Page 28 of That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human
“I’m not—”
“I can hear your teeth chattering.”Dante carefully removed our luggage before shifting back into his human form. He slung the pack over his shoulder then made his way inside the manor. The creepy, very clearly abandoned manor.“Grab the cat, would you?”he asked.
Despite the fact that I was freezing my ass off, the thought of stepping into what was clearly a haunted building didn’t seem like the best idea. “Should we really be going in there?”
“It’s fine, the manor belongs to an old friend of mine,” he said, waving me in. “Though from the looks of it, he’s already migrated to the Southern continent.”
“… Right.” Warily, I stepped inside. The sound of the door closing echoed against the stone walls. Goosebumps rose on my arms. “And when you sayoldfriend?”
“Kaspar and I have known each other for about–” he paused and tilted his head in thought “– 350 years I think? Time blurs together after a while.” My companion paid no mind to the manor’s general spookiness and sauntered in as if he owned the place. Rebekah, once freed from her confines, glared daggers at the both of us before darting off down a hall.
“Damn, the longest friend I had was twelve years.” There was a rumble in the air, and I glanced out the window to see clouds churning in the dark sky. “Man, we have been having the worst luck with weather. I hope there isn’t another storm.”
He glanced up at the sky and cleared his throat. “Did you break up due to a fight?” He shrugged off his cloak, then took a few pieces of firewood from the stack against the wall and lit them in the hearth.
I rushed over to warm my fingers. Damn near moaning in relief when the warmth spread across my chilled limbs. “No, Fern just moved away when her pa found work in another town. Is Kaspar another dragon like you?”
“He’s a fae,” he said on a yawn. “Where did her pa find work?”
“Stop sleuthing for answers. I’m not telling you where I live.”
“Worth a shot,” he said. “What can you tell me then? Any hobbies, or exes I’ll need to shoo off?”
I thought about that for a moment. Most of my hobbies consisted of running around the bayou with my friend Brie and my older sister Cin. But I couldn’t just say that without giving out too much information. He’d already guessed which country I was from based on the growing season alone.
Low thunder rumbled outside, and the manor shook. Dust kicked up from the rafters, making me sneeze.
“What’s his name?”
“Who?” I asked, turning back to him.
Dante’s posture grew stiff as he unpacked our things, yet he kept his voice calm. “Your ex,” he called over his shoulder. “What was his name?”
Ah, so he’s the jealous type.
Giggling, I sat closer to the fire and basked in its warmth. “Take a breath Dante. I’m not pining over any lost love.”
A thud brought my attention back to the dragon-shifter, who had slumped to the floor. I rushed to his side and knelt beside him.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
He ran a hand down his face and nodded. “Just a bit drained. Our bonding transferred a large amount of my magic into you. It’ll take a few days before I’ve fully recovered.”
I took his hand in mine and pulled him to his feet. His large body sagged, and I wrapped my arms around him to hold him steady. “Alright. Let’s get you to bed, big guy.”
He smirked.
“Oh, keep it in your pants.”
Dante threw an arm over my shoulder and guided us toward the bedrooms. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have too.”
“I see, my wife is a mind reader. Maybe I should be on my best behavior.” He stopped us at the end of the hall and opened a door. Its rusted hinges creaked in protest. Inside was a modestly decorated bedroom with chestnut furnishing and a large bed in the center.
“You better be,” I huffed, walking him over to the bed. “Don’t think I’m a pushover just because I’m human. Push me too far and I’ll have ya begging for mercy.”
The arm around my shoulders fell as his hand slid to the small of my back. My heart sped up. Mind reeling as the seductive tenor of his voice played against my ear like the strings of his cello. “Is that a promise?”
