Page 15 of Purring for Her Lion
He’s quiet for a long moment, expression unreadable. Finally, he sits back on his heels.
“It’s healthy,” he says. “Blue mountain dragon. Rare. Endangered. And not native to this region.”
My heart skips. “So it was… placed here? On purpose?”
He nods, golden eyes meeting mine. “Yes.”
The word hangs between us, heavy.
“But why?” I look from the egg to Roarke and back. “Why would someone leave a rare dragon egg on my land? I can’t even keep chickens alive.”
“That,” he says, packing up his kit, “is what we need to figure out.”
I drag my hands through my hair. “Oh my god. I’m responsible for an endangered dragon egg. Me. The woman who set her kitchen on fire making toast.”
He raises an eyebrow.
“It was a complicated toaster,” I mutter.
He stands, towering. “We need supplies. Proper incubation. The egg can’t stay out here.”
“Supplies. For the dragon egg.” I’m nodding too fast, like a bobblehead. “What kind of supplies? Can we get them at the general store? They have a surprisingly good selection of?—”
“No,” he cuts me off. “We need to go to Crystalline Springs.”
“Crystalline Springs?” It sounds made up. “Where’s that?”
“Two hours north. Magical community. They’ll have what we need.”
My eyes widen. “A magical community? Like, with actual magic? And magical people? And magical stuff?”
“Yes.” He’s already lifting the egg, cradling it like it’s spun sugar. “We need to leave now if we want to get there and back before dark.”
I’m torn between excitement and panic. Panic is winning.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I say, hurrying after him as he heads for the truck. “Shouldn’t we call someone? Magical authorities? Dragon protective services? There has to be a protocol.”
“There is,” he says. “Proper incubation until we determine why it was placed here.”
“But—”
“Get in the truck, Liana.”
He uses my name like a command. I obey, climbing into the passenger seat.
Roarke secures the egg in a padded container, buckling it in with a stabilizing harness. Every move is deliberate.
“Is it going to be okay?” I twist in my seat to look at the egg.
“Yes.” He starts the engine. “If we get the right equipment.”
And just like that, we’re off. Road trip to a magical town with a dragon egg in the back seat. Not how I expected my Tuesday to go.
We leave my property behind, roads growing less familiar, my panic slowly giving way to a bubbling excitement. I’m going to a magical town. With a magical lion-man. For a magical dragon egg. I’m living in a fantasy novel.
“So,” I say, bouncing in my seat, “what’s Crystalline Springs like? Is everyone magical? Are there wizards in pointy hats? Fairies? Gnomes?”
Roarke gives me a sidelong glance. “It’s just a town.”
