Page 56 of Don't Fae With Dragons

“Don’t,” she murmurs. “It was intense. That’s not your fault.”

“I’m not normally such a mess. Well, at least notthatmuch of a mess.”

Mili smiles and stands, then holds her hands out for me to grab. I latch on and she helps me up before slinging an arm sideways around my waist.

“Come on,” she says softly. “Let’s get out of here.”

I smile and shake my head again, but start off with her down the hall all the same. She really is too sweet for me. I hope I don’t blow it.

CHAPTER 37: CORY

We’re halfway to the sugar maple where Port and Max first met Milica when it starts raining again. Mili’s bag is made of some sort of waxy, leafy material, so it’s waterproof. We’ve put all our valuables in it for safekeeping –but Max, Port, and me still aren’t delighted that we’re getting soaked.

“Realm’s Mother, it’s lovely to feel the rain on my skin again,” Mili sighs. Port nods along, a fake smile on his face, but Max grumbles in disagreement. Mili scoffs at him and says, “What, big tough dragon like you can’t handle a little summer rain?”

“If we’d just flown, we could have been to town by now,” Max snaps back.

Mili isn’t bothered by his snark, though, which surprises me; she rolls her eyes with a smile and replies sweetly, “Then we wouldn’t get to have such a lovely conversation, would we?”

Port chuckles quietly at her comment, and Mili grins at him. I find myself swelling with a strange sort of pride at their growing closeness; of the three of us, Mili is probably most similar to Port. He has a certain gentleness about him that she seems to relate to; if we weren’t a pack, I’d almost certainly be intimidated by that similarity.

Since wearea pack, though, the only thing that comes from seeing Milica grow closer to the other shifters is a quiet sort of comfort. Part of me does relish the time we spend alone together, but it’s relieving to know that when I’m not around, she has Max and Port to look after her.

Not that she needs it; the faery is a lot more powerful than I’d initially thought. Her one weakness is physical combat, but she’s a frighteningly fast learner.

Even after only a few sessions with Port, Max, and me, she’s become somewhat proficient with throwing daggers, which Max taught her. She’s also grown in her self-defense abilities in the realm of hand-to-hand combat, which Port helped with, and I’ve even helped her improve a few spells of hers.

Anyway, the more I get to know Mili and all her talents, the more questions I have. For one, how is a healer faery so skilled at learning combat? She obviously has a knack for it, so why didn’t she let herself study offensive strategy before? Most of all, does she realize just how brilliant she is? Questions upon questions.

“I have a question,” Port says suddenly.

Mili turns to me, and I shrug before facing Port. “What is it?” I ask.

Port shakes his head. “I actually wanted to ask you, Mili. What – well, what happens when we arrive in town? I take it the townspeople haven’t met real dragon shifters before. How can you be sure they won’t feel ... threatened? Or angry?”

I wince at his words, and Max purses his lips as he glances between Mili and me, awaiting her response. Port gazesearnestly at her, and Mili’s brows knit together as she considers his words.

“Before I introduce the three of you as shifters,” she says slowly, “I want to check on my friend Chrysthinia. Announcing so soon that three dragons have entered the valley could cause panic, but I think if I tell the townspeople that I need to see Chrysthinia, they’ll allow us to pass without questioning us too much.”

“Uh, sure,” Max starts, “but what aboutafterall that?”

Something in Mili’s expression seems strangely guarded, though. I quickly glance at Port and Max, a silent question in the air:what is she hiding?

“You don’t have a secret lover you’re hiding us from, do you?” Max smirks.

“No!” Mili blurts out way too fast. “Um, no, I don’t. I mean, in the past ... there was a girl. She was who I used to live with, but it’s not –it’s not the same as with the four of us.”

Max’s eyes go wide in the corner of my vision, but I’m starstruck staring at Mili. Gods, she’s adorable when she’s nervous. As much as I hate to hear that therewassomeone in the past, I can’t deny that I’ve enjoyed my fair share of women, too. No need to hold it against her. When Mili bites her lip nervously and looks at me for help, I stand as tall as I can, trying to project confidence.

“The whole town will accept us,” I nod. “The girl, too. It’s unprecedented for the volcano’s guardian to interact with the faery healer, not to mention actually traveling to town. I think when they see us as the harmless (cough) protectors we are, they’ll all welcome us with open arms.”

I look to Mili and she sighs with relief, nodding emphatically. “I completely agree. I know my people –they are incredibly kind. They’ll trust the three of you.”

If only I actually believed a word I’d said, I think to myself with a quiet frown. I forget, unfortunately, that my bond with Max and Port is growing, and both of them shoot back concern into my veins. I shake them off, and watch as the two of them glance knowingly at each other.

“Come on, you two,” I say with a forced smile. “No more worrying. We’ll just have to charm them all with our wonderful personalities and, well–”

“And our dashing good looks?” Max smirks.

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