Page 42 of Earth-Bound

I didn’t want to go inside. I wanted to retreat. Unfortunately, I couldn’t in good conscience leave Randall there alone, nor the dryad. Therefore, I stepped forward.

“I am Terrund,” I said. “Earth spirit, as you rightly pointed out.”

“I am Arram Elm, Terrund. This is my mate, Dee Hoskins.”

He gestured at one of the dragons, who nodded.

“A dryad mated to a dragon? That is unusual.”

“Yes, I am aware. It is a source of conflict with her family that I do not like to fly upon her back.”

I nodded. Dryad were like earth spirits in that regard. They didn’t like to leave the earth. Why I would ever want to take my feet off the earth, I couldn’t guess.

The other dragon muttered, “Slows us down all the damned time.”

Dee hit him.

“This is Dum,” she said. “Feel free to ignore him.”

I nodded politely.

Randall brought out some tea and placed the tray on one of the larger tables. “You might as well sit together if you’re going to chat.”

I had not decided whether I was going to chat but I wasn’t willing to offend my friend. I sat.

There was an awkward silence while the two dragons sat, after a short struggle over the chair nearest to me. Actually, I wished they’d left it empty but it seemed rude to ask them to move. The dragon named Dee sat beside me, in the end, with her mate beside her. Dum dragged a chair over from one of the other tables so he could sit on my other side. I felt as though I had to look left and right at the same time, to keep both dragons in my sights.

I swallowed and asked, “So how long have you been mated, Arram?”

I felt more comfortable talking to them than the dragons.

“Not very long. I am pleased to have found my mate, though.”

I nodded. Dee looked up at Arram with undisguised adoration. Then Arram asked, “You have not found your mate, Terrund?”

I opened my mouth to reply but something told me it was a bad idea to tell these dragons about Joe. Perhaps it was my lingering distrust of the shifters, or perhaps it was because the last person I’d trusted had been Mulgrave and he’d entrapped me in my apple tree for a decade, but I didn’t want to answer.

I glanced over at the counter where Randall was busy pottering about, and chose to give a diplomatic answer.

“I am not mated.”

It was true. And they didn’t need to know about Joe at all.

Randall glanced at me, obviously spotting that I was playing things close to my chest, but he didn’t say anything and I was grateful.

Arram nodded. “I hope you will find them soon. It is a great gift.”

Both dragons sighed happily. “Yeah,” said Dee.

“Mates are the best,” said Dum.

I asked, “Are you mated?”

He gave me a vicious smile that unnerved me once again. “Yes. I’ve got the sexiest little mate you’ve ever seen.”

On the basis that, until recently, I’d never seen anyone as attractive as Joe, I could believe just how much this dragon wanted his ‘little mate’.

“Are they human?”

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