In a Dragon’s Dream by Riley Storm Page 0,69

One of the shifters ahead of Rakell grunted and fell to the floor as a large piece of stone smashed into their shoulder.

Rakell stooped as he passed, lifting the dragon to his feet and continuing on, barely slowing.

“Thanks,” Blede said, wincing in pain but getting his legs moving again and freeing Rakell of the burden.

They raced up the stairs, making sure to avoid the unscuffed portions of the mausoleum floor and then out into the cool night air.

Rakell focused for a moment and wings burst from his back as he partially shifted. Around him others did the same, taking to the air as the entire center of the cemetery collapsed in on itself, taking century old graves with it.

“Being stuck under that would have sucked,” Lara said from where she floated nearby, wings beating a steady rhythm to keep her aloft. “They could have taken out a bunch of us with that trick if we’d stuck around much longer. Bastards.”

Rakell rumbled a wordless agreement.

“They’re scattered now,” Warren said, addressing all the scaled and winged human-like forms floating around over the cemetery. “They have no base to go to. Hopefully they’ll leave town now.”

Silence greeted that pronouncement.

Apparently I’m not the only one skeptical about that statement. thought Rakell.

“Yeah, I didn’t think they would either,” Warren agreed. “But it will take them time to recover. Time we will use to hunt them down. Return to your clans, spread the word. Stay vigilant.”

Rakell was already turning and ascending higher before Warren had finished his last sentence. Now that Anzer was dead, and the prime threat to Laura was ended, there was only one thing he wanted to do.

Get back to his mate.

I’m coming home.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Laura

“Is this going to become a normal thing?” she asked, inspecting the side of his head as Rakell stripped the remnants of his pants and waited to be dismissed by her before climbing in the shower.

Once more he’d returned to her covered in blood with a new wound. It worried her enough that he was going off on these missions, but to have him constantly come back battered and beaten? All it would take would be one time for him to screw up, and he wouldn’t be coming back at all.

“I sure hope not,” he muttered, fiddling with the temperature knob to get it just where he wanted it. “Believe it or not, this is actually abnormal. The vast majority of my missions we arrive long after the Cado have departed. Usually nothing happens. This is twice now we’ve gotten the drop on them. They’re slipping. I just wish I could figure out why.”

Laura shook her head and pushed on his back—gently—forcing him into the shower.

“Your mission is over,” she told him. “At least, that one is. Your mission now is to get clean, then come join me in bed.”

“Aye aye captain,” he teased. “That sounds wonderful anyway.”

Laura smiled, watching from outside the glass enclosure as he lathered himself up. The smile faded abruptly when the water changed to a red-tinge, the warmth washing away all the dried blood that coated his entire right side, front and back.

He looked horrible, like he’d just come from a slaughterhouse or something, but she knew once he cleaned himself up, this would actually be less of a wound than the first time.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever come to accept the way you just shrug off these injuries,” she said quietly, trying to still her worry at seeing his face ripped open.

You can see it already healing. There’s fresh skin growing. He’ll recover!

“Unfortunately, when dragons fight, it’s rarely bloodless or a walk-over. Sometimes you have to sacrifice to win. Whatever it takes for the team though,” he said, bending his head under the water and letting it flow down over him.

Laura watched him, thinking silently to herself for a few minutes while he rinsed the last of the dried blood off and began to properly shower.

“You really believe that, don’t you?” she asked.

“Believe what?”

“The loyalty. Team first. Whatever it takes to get the job done.”

Rakell looked up, staring at her through the water. “I will always do whatever it takes to protect that which matters most to me. My kin. My family. And you.”

Laura shivered as a tingle ran down her spine at that pronouncement.

“My honorable dragon,” she whispered. “Oh the legends have done you so wrong. Such noble people. Beautiful, not terrifying. So misunderstood.”

Rakell smiled. “Not by you.”

“No,” she said, putting her hand up flat on the glass. “Not by me.”

Her