Page 41 of Dragon Fire

“I’m the oldest of a brood,” he said, laughing. When he smiled, his whole face lit up, and she could tell he really loved his big family. “My folks thought it best if I could still see my younger siblings on my days off, and Xanderanth is a big hit with the little ones. They climb all over him, and I’m always surprised how patient he is with them. Of course, Xander’s young, too, for a dragon. I’m his first knight. We’re learning together.”

“That’s really beautiful,” Lizbet said, and Leo felt a flush run along his cheekbones. “It must be so amazing to share your life with Xanderanth.”

“I’m truly blessed,” Leo agreed, feeling a bit more comfortable seeing that she wasn’t making fun of him. Far from it, she seemed truly impressed, which swung his emotions back the other way, from embarrassment to pride.

They talked a bit about the bond between dragon and knight. Lizbet seemed very interested in how it all worked, so Leo did his best to explain it, though some of it was beyond his ability to put into words. It just…was. The bond that had formed between Xanderanth and Leo was stronger than anything he’d ever felt before and joined them on a level he hadn’t known existed until Xander had come into his life.

Lizbet was a good listener, and when Seth returned to share a snack with them, the talk turned to her life on the island. She told them about the small villages and towns dotted around the island and how everyone deferred to Gryffid’s rule, though the wizard seldom interfered much in anyone’s lives. The fair folk lived and worked alongside the gryphons in much the way the knights lived and worked with their dragon partners, only on a much larger scale. There were almost as many gryphons on the island as there were fair folk, and not all were suited to be warriors. Some were artisans in their own right, and some were strategists, teachers and poets.

Leo was fascinated by talk of the gryphons and listened raptly, even after Seth excused himself to check on the dragons one last time before turning in for a short sleep shift. Leo was on first watch, and Lizbet seemed to want to share it with him. Leo didn’t object. He liked her company and figured she would turn in when she got tired enough.

Oddly, she didn’t. She sat with him for the long hours of his watch and didn’t leave until Seth came back to relieve Leo. Only then did Lizbet get up and go into the tent Leo had set up for her, but not before leaving him with a parting peck on the cheek.

Leo held one hand to his cheek long after she disappeared into the tent, marveling at the strange turn of events. He was wildly attracted to the fey woman, but he had no idea how—or evenif—such a thing could ever come to fruition.

Still, he was smiling as he lay himself down on the bedroll Seth had vacated, in the tent just across the way from Lizbet’s. Leo lay his sword within easy reach and then shut his eyes, knowing he would dream of the fey woman who had captured his imagination…and just maybe…his heart.

Livia snuck out of her bedroom deep in the night and tiptoed next door, where she knew Gowan would be. They’d only just arrived back at their rooms after a long discussion of the day’s events with the crowd still in the great hall. It seemed the battle had made more than one fey warrior unable to sleep. Many were talking and sitting quietly all around the hall, which Gryffid seemed to keep open at all hours for guests.

Discreet servants kept food and drink flowing, but few drank to excess, and those that did were cared for quietly by their brethren. Livia had been impressed with the way the fey handled themselves. A few bards played quietly in one corner. Calming tunes. Sad tunes, to remember the dead and mark their passing. The fey seemed to be respectful even of their enemies’ deaths. There was no joyful celebration. Only sober remembrances and quiet comradeship.

Livia and Gowan had stayed late into the night, talking with the fey. Livia thought she understood better now why they seemed to want to spend time in each other’s company after such a tumultuous day. She felt better for having shared time with those somber warriors.

But now, she wanted to spend time with Gowan. Nobody saw her in the corridor, though she suspected her father would have set a watch had he been allowed to bring any of his men into the keep with him.

As it was, Gryffid’s people had put her father in a guest suite in another section of the massive keep, and she felt secure enough to sneak over to Gowan’s room for a few hours. She didn’t want to be alone. Not after all they’d been through today.

More importantly, she didn’t want Gowan to be alone. She couldn’t help the fact that Seth was on duty, his healing skill much needed in the aftermath of battle.

She opened his door, sneaking in quickly, lest someone come down the corridor and see her. Leaning against the closed door, she caught her breath. Gowan was looking at her, and it was clear she’d startled him a bit, though he reacted well. He was shirtless, wearing only his trousers and socks. It looked like she’d interrupted while he was caring for his sword, honing the edge and inspecting the dully gleaming blade.

She had an entirely different sword in mind to care for herself this night, but she had to admit, he posed a dashing picture, standing there, one foot resting on the chest at the foot of the bed. His blade rested on his knee, his muscles gleaming in the candlelight as he bent over the sword, inspecting it. He had a cloth in one hand, a sharpening stone in the other, but he put both aside when their eyes met.

He straightened, placing the blade carefully on the lid of the chest before he walked toward her. She felt very much as if he was some exotic mountain cat, stalking her…in the best possible way.

“Should you be here?” he asked in a low, rumbly voice.

“There’s no place I’d rather be,” she replied, giving him what she hoped was a sultry smile. She felt like her insides were melting into a puddle of need as he prowled closer. Her mouth went dry as she watched him, knowing that, in mere moments, she would be in his arms.

She’d missed him so much since her father had come home. The stolen moments on the beach had been incredible, but she missed talking to Gowan and just being around him. He’d become a needed presence in her life in such a short time. It almost scared her to think about it, because she knew the whole situation was difficult, at best…impossible, at worst. And since her father had returned, it had been the pits most of the time.

“What about your father?” Gowan persisted, closer now, taking his time as he crossed the large room.

“He’s in another wing of the keep. It seems either Gryffid has some sympathy for our situation or luck is on our side.” She tilted her head to look up at him as he stepped into her personal space, only the width of a heartbeat separating them now. Thank the stars!

“Or perhaps a little of both,” he mused, smiling in that lopsided way that lit her on fire. He was too sexy for his own good. Too sexy for her peace of mind, to be sure.

He leaned closer, and then, his lips were on hers, possessing gently, like the first time they’d come together on the sunny cliff top above Dragonscove. They’d been on a picnic. No hint of the danger that was to come. And Gowan had been the perfect gentleman—until he hadn’t—and she’d practically pounced on him, making love to him in the soft grass, his dragon partner sleeping nearby.

She’d only been with the men she was coming to think of asherstogether and separately a handful of times. Each was a glowing memory in her mind, brought out in the dark of night when she was alone, wondering where they were and what they were doing.

Tonight, she wouldn’t have to wonder. At least not about Gowan. And she knew where Seth was and what he was doing. He was safe, in the company of dragons and gryphons, where she knew he loved to be. He had genuine affection for all dragons, and they seemed to respect him in turn, from what she had observed.

She came up for air when Gowan raised his head.

“How long can you stay?” he whispered.

“A few hours, but I should leave before dawn, just in case. My father was always an early riser, and I wouldn’t put it past him to come find my room to make sure I was in it.”

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