Page 25 of Hidden Dragons

“To sleep,” she said firmly, though her tone held a hint of humor. “You were up all night and then making reports all morning. I doubt you even had a single solid hour of rest anywhere in there. You need to get some sleep.” She gestured toward the doorway and the dragons’ wallow beyond. “Your partner has the right idea.”

Caught, he had to agree. “Yes.” He sighed heavily. “You’re right, of course.” He moved her forward in the water and sat up, preparing to leave the cooling bath. She gasped when he lifted her in his arms and walked up the steps of the recessed tub, placing her on her feet in the doorway of the chamber.

“A little help, my friend?” Robert spoke in the direction of the snoozing dragon. Growloranth didn’t even stir. He simply breathed a little harder in their direction, sending a warming, cinnamon-scented wind over them, drying their bodies within moments.

Robert lifted her in his arms again and carried her into the one chamber in their suite that had been empty since they had moved in. It was the one chamber he had dreamed of having filled—by the right woman. It had a massive bed in the center of the chamber, but no one lived in it. Not yet, at least.

“Where are we?” she asked as he put her down on the bed.

“This is the mates chamber of our suite. It’s been empty until now, since we didn’t have a mate, but as you can see, it is big enough for the three of us, when needed.” He lay down next to her and pulled a thin blanket over both of them.

He pulled her back against him so that they were spooned together. He liked the feel of her in his arms. Within a few moments, even though he had a great deal to think about, they were both fast asleep.

Robert woke a few hours later when he heard the massive door to their suite open and close. Coupled with the sounds of a dragon wading into the sand pit and the slip of scales on scales, and he figured that Bear and Tilly had returned. Finally. The whole family was together in one place.

“We’re in the mates chamber, Bear,”Robert sent silently to his fighting partner.

“That was fast work,”came the dry reply. A moment later Robert heard footsteps and then Bear walked through the open portal.“Has she agreed to be our mate?”

“Not quite yet, but I think she’s warming to the idea.”

Bear sat on the side of the bed, next to Isabelle. The movement of the mattress woke her.

“Bear,” she said, still charmingly groggy. “You’re back.”

Bear dropped down to place a lingering kiss on her lips. “I’m back,” he whispered against her mouth, then drew away. “Am I to understand you’ve been sleeping most of the afternoon?”

“Well, you kept her up most of the night. It hasn’t been an easy couple of days for any of us,” Robert replied for her, sitting up in the bed and leaning back against the headboard.

“Much as I would enjoy exploring this giant bed with you, my dear…” Bear whispered near her ear as she hid under the blanket, “…my first duty is to be certain you have all that you need. In this case, I believe dinner is in order.”

At that moment, her stomach growled delicately and Robert realized Bear was right. They hadn’t eaten since lunch and it was already past dinnertime. She had to be hungry. Robert threw off the blanket and launched himself out of the bed, seeking his clothing. Their woman was hungry. They had to fix that right away.

With quite a few blushes, Isabelle was persuaded to get out of bed and get dressed. Within a few minutes more, they were on their way to the great hall. There they collected three dinner trays and sat down at an empty table. The prime dinner hour was already past, so there weren’t that many people left in the hall and they had the place mostly to themselves.

Still, the food was hot and filling. Robert saw to it that Isabelle had all she wanted and a few things she had never tried before. He liked showing her new things—even small things like exotic fruits from afar.

“I wonder where everyone is?” Robert mused, looking around the deserted hall. “Even at this hour it is usually more crowded here.”

Bear looked chagrinned. “Apologies, my friend. I thought you knew, but then how could you if you’ve been asleep all afternoon? The news from Halley’s Well is not good. We saw troops massing and I believe the invasion is set for tomorrow morning. I suspect they will herd the skiths across the pass at first light. Everyone is preparing for battle.”

Isabelle gasped, but Robert wasn’t all that surprised. He had been expecting action sooner rather than later.

“I assume the other dark dragons will be watching over the village and the pass tonight, then, since we haven’t been called,” Robert observed.

“You’ve got that right,” Bear confirmed. “Jared and Darian wanted us to fight as a pair on the morrow, which means you’ve got the night off.”

Robert smiled. “I wonder, how ever shall we spend it?”

Isabelle blushed and he knew she was both embarrassed and excited. He loved her innocent reactions to him and looked forward to seeing if she could be with both he and Bear. If that last barrier could be crossed, it would be a major step forward. If she could take them both and enjoy it, she could finally be their mate. It was all up to her, though Robert prayed silently to the Mother of All that Isabelle could be convinced to be their wife. He wanted her with him—with them—forever and always.

Tonight might prove to be vital in his and Bear’s campaign to make her theirs.

Chapter Eight

When they returned to the suite after dinner, Isabelle knew what the men had in mind. Robert’s subtle teasing and Bear’s molten glances gave away their hopes and excited her senses at the same time. Could she?

Dare she?

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