Page 16 of Here Be Dragons

“Are you hurt?” I pulled her into my arms and held her to my chest for a heartbeat before the acrid scent of her pain had me holding her at arm’s length to check her over for injuries. My fingers immediately went to her lips; the bottom lip was split open but had stopped bleeding. I continued looking for more injuries.

“I’m oka—” She hissed in pain and snatched her hand away when I touched her right wrist.

I reached for it again, more carefully this time, and felt around for any broken bones. No fractures, but her wrists were red and swollen, and there were horizontal angry red marks, not from my fire but from the friction of whatever they’d used to bind her wrists. A giant bruise was starting to form, too.

I cradled her injured wrist to my chest, wishing I’d thought to bring some healing salve.

“I killed them too quickly,” I growled. “I should have made them suffer.”

Carly giggled, partially from amusement and partially from nerves, her eyes studiously avoiding the charred remains of the two men I’d set alight. “I’m just glad you came for me at all. And a little surprised, to be honest.”

“Of course I came for you. You still owe me a lunch date.”

“A date? I thought you said it was a work thing.”

“I lied.”

“Oh.” Her lips froze in a cute little O, and I couldn’t help myself.

I leaned down and kissed the corner of her lips, careful to avoid the injured lower one. When she leaned into me, silently demanding more, I wanted to roar in triumph. I gathered her into my arms and nibbled on her upper lip, wishing I could really kiss her and taste her properly.

I still wasn’t sure how I felt about having a human mate. Some might call it a punishment. Logically, it was. Humans were weak and had a ridiculously short lifespan. But the joy and excitement my dragon was feeling right now was enough to mute the logical part of my brain…for now. I’d consider all this later when she was safe.

“I need to get you home and cleaned up.”

We also needed to leave before anyone arrived. While I could get away with a lot as the dragon of Darlington, I would prefer not to be there to answer questions when the time came. Dragon fire was thorough, and there wouldn’t be much left of the two men very soon, but just in case someone noticed something, I wanted to be long gone before the EA got here.

The EA, short for Enforcement Agency, used to be called the Secret Enforcement Agency back when all things paranormal were hidden from the human world. They were the international governing body that policed monsters and magic. Before the fall of The Wall they had worked solo, but now they teamed up with the human police force, though I heard that one hand frequently didn’t know what the other hand did.

“Wait! My purse. It’s still in their car. My phone too, he shoved it in the center console.” She glanced at the still-burning bodies before looking quickly away. “Do you think the key might still work?”

“No need for one.” I strode over to the car, shifted partially so that diamond-hard scales covered my arm, and punched through the window. I grabbed her purse and phone, then shook everything off to make sure I wasn’t bringing any broken glass back to her.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the bag from me. “That was, um, very effective.” She looped the strap over her head and one shoulder.

“You will not be able to hold onto me with your injured wrist, so I will hold you instead. My talons are sharp, but will not harm you if you do not struggle.”

“Hold me?”

“Yes. In my claws. It is the only way I can carry you while I fly.”

Her jaw dropped.

“Do not be frightened. I promise, my dragon poses no danger to you.”

“I’m not afraid of your dragon, even though he looks very strong and powerful. I don’t know why. But I’m not.”

My dragon preened at her words.

“But I am worried about the flying part.”

“I swear I will not drop you. Do you trust me?”

She considered the loaded question, her head tilting in the most adorable way. “I do,” she said after a long pause. “And thank you for not burning me.”

I didn’t want to tell her why she was immune to my fire. Not yet. She would need time to come to terms with being a dragon’s fated mate.

“Even if my wrist weren’t injured, I probably wouldn’t be able to hold on anyway,” she said. “I’m a bit of a klutz. I’d probably fall right off.”

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