Page 28 of Kian

KIAN

Kian watched as Kinsley knelt among the howling dogs without fear, She reached out to stroke a furry head and accepted their snuffling muzzles as they explored the empty sling that hung from her chest.

From the moment the barn door had opened to a cacophony of fearful canine voices, Kinsley had been calm and nurturing. Kian couldn’t help thinking that she clearly had a natural gift with animals.

If she had been a dragon shifter, the Invicta would have mined that gift to have her training animals to serve in battle, maybe even as service creatures. As things were, it would most likely be wasted out on the frontier, where she would be tempted to turn the team into pets.

He focused on the smooth, calming motions of her hands, trying to calm his own inner beast.

The dragon was still churning with battle lust. The fact that danger had cropped up so close to his mate and the whelp he had been tasked with protecting made it extremely difficult to bring the dragon back in line.

Kian’s senses were still amped up, as if the dragon hoped to keep him feverish with blood lust by feeding him the scent of his mate and the sound of her breathing.

Claim her.

“I need you on the cargonow, Bill,” Sheriff Barr shouted to the hand.

“I’m fine with the dogs,” Kinsley called to him. “Go on with the sheriff.”

Bill gave her a wave and ran out, closing the barn door behind him.

She was right, the canids had quieted a lot. A few more minutes, and they might have whined themselves out even without Kinsley there to comfort them.

But she moved among them with the same focused care she had the moment they arrived, stroking a muzzle, patting a back, quieting the pack of unruly animals just by walking past.

Kian was reminded of the legend of the star-mother, who could calm wild beasts with just the caress of her gentle gaze into their eyes.

She reached the far end of the barn and was continuing to greet the dogs, though they had all quieted.

“You’re tangled, Sooky,” she told one with a smile. “Let’s get you loose, so you can snuggle with your friends.”

Kian strode closer to see what she was doing.

As Kinsley let out Sooky’s rope, another dog let out a yap in his sleep, causing Sooky to jump and pull her lead hard across Kinsley’s thigh.

Kinsley let out a little cry and Kian ran for her, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat.

“I’m fine,” she gasped.

But he looked down and saw a few drops of blood blooming on her dress.

“It’s just a little rope burn,” she told him as she bent to pat the dogs, who were snuffling at her as if they were worried that she had also let out an unhappy noise.

Kian boomed a command, and the dogs all quieted.

“What was that?” Kinsley asked.

“The Invicta word for sleep,” he told her.

“I could have used that one during my preschoolers’ naptime.”

She smiled, but then winced a little when she took a step.

“Come with me,” Kian said sternly, taking her by the hand. “We need to get that wound cleaned and dressed.”

“There’s a chem sink in the corner,” she told him, pointing to the far rear part of the barn.

He bent and slid one arm under her back and the other under her legs, carrying her easily into the shadowy recesses of the barn. She didn’t seem to object.

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