Page 28 of Fire Dragon
She smiled as well. She supposed this wouldn’t be the last time her deepest desires made an unwelcome and very sub-conscious appearance.
The hours wore on and as the desert landscape grew monotonous, it was no surprise she fell into a doze. She was very comfortable, attached as she was to his energy.
~ ~ ~
Liam knew when Emma had fallen asleep. He wasn’t surprised. The journey had been very smooth with only slight buffets of crosswinds to enliven the run. The desert had a sameness that would have evoked a nap for himself if he hadn’t been working as hard as he was.
As he felt her breathing even out and the gentle weight of her body settle against his, he could only smile. She was a restless sort, and this was the stillest he’d ever known her to be.
After a half hour, he sniffed the air. He could smell sand coming from the west. He nudged Emma awake.Hey, sorry to wake you, but we’re in for some chop.
Huh?
Wake up. We’ve got some serious crosswinds brewing.
Okay. Okay. I don’t remember falling asleep.
He felt her lift to her knees, and he smiled to himself. Dragons didn’t really have the facial muscles or bone structure to offer a smile. His laughter usually belched fire so he kept his chuckles small and inward.
Her voice reached into his head.Is there anything I can do?
I’ve alerted the caravan and strengthened my flow of energy but hang on. Things can get dicey.
The first gust hit the side of the caravan along the entire four-mile line. Almost as one, they rose a few feet into the air. He drew a deep breath and send a wave of energy down the full length. The line evened out and he settled the dragons and himself back into the preferred altitude.
When the second gust came, he had more of a handle on what kind of wind was blowing and what he could expect. This time, the blow did little more than buffet the sides of his energy. Sometimes the crosswinds were miles wide, like this one, which meant he made continual adjustments with each buffet. From experience, he suspected the caravan would endure twenty minutes of pummeling.
I can feel the strength of the wind.Her voice had an edge now, the one he’d come to know as her essential excitement about life.How hard are we being hit? I mean it’s difficult to tell because of the protection you’re providing.
I’d say we’re at one-hundred-and-twenty. Not too bad.
Wow. You know what,she added, you’re amazing, Liam. Just amazing.
The compliment hit him in the gut then shot up through his sternum and grabbed his heart. Hard. He generally ignored the praise he received for what he considered to be his natural abilities. But because his dragon responded with a fiery desire to shift back to human and drag her into his arms, he understood something critical about his relationship with Emma: He was in serious trouble with this woman, more than he understood.
Thank you.He wondered if he’d spoken in a way she could hear.
You’re welcome, fearless leader.
If he could have cleared his throat, he would have. The dragon scales on his cheeks felt extra hot.We’ll be clearing a final set of low mountains in about forty minutes then we’ll be in vampire-land. Should be smooth sailing from here on out.He communicated the same telepathically to all the dragons in the train.
Vampires had lived in Dusane for thousands of years before the first dragons arrived and had survived mainly on the blood of animals they kept as stock. The taste for both human and dragon blood had come much later.
He wondered how Emma would take to being in a city where the men she met would lust after her blood.
That was an unfortunate thought, since his jealousy was never far away where Emma was concerned. If any vampire made a move on Emma, he wasn’t sure he could control himself.
Landing at Kochwick, he brought the caravan in without a hitch. But he was tired after the long flight and the continual release of his energy shield.
He saw Emma to her hotel room door and left her there with an offer the next day to take her sightseeing. She seemed oddly reluctant, then suggested he call her mid-morning to see if she was up to it.
He headed to his own room curious as to why a woman of Emma’s usually vibrant energy would need to sleep in the day after a relatively peaceful caravan run.
She’d even napped during the run.
Odd.
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