Page 75 of His Greatest Treasure

I sat up. Because that snort came from outside.

I rushed to the window and looked out and, sure enough, there was my golden dragon, beating his magnificent wings and looking straight in at me through the window.

It took me a few tries to get the window open. It was rusted and creaked as it opened. The ledge outside was large, large enough for a dragon to land on, and Alfie eased himself onto it. At the last moment, though, he slipped and his whole body shot towards the ground. He made a surprised sound in his throat and I shouted in fright.

“Alfie!”

His wings burst into movement again and raised his large body up, up until he was level with my window again.

His expression was sheepish. I was surprised I could tell that on a dragon but, somehow, this dragon was so…Alfiethat I could. I could read him easily.

I stood back and this time he landed on the window ledge with only a bit of shuffling and then he was trying to push his way into the room still in his dragon form. His long neck slid in and seemed to search me out, and I reached out a hand and touched my palm to his snout.

“I think you’re going to have to shift back if you want to fit through that window, my darling.”

The dragon huffed because he didn’t know how to shift back.

“Come on, my darling. Think human thoughts. Don’t you want to get in here where it’s warm and snuggle up with me? We can sit together.”

Alfie practically fell through the window, landing on the carpet with a thud, in his human form.

He was across to me in an instant, his arms around me and his nose pressed against my neck.I liked it when he did that, though I couldn’t say what it was about the movement that made me feel so… adored.

He mumbled, “Can we really sit together?”

“Yes, of course.”

I looked around. There was no chair.

“We can sit on the bed.”

I was practically lifted off my feet as Alfie dragged me across the room to the bed and I found myself seated in his lap, in my favourite place. His arms were tightly around me, his body seemed to surround me and protect me, and I relaxed into his hold.

“Are you sure this is okay?” he asked after a while.

I tensed. It hadn’t occurred to me that itwouldn’tbe okay. But maybe Alfie had realised that his family wouldn’t like him being with someone like me. His whole family was… a bit intimidating. They were all so aristocratic and austere.

Alfie’s arms tightened around me and, when he spoke, his voice sounded thick.

“Do you want me to let you go?”

“Do youwant to?” I asked.

Two days ago, I’d never have thought it. Alfie wanted me, I was certain. But that had been before his family knew about me. Before he’d become a golden dragon.

My answer was his arms tightening yet again. By that time, I could hardly breathe. I was okay with not breathing, though, if Alfie was holding me tightly.

“No, I don’t want to let you go. My dragon is trying to get out of me again. It’s like my bursting, but this time I know it’s my dragon. It wants to get closer to you.”

I chuckled. “We’re as close as we can get.”

“Not quite,” he said.

I stilled. “Do you mean…?”

“Only if you want. I want you, Blaze. I’ve always wanted you. It was just that my bursting got worse when we kissed. Now, though, I think my dragon’s going to rip its way out of me if wedon’tkiss.”

That was all the invitation I needed. I twisted in Alfie’s arms and pressed my mouth to his.

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