Page 97 of Hoarded By the Dragon

Kalos is speechless for a moment, but he reaches out and pulls me into his arms. The embrace has my heart fluttering like a butterfly in the calm certainty of this moment.

“You honor me. I strive to be worthy of you.” Kalos cradles my cheek, the talons warm against my skin.

“You already are,” I say.

But Kalos shakes his head. “Not yet, but someday…”

The moment is a careful one that I soak up eagerly. Eventually, Kalos releases me but takes my hand.

“I also picked this room because it has a secret.” He strides toward the mantle of a fireplace and pulls a decorative flourish downward.

My eyes widen when the bookcase next to us swings open.

“I have a secret passageway in my studio? There are secret passageways in this house? Those are not on the blueprints!”

Kalos chuckles. “Of course they wouldn’t be. This is one of a few, and if you behave, I’ll show you the rest.”

I peer in the dark and make out a spiral staircase heading downward. “Where does it go?”

“My office first, and then it continues to the caverns beneath the house.”

Excitement zings over my skin. “Can you show me them now?”

Kalos winces, rubbing his chest again. “That wouldn’t be wise. That’s where we open a portal for my dragon to stretch his wings.”

“Is he causing problems?”

Kalos sighs. “With how hectic work has been, he’s practically climbing the walls. Sleeping beside you helps, but it’s starting to become less effective. I don’t want to give him ideas by going down to the caverns. It’s not the right time to let him take over.”

That sounds like the opposite of becoming more aligned with his beast, but I’ve never lived with a fire-breathing being trying to dictate my actions.

“I’d prefer for you to wait for me to give you a tour down there,” Kalos says, thoughtful. “The lighting is ancient, and it’s not really meant for human exploration. I may need to push some rubble around. I don’t want you tripping down there.”

I roll my eyes. “I can handle caves.”

Kalos glances at my rounded belly with doubt. “Please, Rina.”

“Fine! I’m sure I’ll be plenty busy with painting anyway. When is your meeting?”

Kalos frowns at his watch. “Any minute.”

I bite my cheek to keep in my disappointment. This is the most I’ve spoken with him in days.

“Alright. I guess it would make the most sense for you to take the passage then. I’ll try to keep myself from crashing into your office and being a distraction,” I tease.

Kalos pulls me into his arms. “You are the best distraction. If you need me, I will drop everything.”

Now I smile for real. “Just remember you said that.”

He kisses me, nipping my bottom lip in a tease, before leaving for his office, pulling the bookshelf closed behind him.

I turn in a circle, taking in the room with only my cat as an audience now. My very own studio.And it has a secret passageway! How cool is that?

“Can you believe this, Griffin?”

Griffin gives a croaking meow as a response, and I pet him. Already my fingers itch to run over one of the many blank canvases. I turn to the organizational drawers and find some soft vine charcoal for sketching, but I ignore it for now. Choosing to dilute some burnt sienna to start the basic shapes of an underpainting instead.

What I have in mind is more organic in shape than a sketch would provide.

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