Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
But he didn’t want to push Salem right now. Not while he was exhausted.
However…
“There is one more room I haven’t shown you yet.”
Salem groaned again, his head dropping back to rest on Gregori’s shoulder. “Oh my gawd, it better not be a ballroom or some kind of crazy game room with a half-court basketball setup.”
Gregori chortled, trying to cover up the sudden racing of his heart. “No, the room is actually much smaller. Would you like to see it?”
“What is it?”
“My hoard.”
Salem stood upright and spun around so fast he nearly fell over. Gregori grabbed Salem’s elbow to steady him, but the mage didn’t seem to notice. The heavy exhaustion clinging to every fiber of his being had evaporated in an instant.
“Seriously? You’ve got a hoard? A real dragon hoard? A room just filled with gold and precious gems?”
Gregori winced. Maybe this was a very bad idea. “Um…dragon hoards are rarely gold and riches. They’re filled with the things that are most precious to us. Most dragons collect completely different things. And no one is ever permitted to go into our hoard, except…”
“Your mate,” Salem finished for him in a tense whisper.
“Exactly. Would you still like to see it?”
Salem chewed on his bottom lip for only a moment before he straightened his shoulders and faced Gregori squarely. “I would be honored to see your hoard.”
The heart that had sunk in his chest now flipped and twirled like an Olympic gymnast reaching for the gold. He grabbed Salem’s hand and pulled him back to the library. At the back of the room, he paused in front of the center bookcase and grinned at Salem as he pressed his fingers to the underside of the middle shelf.
“No fucking way!”
“Yep,” Gregori replied as the lock clicked and the door swung soundlessly open to reveal a room about half the size of his living room, but it appeared to be even smaller thanks to his enormous collection.
“Holy shit,” Salem exclaimed very slowly as he stepped inside, his eyes skimming over the walls covered in framed posters for Broadway plays, old playbills, tickets. But not just any plays. No, Gregori’s heart belonged to musicals.
Along with the framed art, there were several glass cases displaying different bits of costumes and collectibles he’d managed to get his hands on over the years.
Salem turned toward him, his face bright. “You like musicals?”
“I love musicals,” Gregori admitted as he joined Salem beside a glass container protecting an elaborate woman’s hat. “I have loved plays and musicals for as long as I can remember, and I’ve seen them in every major city throughout Europe and South America. Even caught a few on Broadway.” He tapped on the glass. “I bought this hat in an auction in London from one of their productions of My Fair Lady. And this over here.” He grabbed Salem’s hand and pulled him over to another shelf, where he opened a wooden box to reveal a shiny silver straight razor that might have been used by a barber. Or better yet, a murderous barber. “This came from a production of Sweeny Todd in Berlin.”
“This is incredible.”
“I’ve tried to collect something used in a performance from all of my favorites, but as you can tell, I have too many favorites and not a big enough room for my hoard.” Gregori carefully closed the box and tilted his head to look at Salem. “Are you disappointed my hoard isn’t full of gold and priceless gems?”
“What? No! This is amazing. I could spend hours in this room.”
“Really?”
Salem scrubbed a hand over his face as a low laugh rattled up his throat. “I can’t believe we have this in common. I would never have guessed.”
“You like musicals too?”
He dropped his hand and smiled. “Love them. When I was in college, I tried to catch every performance I could because tickets for student performances were way cheaper than tickets for a Broadway performance. Colleges did smaller productions. I got to see a great performance of The Fantasticks. But I’ve also caught Phantom, Les Mis, and West Side Story.”
Gregori hummed. “West Side Story is an old favorite of mine.”
Salem grabbed his hand with both of his, eyes shining bright. “Have you seen Wicked yet?”
Gregori shook his head. “I haven’t seen any of the newer plays that have been popular in the past couple of decades. It’s been hard to get away.”
“Then we have to go together. I haven’t had a chance to either, and I’ve been dying to see it. Particularly with someone who hasn’t seen it yet.”
Salem was going to give him a heart attack if he didn’t stop with all these wonderful moments and surprises. Gregori swallowed hard, trying to force his exuberant heart out of his throat. “Okay. It’s a date. We’ll go see it together.”
The mage closed his eyes and smiled, resting his head against Gregori’s shoulder. Salem looked like he was drunk with exhaustion. It was time for bed.