Page 50 of Fire Dragon
It’s not what you think. Liam, could we go back to thehanger?There’s something I’ve got to say to you.
He paused. He wasn’t sure which was worse, that the woman had something to say to him or that she was brushing tears off her cheeks. He heard a churner start up and make a low thumping sound far below them. There wasn’t much of a wind today, so he supposed someone was testing the machinery.
Fine. Hop on. We’re done for the day.
As he flapped his wings, she flipped herself in the air and once again made a perfect landing on his natural saddle. It was a rare woman who could do that.
He felt nothing but grim certitude Emma meant to take him apart for being unreachable as a man. It was one reason he never dated a woman more than once. By a third date, those were the exact words women used who wanted more from him. So, one date it was.
He slowly began building up his walls, steeling himself against Emma and whatever it was she meant to say to him. It had been a long time since he’d felt so completely vulnerable to a female, not since his wife. This much he could admit to himself. But after their failed moment at Ethan’s lake house, as well as his argument with Logan, he’d decided that despite his desire for her, keeping his distance was the only way to go. Now Emma had something to say to him.
Great.
Once in the hanger and she’d dismounted, he sensed she’d placed herself at a safe distance, probably in an upper corner of the tall ceiling. Sometimes the shift back to human could send his dangerous thick tail into a sudden whip before disappearing into the skin, muscle and bones of his human self.
More than one attendant, not thinking and drawing too close during a shift, had ended up in the hospital for weeks of recovery.
But his shift this time was seamless, probably because of all those tight walls he’d been constructing. He thanked the attendant for the towel and drank the bottle of water quickly. Staying hydrated was part of the program for keeping a shift-lag at bay.
Emma slowly made her descent and fell into step beside him as he walked to the HQ entrance doors.
Another attendant preceded them and held the doors wide. Liam was used to the protocol. After a period of training or after battle, the dragons were taken care of, a necessary and sometimes life-saving regimen.
The attendants didn’t just provide water and open doors. They made sure that if a dragon went into shock, he or she received immediate medical attention. Shock could happen at any time after a shift.
Liam could feel the attendant’s constant scrutiny like sensors attached to his skin. Sometimes, it was an annoying sensation. Right now, he wished like hell he could trade places with the man.
Yet, the woman who never wept had shed some tears. He needed to hear her out, even if his dragon scales crawled with apprehension.
Besides, in about a hundred ways over the past couple of weeks, Emma had proven her worth as a dragon-rider and fellow warrior. He needed to honor his belief in her essential character despite that part of him still felt shredded by what had happened after he’d made love to her.
As he walked along the halls heading to the men’s locker room, he made a decision.
It wasn’t easy but it felt right.
He reached for her mentally.Have you ever been to Dragonslip Gorge?
He didn’t look at her, but from his peripheral vision he saw that she glanced at him, then quickly averted her gaze.No. Never. I’ve heard it’s beautiful. You have a home there, right?
I do. A large piece of land that caravan-driving has allowed me to buy. There’s a small waterfall on the property as well as a natural pool. I’m in the mood for a swim. How about you? Does that sound like something you could use?
He heard her release a sigh of relief and he knew he’d made the right decision.
I’d like that a lot.Her voice in his head sounded just like her regular tone, melodic and strong, a reflection of the woman herself, another sign he’d made the right call.
He wanted to look at her but kept his eyes forward. For a fraction of a second, he wanted to take her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. He knew whatever she had to tell him was serious and he knew this wasn’t easy for her.
They both signed out for the day then headed to the east exit where she rose easily into the air beside him.
He couldn’t imagine a strictly human life conducted on two feet: no flight, no shifting, no levitation. But on the other hand, Earth had a helluva lot of cars, something he envied.
As they flew southeast toward the gorge and rose high above the training ground cliffs, he thought about how many times he’d threatened to buy a car. He’d wanted one since they’d come into existence and had watched the evolution on Earth with interest.
There were a couple of manufacturers on Dusane, which meant the price of any automobile was sky-high.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford a car. He could. As well as a garage rental in the city where he would keep it.
But his life as a caravan driver and a keeper-of-the-Dusane-peace hadn’t allowed him much free time. Besides, by the time he brought a caravan safely back to Blue Lake South, or after he’d battled the latest Magi intrusion, or spent hours in full-dragon running training drills like today, all he wanted was a swim, a steak and to sit on his landing patio with a beer or two. Watching the stars appear one-by-one had become his solace.
