he said.
She nodded dumbly. “Looking forward to it.” And she looked forward to seeing him fully nude, too, though sharing the view with a few hundred screaming women didn’t sound super great.
He’s mine.
But was he really?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jac couldn’t pinpoint why, but tonight’s crowd felt different from the other night. The women weren’t ordering as many drinks, and they looked a little older—leaning more towards their sixties rather than a mix of old and young—but those reasons weren’t why.
Maybe it’s me. She’d changed over the past few days because she saw the world differently. What was once a setting made up of absolutes—good or bad, wrong or right, human or nonhuman—was now a pallet of grays. Not because those opposing things had disappeared, but because she couldn’t clearly distinguish between them anymore. Dash was a dragon, ghosts were real, and unicorns weren’t magical, rainbow-farting vessels of joy.
Of course, the mere fact that gods existed was enough to place reality on its head. Because if they were real, then why did they allow so many people to suffer? Why were there wars, disease, and famine? Why were precious animals, like she had at her sanctuary, discarded or ignored?
Before, it had all made sense—even if the reason was heartbreaking: the world was simply filled with bad people who just didn’t care about anything but themselves. But now, in this new reality where divine beings with powers existed, the darkness in the world felt unfixable. Simply put, the world was meant to be a messed-up place. Otherwise, the gods would have fixed it. Right?
Or, maybe, it’s all a test. Some giant obstacle course us humans have to run through. But was there a prize at the end for being the nicest, kindest, or smartest? A real heaven where life was perfect and beautiful?
She’d love to believe there was, but she hadn’t witnessed one redeeming, gracious, or sane trait in Cimil. Honestly, if that crazy woman was divine, then the realm of divinity had to be crazy, too.
So then what was the point to all this…this chaos?
Maybe there isn’t one. Maybe life was one big mess, and you had to make the most of it regardless of what came next. At least she was happy with her place in the world. She knew who she was.
As the orders rolled in, Jac put her focus on getting drinks out—lots of Fireball whiskey requests. As the second act, Phillipe, wrapped up his sexy chef routine, Jac’s stomach began acting up. Cramping, twisting, and nausea. It must’ve been her lunch—leftover Chinese food from last week. Or maybe it was that sour milk she’d accidentally chugged from the carton this morning.
“Oh, wow.” She braced herself on the bar, a wave of cramping hitting her. No, no, no. I can’t be sick tonight of all nights. She was supposed to talk to Dash after the show.
She grabbed some antacids from her purse and popped two into her mouth. Then she looked at her watch, wondering how long she’d have to hang in here.