Page 74 of The Soul of the Dragon

“Look, as much as I love looking at your dragon and even rubbing my hands along his incredible features, and just because we are having sex and you’ve gotten in your head that I’m yours, does not mean I am going back into the sky with you. I was serious about not doing that again.”

“What? No. I mean I would like you to go for another ride when you aren’t under duress or in danger. But this has nothing to do with that.”

Relief swept over me. “So what’s this about then?”

“You see that circle out there?”

I looked to where he pointed to see a target set up. “Um…yeah.”

“I got you this from the village this morning.” He reached behind a boulder next to him and pulled a tall, skinny pack with arrows poking out from the top of it and what looked like the end of a bow.

“You got me a bow?” I hoped I didn’t sound as idiotic as I felt, but I didn’t understand. “What am I supposed to do with it?”

He laughed, and I soaked up the rumbling sound like a sponge. I was never going to get enough of it. “Yeah. Without your magic, you need something else to protect yourself. Don’t get me wrong. Keeping you safe is a job I take seriously and intend to do everything in my power to ensure it. But, depending on how things go when we return, I want you to feel safe no matter what, so having a back up protection system in place won’t hurt.”

I stood stock still simply staring at him. I wasn’t much of an archer, but the idea that he’d gotten this for me so that I’d have my own form of protection made my insides tremble. It had been a long time since I’d felt truly safe and even longer since someone concerned themselves over me.

If I hadn’t already started seeing Isaac from a different lens, this gesture gave me more to consider.

“Thank you,” I said, accepting the bow and arrows with a trembling hand.

“Would you like to give them a try?”

I snorted. “Yes!” I clapped my hands. “It’s been years since I’ve done this. I am not sure I’ll be any good at it, but I can’t wait to give them a shot.”

“If you set your intentions and trust your instincts, then I think you’ll be fine. Plus, I’m a pretty good teacher. We can practice as much as you want while we’re here, and then when we head back through the portal, you’ll have an extra something to keep you safe”

I fought not to cry. I don’t know why this gift made me so emotional, but I was grateful for Isaac taking the time to do this. To hide my face, I bent my head and pulled both the bow and an arrow from the quiver and I moved a little closer to the target.

I lined up the arrow, lifted the bow and pulled the string back towards my ear like I’d been taught as a child. I took a deep breath and then eased it out slow and released the string at the same time. The arrow flew far but wild, hitting the edge of the target but as far from the bullseye as it could get.

“Okay, so you’ll need more practice. No big deal. We’ve got some time. How about another?”

I nodded, repeating the move and getting the arrow a little more on the target.

“See,” he exclaimed. “Two shots and you’re already making progress.”

We both laughed and for the rest of the day we alternated between time in bed, eating food, and target shooting. The day would go down in my book as one of the best I’d ever had. And if my stomach fluttered every time I looked at Isaac, or I screamed his name every time he made me orgasm then that didn’t have to mean anything other than we enjoyed each other’s company.

I wasn’t falling for him, or anything crazy like that.

And he certainly didn’t love me back despite the gifts and attention he continued to shower on me.

We were just two people with the same goals.

And soon they would clash, leaving us no other option than to become enemies again.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Isaac

The morning dawned as gloomy as my black heart. Although after the last week alone with Kitra in a cocoon of bliss one might not consider my heart as dark as it once was.

They’d be wrong. It was still black, but there were new cracks.

Sure, the mating heat pulled our bodies together to both of our enjoyment. But in between those moments, I’d enjoyed listening to her talk. Her grief for her mother still seemed fresh, and it drove many of her actions.

For a brief time we’d been in a bubble where the rest of the world didn’t exist. But the moment I saw the rain and Sprite sitting in the tree outside, I knew our little game of house was about to come crashing down on our heads.

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