In a Dragon’s Dream by Riley Storm Page 0,29

didn’t move to follow him.

Rakell watched her closely in the faint glow provided by the light over her front door. It was long past dark, the sun well below the horizon and even the evening haze having diminished into night. There was little other light available, but it was more than enough for him to see by.

What was this all about? Laura had an expectant gaze fixed on her face, her hazel eyes locked on to him and not letting him go. They were about to have a ‘talk’, he could feel it. What Rakell wished he knew, so he could prepare himself, was just which of the handful of subjects that needed discussing it was about.

“That’s it?” she challenged. “You’re just going to leave it at what happened, and nothing more?”

Rakell tilted his head to one side and lifted both eyebrows. “Could you perhaps humor me, and let me know just what it is you’re referring to?”

He didn’t want to give away anything more than absolutely necessary if he could avoid it. That would make Laura’s life much easier. Still, if she persisted in knowing, then Rakell would tell her. Something about his views toward her had changed during the fight, but he’d yet to have time to truly think it over and understand what it was.

“There’s no such thing as dra—sdfs!”

Laura glared up at him from behind his thick palm, which had closed over her mouth.

“Inside,” he said quietly, looking around, making his point clear.

Others could be listening.

Including the Cado.

Rakell doubted that another team was in place yet, but then again, he’d not seen the first one coming either, so trusting his own analysis was a little suspect at the moment.

Laura pulled his hand off her mouth, fixing him with a suspicious glare. Then she turned her back on him—At least she still trusts me enough to do that—and marched up to her front door.

“Now,” she said, gesturing at him to follow, like he was a reluctant dog wishing to stay outside.

It was a crude, if somewhat apt, comparison though. Rakell very much did not want to go in the house. He did not want to address the situation. And most of all, he did not want to deal with the fallout from it all. It was unlikely that Laura was ready for everything that came with knowing this secret.

Unfortunately, he did not see a way out of it.

Inside he went. He turned and peered outside once more, surveying the neighborhood that he could see from there, scanning for anyone who might be watching. Was that a curtain swishing at the window three houses down across the street?

Rakell pulled back on his paranoia, closed and locked the door behind him, then took a deep breath and bent over to undo his low-cut boots. He preferred them to shoes. They were solid, comfy and also lightweight. Dress shoes were not pleasant to wear when you had a size fifteen shoe. They just weren’t. Not for five minutes, or five hours.

“How long are you going to try and stall?” Laura said wryly as he slowly slipped off the first one.

“Ummm, is until you fall asleep an option?” he said, trying to distract her with jest.

“Rak, I am wide awake. Like, wide freaking awake. Maybe I was born with it, maybe it’s adrenaline,” she said, purposefully mispronouncing the word to complete the jingle.

“Hoo boy,” he said, sighing at the stretch. “And I thought my jokes were bad.”

“They are. I’m just trying to match you,” she said. For a moment there was a familiar twinkle in her eyes, the brown softening a fraction.

It was gone just as quickly.

“Sit,” she said, dragging him into the sitting room at the back of the house.

At least she gave him the largest couch. Rakell settled onto it, wondering frantically if there was some way, any way, that he could put this conversation off, or delay it, or convince her that she was wrong.

He didn’t see one.

“So,” she said, sitting on the loveseat that rested at a perpendicular angle to the couch.

“So.”

“Dragons aren’t real, are they? I’m crazy for thinking so, am I? What a ridiculous notion, isn’t it?” She crossed her arms. “What do you have to say now?”

“I’d love to continue saying the same,” he said.

“But you can’t,” she pointed out. “What happened tonight. The strength you displayed. The speed. Rakell, you bent a bloody gun. With your hand. One hand, I might add. You crushed it with your grip, along with a human hand.”

“Mmmm,”