In a Dragon’s Dream by Riley Storm Page 0,15

fumbling frantically to get a hold of it again. She managed to avoid dropping it on the floor, but only just. Locking the screen, she put the phone in a pocket and then, nervously, crept over to the door.

“Who is it?” she called, not bold enough to use the peephole.

“Rakell,” came the calm, assertive answer in a familiar voice.

The deadbolt practically flew off as Laura flung the door open.

“Boy am I glad to see you,” she said, stepping outside and throwing her arms around his massive frame, feeling his beard scrape against the top of her head as she fit under his chin perfectly.

Rakell froze in place, probably surprised by her sudden show of affection.

“Come in,” she said, stepping back and letting him into her house. “It’s cold out there, you’re letting the heat out.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, stepping inside, immediately removing his boots so they didn’t track dirt everywhere.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, then stopped, hesitating. “But Sam…”

“Sam is okay,” Rakell assured her, clamping a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

He had such big hands, and they were so warm too. For a second, Laura wished he’d hugged her back. It would have been nice to be all wrapped up in him…

“How do you know about Sam?” she asked abruptly, her mind switching gears as it processed what he’d said. “What happened to her? Where did she go? Why didn’t she come back?”

“There was an…issue,” Rakell said slowly.

Laura froze. “They went after her, didn’t they,” she said before he could say more. “And they got her.”

“She’s fine,” Rakell repeated. “Completely, totally fine. Tired. Drained. Scared. But like you, she will be okay after her ordeal.”

“What happened?” Laura wanted to know, crossing her arms, daring Rakell not to tell her the truth.

“The men who tried to take you,” Rakell explained. “They had more associates than we thought. However, they are no longer an issue.”

“You said that last time,” Laura pointed out, moving around Rakell as she realized she’d not locked the front door. Better safe than sorry.

“Last time I thought they were unable to do more. This time I know it,” he said darkly.

“Am I safe?” Laura asked, wondering for the first time since she’d been at the urgent-care center if they were going to come after her again.

“Yes,” Rakell said. “You are. They are no longer an issue.”

“You swear it?”

“I swear,” he said.

“Where did you go?” she asked, changing the subject abruptly.

“A friend needed assistance,” Rakell said.

“Was it Blede?”

“Yes.”

Laura could tell he was uncomfortable with saying much more. She thought about pushing, about asking if the dragons were going to finally reveal themselves yet, but thought better of it. Rakell was very clearly unhappy with how events had proceeded, and they weren’t his fault. It’s not like he had gone and kidnapped Sam.

“Do you…do you have to leave again?” she asked, feeling uncertain about being left alone now that she knew what had happened to Sam.

Not that she was going to admit to Rakell that she was comfortable with having him around all the time. He didn’t need that ego boost, as small as it might be. She needed to appear confident, because she wanted to be confident. Laura couldn’t spend her entire life fearing that someone was going to leap out and try and grab her again. It just wasn’t feasible to live like that.

Nor was it likely to ever happen again. According to what she’d read of the dragons, they dealt with their problems rather…seriously. Permanently.

“I will not leave until you ask me to,” Rakell replied. “On this, you have my word.”

Laura nodded, knowing what a dragon’s word was worth, even if he wouldn’t admit to her what he was.

“Thank you,” she said softly as a feeling of safety extended over her once more. With Rakell around, Laura knew she had little to fear. There was more than just the knowledge however, there was the base feeling of safety that his presence instilled in her, completely separate from her mind. It spoke to another part of her, on a more physical level.

Rakell was dangerous to anyone who would threaten her. Very dangerous.

“You know,” she said, speaking again. “I thought I could macho my way through this. Be brave. I wasn’t going to tell you, I didn’t want you getting full of yourself, but I…I feel a lot better with you around,” she admitted. “This whole thing has left me feeling more than a little jumpy.”

“I understand,” Rakell said, once more resting a hand