In a Dragon’s Dream by Riley Storm Page 0,32

process, and she wondered about her ability to do so.

“Maybe this is why dragons don’t tell everyone that they exist,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?” Rakell wanted to know, the words having been spoken loud enough for him to hear, apparently.

Did he have super-hearing too? She would have to be careful around him if there was ever anything she didn’t want him to hear or know. Laura filed that little tidbit away mentally as well.

You should probably answer his question though. Be polite and all.

“Well, it could just be a little much, you know?” she said, trying to smile. “Anyone who didn’t already know about dragons…I can just imagine how they would react. It must be…an interesting time, to put it mildly.”

Rakell nodded. “It can be hard, yes. Some do not take it well.”

“I bet,” she agreed.

“You though, you seem to be doing okay,” he said thoughtfully, watching her from behind a lazy stare.

It didn’t fool her. He was searching for a reaction.

“I told you,” she said, leaning back in the chair, not letting herself be affected by his green eyes. She was back in control now. “I already knew about you and your kind.”

“So you did,” he said cryptically. “So you did.”

She thought about telling him how she knew. Of the books, located in this very house, that detailed the clans’ lives and what they were.

Nah. This is the only secret I have over him. It’s kind of fun.

It was irking Rakell not to know how she found out. That was easy to tell, he was terrible at hiding his emotions and the more she grew to know him, the more she knew exactly what was on his mind.

Until he asked, Laura would keep that little tidbit to herself. Rakell would have to admit defeat to her. She certainly wasn’t going to concede and just give it up. This was way too much fun!

“Very interesting,” he repeated, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Laura stifled her own emotions. Could he read her mind? Was that a power of dragons that she didn’t know? Was he looking through her thoughts even then?

Laura had another abrupt thought.

Maybe now I’ll actually be able to see his dragon form. In person.

Wouldn’t that be fun?

Chapter Nineteen

Rakell

“I have to make a call,” he said abruptly, standing up and walking away.

“Wait, you can’t leave me,” Laura said, leaping to her feet, face paling.

Rakell, called by the fear in her tone, closed the distance to her, wrapping her up in his arms, sensing she needed the reassurance both verbally and physically.

“I’m not leaving you,” he said.

And I never will.

He ignored the inner voice. Now was not the time to be dwelling on that. Nor would he spend time on the thought that perhaps Laura wasn’t the only one getting some reassurance from their hug.

“I know,” she said, shaking herself. “I just sort of panicked when you got up. I’m sorry, that was rather immature of me.”

“Don’t apologize,” he said, trying and failing to stop himself from stroking the back of her head. “Things are happening around you that you think you understand, but are only truly just beginning to realize are fact, not fiction.”

He’d guessed she’d never had any real confirmation about the dragons based on her reaction to his words. Someone had told her, but no one had shown her the truth. Perhaps, because the tell-ee was not a dragon themselves? Simply someone else in the know…

Rakell didn’t like that dark thought, but he was having a hard time puzzling things out otherwise.

“Maybe,” she admitted. “I just really don’t want to be alone right now.”

“I will only be at the front of the house,” he assured her. “I am not leaving, not until I can be sure that you’re safe.”

“Thank you Rak,” she said, giving his ribs a squeeze. “I…I appreciate this a lot. I’m sure you’d rather be out there tracking them down and dealing with them. So I am grateful that you are staying with me.”

“My place is at your side,” he said.

His dragon roared its approval, causing Rakell to blink in surprise. What the heck? He’d not meant it like that…

Uh oh.

He was going to have to take some time soon to decipher just what that meant. But not yet. Not until the immediate danger was past.

Plus, he had some digging to do first. Hence the phone call.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, extricating himself from her arms rather more reluctantly than planned, and padded across the floor to the front