Page 25 of Been There Dragon That
“Maybe you’re not the only one out here that’s crazy.” Her tone was even and possibly even laced with amusement. “Why did you call him a lion?” Rylee walked over to the counter and put down the now empty glass. “Dragon butt?” Her lips curved into a soft smile. “Strange nicknames.”
“I’ll explain later, right now we need to head up to Col and Naomi’s place. If we don’t, they’ll come knocking.”
“W-ait. You want to go back out inthat?” She pointed at the white landscape beyond the windows. “To a cabin up the river. How far?”
“I’ll wrap you in my blanket. You’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Your blanket. Singular. Do you only have one?” She held up her hand. “Nope. Don’t answer that. I’m not going back out into that. I don’t even have shoes on. These are house shoes.” She pointed to the blue fuzzy sock slippers on her feet.
“You’re not walking,shuarra.” He went to his bedroom and yanked the soft woolen blanket from where it was folded at the foot of his bed.
“Don’t call me that,” she shouted after him. “I don’t know what that means, but it makes it sound like I belong to you or something. I don’t.”
Wrath stifled a chuckle and headed back to the living room. He opened the blanket and headed toward where his mate was standing.
“Nope. No.” She dodged his first attempt to wrap the blanket around her shoulders. “I’ll die. It’s too cold.”
“You’re nervous being here alone with me. We won’t be alone at Naomi’s.”
She paused, considering his words, but Wrath could tell she still was against going back into the storm. “You go to your dinner with your people. I’ll stay here.” She eyed the CB radio behind him. “It’s fine.”
“Do you know how to use a CB radio?”
“What?” She met his gaze. “I—”
“As long as you’re against my body,shuarra, you won’t be cold.” He feigned left and then swung the blanket to the right when she tried to dodge him again. “My people are the only ones able to get out in this storm, and they are all waiting for us at Naomi and Col’s cabin.”
“Hey.” She pushed against the blanket, but only for a couple of seconds before she stopped and stood still, allowing him to wrap her fully. “Your people? Why are you so warm? Are you sick with something? Should I be concerned?”
He scooped her into his arms, tugged the blanket up to look at her face. “Nothing to worry about. Even if you don’t trust me yet, Rylee, know that you are the most precious thing in all the world to me. I wouldn’t take you into the storm if I didn’t think you would be safe.”
The pretty pink flush that filled her cheeks made his cock hard.
“Yes?”
She took a deep breath and gave a small nod. It was a tiny victory, but he’d take it.
He pulled the blanket back down to protect her face from the sting of the wind and headed out into the snowstorm. He couldn’t see the familiar trails between the cabins, but he knew the way, snow or not.
* * *
Wrath stompedhis boots on the steps up to Col and Naomi’s porch. The front door opened before he could knock, and he found himself face to face with Col—the alpha of the tribe.
Col eyeballed the bundled woman in his arms.
Wrath knew Col couldn’t actually see Rylee, but even having the alpha that close to his mate without having claimed her fully was making his dragon itchy and irritable.
If not for these weekly dinners with the tribe, he would have had more time alone with his mate. Now he would be surrounded by people who would make her nervous and even more overwhelmed.
“Yourshuarra?” Col finally spoke, not moving from the doorway.
“Yes.”
“He thinks so, but I’m not on board with his assumption. I would also like to be inside out of the storm if possible.” Rylee demanded from beneath the blanket.
The big alpha’s stony expression cracked, and a smile spread over his face. “Naomi will like her.”
Rylee wriggled in his arms, and the flap of the blanket covering her face fell away. “Look here, can we please go inside? Who stands on the porch in a blizzard and talks, I—” Her words trailed off when she caught sight of Col. “I—sorry.”
