Page 41 of To Match A Dragon's Fire

Kieran huffed out a laugh.

“I know it sounds crazy. Shit,” I winced, grabbing my side. My skin screamed with pain.

Kieran came closer.

My vision swam as I held out a hand. “No. Stop. There was a prehistoric monster that came from the sky and… and…”

“Take a sip of water.” Kieran pressed a cup to my mouth and tipped it up.

I gulped so I wouldn’t drown.

As I drank, I got a good look at my surroundings. I was in a bedroom, lying on an oak four-post canopy bed.

To the left, open doors led to what looked like an office with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stacked with leatherbound books. I’d have taken him for a mass-market paperback man, but then again, I hadn’t expected him to have silk sheets either.

At the back of the office, large windows lined with heavy burgundy drapes showed the view to the east. The mountains and landscape beyond were familiar.

This was my property, but I sure as hell wasn’t in my cabin.

Pain seared through me again, but the water helped to clear my head. “Where am I? How did I get here?”

“You’re in my home.” There was something sad about Kieran’s smile. “And it wasn’t a dinosaur that brought you.”

“The Bronco.” I gasped, remembering the tires. “There were spike strips on the road.”

“I told you it wasn’t safe.”Did he just growl?“But I got your Bronco too. I haven’t fixed the tires yet.”

“Thanks for the tow, I guess.” Confusion made my brow furrow.

I’d missed something.Was he there in town when I was?There weren’t any other vehicles on the road that I could remember.

I tried to focus, but it was so hot in here. I tugged at my shirt, realizing I wasn’t wearing my clothes. It was a large cotton men’s t-shirt instead. He’d undressed me. When?

My hand went to my side.

“They shot me,” I whispered.

Heat pulsed from the wound.

My breath was coming short and fast.

“I’ll never let them hurt you again.” His eyes seemed to flash with a golden ring, and there was a deadly promise in his tone.

Why did he care?

I was burning up.

Do I have a fever?

Heat blossomed across my fingers as I touched my forehead. “I have to leave.”

“No, you need to rest.” He was so sure of himself.

“I will. In my own bed. In my own house. On my own land.” My words were starting to slur and that made me panic again. This wasn’t safe.

I didn’t belong here anymore.

Tony—the bastard—was right.

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