Page 58 of The Heart of the Dragon

I laughed, surprised she couldn’t see the obvious.

“But aren’t ya now? Think back to how we met. You are a volunteer cook in a church that shelters those with no homes. You feed those who would otherwise go hungry. And then there’s me. You were so scared when you accidentally poisoned me that you took a man twice your size to your home, who could easily have broken you as look at you, with plans to nurse him back to health. It doesn’t get any more nurturing than that.”

“Or crazy.”

“Aye, that too. So don’t go doing anything like that again. I could have been a madman who killed you in your sleep.”

“You say that as if having a man who literally turns into a dragon after I have sex with him and destroys my house is a good thing.”

“I don’t have any designs to kill you and bury you in the backyard, so I’d say it’s a sight better.”

She giggled and leaned against my shoulder, causing the dragon part of me to warm up and send heat directly into her.

“Mmm,” she sighed. “That feels so good. It must be nice to have an internal heater you can turn on whenever you feel like it.”

“Even better when I can use it to make you make those happy sounds. They go straight to my dick.”

She shook her head. “I should be offended, I really should, but I'm afraid that would make me a hypocrite.”

The dragon preened and it sounded a rumble through my chest. It was a little exhausting how quickly his moods changed but it was a relief that he’d stayed moderately calm since waking up. And I was pretty sure I had her to thank for that.

She might not be convinced of her status yet or what it meant to me, but I had little doubt. Her presence felt right.

Right then Kitra popped her head in the window. “Is everything okay now?”

I nodded. “For now. But do you think Isaac could navigate the carriage?”

She laughed and shook her head. “For like the hundredth time, it’s called a car, and I’m sure he would love to. He’s a horrible passenger.”

“Thanks,” Rose mumbled sounding sleepy. “If you need me to do anything, just let me know.”

Yep. Definitely a nurturer. I just hoped she didn’t freak out when we got to the estate and she found out the rest.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Rose

By the timeI woke from my cozy slumber in strong, warm arms we were pulling through the gates of what looked like a historic estate on the Eastern coast of Scotland. The shoreline in this area was absolutely stunning with steep massive cliffs and countless rugged rocks below. And the surrounding landscape of trees looked every bit as untamed and dangerous as my fellow travelers. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect place for their family to settle.

"Wow. This is gorgeous."

"Thanks," Isaac replied as he drove into the carriage house adjacent to the main residence and came to a halt. We all climbed out, and I groaned at how stiff my legs were from sleeping in one position for so long.

"How are you feeling?" Magnus asked, his hand grabbing mine as he walked slowly out of the carriage house to give my legs a moment to stretch and warm up.

"Not bad. I have a headache and I'm hungry, but other than that I seem fine. I guess the sleep helped."

"Good," Kitra said, looking over her shoulder. "Let's get inside and settled before that changes.

I didn't say anything else as the three of them led me into the main house. It wasn't giant by many historic estate standards, but it was far bigger than anywhere I'd ever lived. Far bigger.

I stood transfixed just inside the door and drank in all the details. I loved old extravagant houses like these with their intricate woodwork, complicated layouts, and luxurious details. While everyone else in the modern world had fallen in love with giant walls of glass and wide-open spaces, I much preferred the intricacies of buildings created long ago.

I could already picture myself spending hours in this one trying to discover all its hidden nooks and crannies.

"This is beautiful. The woodwork alone is stunning." I ran my hand along the gleaming dark wood of the posts that delineated the foyer from the formal sitting room. "I feel like I've stepped back in time."

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