Page 26 of The Heart of the Dragon

When strong arms wrapped around me and lifted me from my seat, I startled awake. "What are you doing?"

"I'm putting you to bed. You were about to fall face first in your pudding." Alarmed and a little embarrassed that he seemed to carry my not inconsiderable weight with little effort, I tried to wriggle free.

"No. I have to clean up." My protest was weak, but I chalked that up to being awake for so long. And the stress. Nearly poisoning a man to death, even by accident, turned out to be exhausting. And I was no closer to figuring out how to fix the damage.

"I'll do it. You're going to bed."

"Bossy," I mumbled. I simply didn't have it in me to argue with him again. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, and I found myself surrendering to Magnus's insistence without further protest. The allure of sleep was too strong to resist.

He grunted. "Where's your bedroom?"

"At the end of the hall," I answered, laying my head down on his shoulder. "But that's where you'll need to sleep. I'm going to take the couch."

His body jerked when he came to a stop, his arms tightening around me. "I'm not putting you on the couch while I take the bed. I'll take the couch."

I tried to roll my head side to side to meet his gaze. "You won't fit on my sofa, and it's too precious for you to break it."

He snorted. "Your couch is precious? Why? Is it made with gold? If so, then it is the perfect place for my slumber. Earth elements are wonderful for restoring dragon magic."

His sarcasm came in strong, but I still didn't react as my eyes slid closed once again. Apparently, I couldn't even be goaded out of this fatigue.

"My grandmother left me that piece. It was made by my grandfather. It's the most valuable thing I own."

He snorted. "You sound like my uncle. His attachment to valuable things was more important to him above all else."

My eyes popped back open at the grating pain in his voice, only to see his features had hardened as he looked off into the distance. I wanted to ask questions, especially since my attachment to my grandfather's sofa was nothing like whatever he experienced with his uncle. My memories of him sometimes made me sad, but they never made me angry or bitter.

"It's not like that," I started.

"Forget it. It doesn't matter. I'm still not taking your bed. I can sleep on the floor. I'm not picky." He clamped his mouth shut and moved quickly down the hall and then pushed the door open with his foot. He'd made up his mind, and I knew well enough to pick my battles, and this wasn't one of them. At least not right now.

I only needed a couple of hours to recover. and then maybe I could have a reasonable conversation with him.

However, I found that being this near to him made it impossible to look away from his defined jawline or the scars that cut across his cheek, chin, and neck.

As much as I wanted to ask about them, I knew this wasn't the right time for that either. Maybe tomorrow on the drive. We’d have a lot of time to fill before we got to Edinburgh.

The sensation of the muscles in his arms bunching as they flexed with each step distracted me from everything else. He was probably as strong as he was big. I'd been a fool to think I could handle him. Or that I could somehow control this situation.

And yet, in this moment, with his warm arms cradling my body, I'd never felt safer in my life. It was a crazy thought, but I'd let it out and given it legs. There was no putting the image back in the cage of my weird mind now.

So why did the world suddenly feel like it had turned upside down and inside out?

I half snorted. That was a dumb question considering how obvious the answer. He was an enigma I couldn't explain.

Inside my room it was dark, except for the soft nightlight plugged into the wall.

He placed me gently on the bed and reached for my shoes.

"I can do it." I tried to wriggle away to no avail as he grabbed my leg to keep me in place.

His hand wrapped around my ankle was both tight and gentle at the same time.

"I know you can. But you're tired and need rest. You said it yourself—we have a long journey tomorrow. And since I have no clue how to drive your motor vehicle, you need a comfortable night's rest more than I do."

"I could teach you to drive. It's not hard. Although it would be a lot easier in my car."

His brows pulled together. "That's not your vehicle outside?"

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