Page 9 of No Room at Dragon's Landing

“I’ve got to go back but…” I turned with the door open. “I’m afraid I’m going to come back and you’ll be gone. I don’t want you to stay anywhere else, omega.”

“I won’t. I’m going to shower and then take a long nap on your couch.”

Still, I hesitated. Leaving my omega behind was no easy task. I’d dealt with irate guests and destroyed rooms, and one guest even set fire to their bed when we first opened. Those things all seemed so tiny and manageable compared to standing there, choosing work over my fated mate. “Call if you need anything.”

“I will. I promise. Now go.”

With a heavy heart, I went back downstairs, right into the thick of it. Gertrude cleared her throat and I shrugged. “You were right. He’s damned cute.”

She cackled and sipped on her tea. “I’m never wrong about a cute omega. Never.”

Chapter Six

Boen

I didn’t sleep at all that night.

Or maybe just a few minutes here and there. Partly because of the long nap I took the afternoon before. I went downstairs to see if I could find my host when I woke about eight o’clock, well after dark. I wanted to ask him for a close and easy place to get some dinner and if I could pick him up something as well. I expected him to be busy with all the fest guests and not have time to go out, but he was nowhere to be found, and the lobby was swarming with people. Not wanting to bother the staff, I ate some protein bars and watched videos on my phone before attempting to sleep again.

The couch wasn’t all that comfortable, now that I had taken the edge off my exhaustion, and I had just begun to drowse when Cyrus came upstairs around ten thirty. He tiptoed past me and went into the bathroom to shower. He came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and disappeared into the bedroom.

I probably should have let him know I was awake, but there was something so intimate about watching him go about his tasks that I couldn’t bring myself to. This man was being so kind by letting me stay in his room, and I was determined not to be any more trouble than necessary. He might not be losing money by letting me stay in his apartment, but he sure wasn’t gaining any, and his insistence that I enjoy the brunch at no cost already made me feel guilty.

After a few minutes, the light went out in the bedroom, and I lay on the sofa for the rest of the night, under the soft comforter, trying not to be so hyperaware of his breathing from the next room. I might as well have tried not to breathe myself. Everything about the owner of this B&B called out to me ina way nobody ever had before. He smelled like exotic woods and spices, something I couldn’t quite identify but incredibly sweet and warm and spicy at the same time. The steam from his shower amplified his scent, wrapping me in its seductive fragrance.

Before the sun rose, Cyrus came out of the bedroom and went through his routine from last night in reverse. He didn’t take long, and I wondered if he worked these kinds of hours normally. Likely not. The Dragon Fest was a big event for the little town, drawing in thousands of people from far and near. Of course, that would mean a full house for the B&B and more work than ever before.

I pushed myself to sit up, stifling a groan at the kink in my back brought on by staying all night on the sofa. It was better than the floor or having to stay in another town, but that was about all I could give my bed credit for. Well, that and proximity to the man himself. If I never got any rest while I was here, it would be worth it.

I set my feet on the floor. My back was tight, but a few stretches helped with that, and soon I was ready to start my day. Outside the window, the sky was lightening, and I was excited to be up in time to watch the sunrise. Facing the back of the house, my view was of the open countryside beyond the town, a restful landscape just waking from a long night’s sleep.

Rarely up this early, I savored the sun rising slowly, going from a strip of flow to the full ball of fire with a giant bird silhouetted in front of it, creating a unique shadow. What kind of bird was that, anyway? It wasn’t too far away, but I couldn’t identify it. Wings stretched out to either side, talons hanging below.

Talons? If this was a bird of prey, it was nothing like any I’d ever seen or heard of. The shape was all wrong, and the motion as well. If I didn’t know better, I’d have said it was my dragon,but that couldn’t be. First of all, dragons weren’t real. They were the stuff of legends and fairy tales, but no scientific proof had ever been uncovered, at least that I’d heard of, that any had ever existed.

Second,mydragon? Why would I call it that? Even if by some wild happenstance dragons did exist and one was flying by, it wouldn’t be mine. Just a random visitor to the fest.

I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

Perhaps it was farther away than I thought and instead of one winged, scaled creature, what I was looking at was a drone formation practicing for the Dragon Fest? I’d seen one at a sporting event one time, and they were pretty wild. What a good idea.

I headed for the window to get a better look, tickled to be seeing the dress rehearsal or whatever you’d call a drone practice. I had the thought of filming it, but I didn’t remember where exactly I’d set my phone the night before—not on a charger, Goddess forbid that kind of forethought. So, I told myself it was better to be in the moment anyway and leaned on the sill to take in the show.

It was a spectacular production. Although the sun had lifted past the horizon now, it was still creating a glowing backdrop that made it hard to really focus on the display. It might be easier to see it at night, which was presumably when they planned to do it. Did they light up? They weren’t now, so far as I could tell.

“Wings” carried the dragon up into the sky then off to the left, moving so naturally, it was hard to believe it wasn’t a real dragon.

Real. I snorted.

My mind was playing tricks on me. That nap wasn’t enough to make up for a full night’s sleep, and the early morning light combined with great special effects was making me think funny thoughts.

Dragon Fest was going to be awesome.

I gathered clothes and went in to shower and get ready for the day. Seeing the drones got me even more excited for the Dragon Fest, but my main plan for the day was to see what I could do to be of help to Cyrus and his team.

I had seen enough last night when I poked my head in to know that they were stretched pretty thin. It was so kind of him to let me stay after the scam that brought me here. And to trust me to be right in his apartment with him.

No doubt Dragon Fest was kicking into gear, but I could check it out in the afternoon. For this morning, I had a different plan in mind. Something grounding after my drone/dragon experience. Wearing my favorite jeans, the ones that cupped my ass like they’d been tailored to me, gave me confidence when I arrived in the lobby to find Cyrus coming in through the front door, tucking his shirt into his slacks. I stepped aside until his gaze lit on me and a smile brought a sparkle to his eyes.

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