Page 18 of Dragon Sword

Will grasped her shoulders with his hands and looked her in the eye. “This isn’t a matter we should speak about here. Let us get home and get some rest. The day will seem less dark then.” Alisa turned her face away and scoffed, but otherwise didn’t argue.

We ventured back to her house where my weary bones reminded me that the night had been a long one and the beds in the dungeons very uncomfortable. I stepped into Alisa’s house and flexed my back. A sound like firecrackers came from my spine and made me wince.

“You should get some sleep,” Will suggested to me.

I looked him up and down. “So should you. You got less than me down there.”

Alisa hadn’t spoken a word but stood in the doorway to the kitchen with her back to us. Will looked over to her and pursed his lips. “I believe I owe Alisa a full explanation of the events of last night and this morning.”

Alisa didn’t turn her back as she shook her head. “That can wait until you wake up. The story will still be on your lips then and I will see if I might hear news about what the king told us.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Who are you going to talk to?”

She turned to me with a smile. “I have friends all around the city. They may be able to tell me what we need to know. Until then, I would advise you to rest.”

“Good advice,” Will agreed as he swept me up into his arms.

“Hey!” I protested as I clung to the front of his shirt. “I’m not that-” A yawn interrupted me. Will’s teasing eyes looked at me as I sheepishly grinned at him. “Maybe I am a little tired.”

“Then let me help you to bed,” he insisted as he carried me into the room, closing the door behind us.

Will lay me down on the bed and reached for the covers to draw them up over me. I grabbed his hand and frowned up at him. “Aren’t you coming to bed? You should be more tired than me.”

“I will in a moment. There’s something I want to speak with Alisa about.” He tried to get up but I kept a hold on him.

“What are you going to talk to her about?” I asked him.

Will smiled. “I promised to tell her the rest of the story.” I pursed my lips but opened my hand. He brushed a finger over my cheek before he stood. “Rest. I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t want to go to sleep before he returned but I was so exhausted that I couldn’t put up much of a fight. My heavy eyes closed and I slipped into dreamland.

CHAPTERTWELVE

I wokeup with the afternoon sun shining on me and found myself alone again in the bed. My lips pursed into a pout before I climbed out and slipped into a fresh change of clothes. “I wonder if I could put a bell on his neck. . .” I murmured to myself as I strolled toward the door.

I opened the portal and was met with a delicious smell of soup. Alisa stood over the fire stirring something in a large cauldron. She looked up at the creak of the door hinges and looked me over. “How did you sleep?”

“Really well, thanks,” I replied as I took a seat at the table. A quick inspection of the house disappointed me. “Where’s Will?”

Alisa stared blankly at me for a moment before recognition filled her eyes. “He has gone out but he told me he would return soon.”

I frowned and set an elbow on the table before I cupped my chin in one palm. “He needs to stop doing that.”

“Doing what?” Alisa asked me.

“Leaving me behind,” I explained as I tapped a finger against the table. “He’s never done that before.”

Alisa poured out two bowls of her concoction and carried them over to the table where she set one down in front of me. “How long have you been mated?”

I furrowed my brow as I tried to recall the time. “A couple of months.”

Alisa took a seat at the head of the table and sighed. “Then I feel the need to tell you he has a stubborn habit of keeping those he cares for in safe captivity while he throws himself into the thick of trouble.”

There was a bitterness in her tone that caught my attention. “He’s done that to you?”

She picked up her spoon and absently stirred her soup while a wry smile slipped onto her lips. “Far too often.”

“So he took you places? I mean, outside the city,” I guessed.

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