Page 83 of The Dragon's Mate Proposal

“You’re welcome.”

Then he was gone, as swiftly and silently as he’d come.

Sam looked at me from where I still held her in my arms. “So, now what?”

I grimaced. “Now, we get out of here. And then we’re going to take a shower.”

Sam laughed. “Together, I hope?”

My grimace became a grin as I carried her from the building.

Chapter Forty

Samantha

The whoosh of many wings jerked my head around to the window.

A moment later, a tiny tremor ran through the house as I heard the sound of claws on the roof.

Someone was there, and they hadn’t come alone. Which implied it wasn’t Cade. He wasn’t due back from the mines for another few hours yet. So, either something had gone very, very wrong … or it was someone else.

To the best of my knowledge, there were no other people out there who would come after us. The sovereign had settled the debts with the dragons Kalann had dealt with after clearing Cade and freeing the two of us to explore our new relationship in peace and happiness.

So, who the hell was on the roof?

I picked up the dagger Cade had forged specifically for me from one of his scales, gripping the leather-wrapped handle firmly but not too tightly as he’d taught. The weapon wasn’t a guarantee of protection, but it meant I had something that could hurt a dragon if they came for me unexpectedly. And something was better than nothing.

Moving as quietly as possible in the old, creaky house, I tried to keep my breathing steady. Cade would be back as fast as he could. There was no way he could miss the sudden change in my mood or the tendril of fear wrapping itself around my spine, digging its icy fingers in deeper.

The door to the roof opened. I bit my lip as I listened to multiple sets of footsteps enter the house from above. Whoever it was, they were there in numbers. I thought I counted three, but there might have been a fourth. I wasn’t an expert.

“You can put the knife down,” a firm but gentle feminine voice ordered as the speaker swept into the upper hallway, seeing me waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her.

“Sovereign,” I said, half-curtseying respectfully. “What are you doing here? We weren’t expecting you.”

Two bodyguards stood behind her, impassive and almost bored-looking. Except for their eyes, which watched everything with unwavering intensity.

“That is the point of a surprise visit,” the leader of all dragonkind said with a wink and a smile, descending the stairs with an almost ethereal grace, her long platinum-blonde hair flowing behind her.

“You have me there,” I said, smiling. “What can I do for you? Cade is at the mine, but I’m certain he’ll be home soon. We’re still living somewhat roughly here, but I have some tea if you’d like? Or water, of course.”

“No need,” the dragon woman said, lifting a hand to forestall further offers. “I’m not here for Cade.”

Only years of working in politics allowed me to keep my face straight and neutral. If she wasn’t there for Cade, then she was there for me. That much was obvious. It was the why that was alarming. There was no good reason for her to need to talk to me. And why had she, the literal queen—although they didn’t use that word—of all dragons, come to me? I should’ve been summoned to her palace for an audience.

All in all, I did not like the implications behind her visit.

“Of course,” I said as smoothly as possible, plastering my “neutral smile” look in place as I worked to bring my brain up to speed. “What can I do for you?”

The sovereign reached into the folds of her robes and withdrew an envelope.

“I was entrusted with this many years ago,” she said solemnly. “I was told to wait until the time was right before it was delivered. Those were my instructions. I wasn’t sure I knew what that time would be, but I can see now that this is it.”

“It’s open,” I said. Did the sovereign regularly go through the mail of her subjects? Back home, that was a federal offense. Not to mention just plain old rude.

“It was never sealed,” she said. “I believe they intended me to read it. To ensure I knew when the right time would be to deliver it.”

“I see.”

---