Page 12 of Lachlan

Nevertheless, her uncertainty remained as Lachlan walked beside her along the passageway as it led deeper into the heart of the mountain. He matched what she was sure would be his much longer strides to her smaller ones. Belle appreciated his thoughtfulness. Most men nowadays didn’t bother making those sorts of allowances.

The farther they walked, the more she realized the cold and lack of food for the past thirty-six hours meant she was feeling a littleweak. Not that she was going to own up to that. Having Lachlan Drake carry her would just be too much.

There were lit torches every ten feet or so to light their way, and yet when Belle turned to look back the way they had come, it was to discover the torches were no longer burning behind them.

Torches didn’t go out on their own.

These had!

And maybe the opening in the back of the cave had disappeared too?

No, the opening into the cave would still be there if she went back and checked, and a strong wind blowing through that opening was probably responsible for the torches going out.

That was the logical explanation for both those things.

Any other explanation, such as Lachlan Drake having magically made that opening appear and his having lit and then tamped out those torches behind them with a sweep of his hand, was ridiculous.

No more ridiculous than believing in dragons, the voice of reason once again taunted inside her head.

She really needed to have a talk with her inner self concerning mocking her belief and research into dragons that had, so far, been the most intense and satisfying work of Belle’s academic life.

Yes, she believed that dragons had existed centuries ago, but she also believed they had then gone the way of the dodo. Which was why they no longer existed rather than being as common as any other raptor.

But that didn’t mean she believed in magic too.Thatwould be taking things too far for a methodical brain such as her own.

Besides, he might be very big and even more imposing, but Lachlan Drake was still only a man. Which meant he was as incapable of creating magic as she was.

Maybe the torches had some sort of sophisticated sensor that meant they flared up and then died down again when the people in the passageway had passed by.

There, a perfectly logical explanation.

Maybe…

Lachlan was fascinated by everything about his mate. How much shorter and tinier than him she was. Her wide-eyed interest in their surroundings as they walked down the passageway together. The trusting way she allowed him to continue holding her hand. The endearing way her upturned nose wrinkled slightly when she was deep in thought.

Troubling thoughts, judging by the frown between her beautiful blue eyes.

“How are you feeling now?” he prompted huskily.

“I’m fine to keep walking, thank you,” she answered primly. “And my backpack still isn’t too heavy.”

But the way Belle had kept such a firm grip on it told Lachlan that it must contain something valuable. Lachlan doubted it would be gold or jewels, but something far less obvious that was of value to Belle but perhaps not to anyone else.

Perhaps she didn’t have many possessions, making what she had in the backpack all the more precious to her.

If she became his mate, she would never have to go without ever again.

If…

“Are you still cold?” Lachlan asked.

She opened her mouth to answer him and then closed it again, a puzzled expression forming on her face. “Actually, no. I seem to have thawed out, and I’m feeling pleasantly warm right now,” she added with obvious incredulity.

Lachlan could feel his dragon’s pleasure was as great as his own for having made that happen for Belle. They had transferred some of their own body heat into Belle through the link of their joined hands.

“Where are we going?” she prompted now.

“I told you, to my home.”

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