Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
And his number one priority was going to be taking care of his new Valerii mage brothers and sisters.
No. That was wrong. That was priority number two.
Number one was always going to be taking care of Vasily and Luka.
Yes, that made much more sense.
After getting filled in on all the work they’d done prepping the underwater cave and the spells for breaking his people free, Rodrigo provided an update on the work King Alric and Cameron were spearheading at the village. Amaru might have leaned a little more against Vasily, allowing the dragon to pull him into his lap for a reassuring cuddle. Maybe not the most professional thing, but he didn’t care as Sam’s pictures of his home flitted through his brain.
It was nice to hear that tons and tons of supplies were being moved into the village to make sure all the people were going to be comfortable. Not to mention generators to power new refrigeration, cooking appliances, and other gadgets. When the Sousa moved home again, they were going to be comfortable, but it would take time to chase away the ghosts of their past.
With everything settled and plans in place, Amaru was happy to escape the excessively long meeting. He stretched his arms over his head as he stepped out of the tent. Twisting to the left and then right, his back popped and creaked. Strong hands instantly found his stiff shoulders and started kneading away the tension.
“Need a break?”
Amaru jumped and laughed as he turned around. He’d thought it was Vasily right behind him, but that question had come from Luka.
“There’s my other sexy dragon. Where have you been?” He tipped his face up and received a sweet kiss that turned a little dirty as Luka tangled his tongue with Amaru’s.
“Preparing things,” Luka purred as he broke off the kiss.
“Now I’m intrigued.”
Vasily placed a possessive hand on Luka’s hip, pulling him in close. “So am I. What have you been up to?”
“Shopping with Nikki.”
“Now I’m afraid,” Vasily muttered.
Luka laughed and leaned his head against Vasily’s shoulder, and Amaru’s heart might have swelled to double its normal size inside of his chest. It wasn’t just that they treated him like the most precious treasure in the world, but that his dragons so clearly loved each other that made him want to swoon.
“All good, non-explosive stuff, I promise. Also, I did get the hotel room we stayed in last time for the night. I thought after roughing it for so long in the forest, Amaru might be in the mood for a soft bed and a hot shower.”
“Yes, please!” Amaru shouted, throwing himself at Luka and Vasily. It didn’t matter what Luka had been shopping for. That lovely private room with the big bed and his dragons all to himself for the night sounded like heaven.
They paused long enough to pack some essentials before his dragons flew him back across the lake to the little city with the wonderful hotel. If the person working at the front desk was at all surprised to see them again, he didn’t show it.
Amaru breezed across the threshold, ready to throw himself down on the bed just like the first time, but stopped dead in his tracks. The room was different. There were new, interesting things that demanded his attention.
“What’s this?” He plunged both of his hands into an exquisite soft, furry blanket that was a lovely peach color. It felt like Luka had skinned some fluffy animal, but the color argued it was maybe one of those faux fur materials. “Sooooo soft,” he moaned.
“I picked up two new blankets,” Luka explained. “This one is a soft furry one that is supposed to be calming to the touch. Another is a weighted blanket.”
“In case we’re not enough weight on him?” Vasily teased.
Luka shrugged. “Apparently not if he can wiggle out.”
“What’s that noise?” Amaru started away from the bed only to turn back and pull the blanket off and wrap himself in it. The room was blissfully cool, and the furry softness of the blanket was hard to release. He shuffled across the room to a round device resting on the dresser emitting soft ssshhhing sounds like the lake water splashing into the bank, but so much bigger.
“White noise machine. A lot of people can’t sleep with complete silence. This makes a variety of sounds from plain white noise to ocean waves to thunderstorms.”
Amaru shuddered. “No thunderstorms, please. I don’t mind them, but I’ve had enough of storms for a while.”
“I figured.” Luka wrapped his arms around Amaru from behind and snuggled close. “That’s why I put it on the ocean waves setting. Something different but quietly soothing.”
Amaru twisted in his arms, eyes wide. “I’ve never been to see the ocean. You said your clan is on the coast, right? I’ll be able to visit the ocean when I’m living with you.”