Page 39 of Red and Her Dragons (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 4)

I had never seen her so happy and at home as I did while watching her interact with Cassie. I struggled to recall a time when she had smiled more. Especially when she was with the wolves and promised to Rowan.

That wasn’t to say I had checked on her, but I had checked on her.

Briefly, and from time to time. I had made myself scarce, so she never knew I was there.

I knew I should have let her go, but she was too special. I cared for her too much, and her happiness meant the world to me. So, sure, I checked up on her during moments when I missed her like crazy and just wanted to see how she was doing. It was enough to take the sharper edge of the pain of her absence away. So, yeah.

But now she was back in my life, and I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t want to spend a single minute without her in my presence. I wanted to give in to her unspoken desire and make her my mate. I should have done so years ago. I wasn’t going to squander this second chance. I would show her what it meant to be happy. More importantly, happy with me. I was going to make her want to stay.

My thoughts had encompassed me so completely that I had lost track of where I was going or where I had been. I shook my head and landed in a clearing. Though I had promised the men at the cabin I wouldn’t be gone for very long, I was only going to check the area and make sure everything was clear before coming back.

But I continued to war with myself. On one hand, I wanted to quickly return to Emily. And on the other… I needed to make sure we were all going to be safe. I needed to take a couple of hours at least to do a thorough enough check.

And yet, I could still feel the kiss on my cheek. The warmth that filled her lips. The emotion within the simple gesture. I doubted the sensation would fade. None of what she did to me should have mattered, but it did immensely. But I was doing no one any favors if I couldn’t clear my head and do a thorough check of the area.

I shook out my head and took to the skies again. Each time Emily crept into my mind, I focused harder on the land before me, checking for movement and any hint of the hunters were making a move on the cabin.

A couple of hours later, everything checked out. How long that would be the case, I wasn’t sure. The important thing was that I could finally safely return to the cabin. Once I did, I made sure to land outside the traps and wards Emily had placed. If anything, it would show me whether they were placed effectively enough or not.

When I stepped through, none of the alarms had gone off, and I noticed everyone sitting on the porch. I smiled to myself at how well Emily had done. She was not only efficient but effective as well. However, taking in the scene on the porch, it appeared Kai still needed to maintain his distance. He leaned against the outside wall with his arms crossed over his chest, keeping his sights trained on Cassie and Emily. Other than that, everyone seemed to be having a decent time.

I approached the porch as their attention settled on me. Everyone welcomed me back, and I joined them, nodding in hello as each of them greeted me. Emily patted the railing next to her and I took the spot, leaning against the railing as everyone returned to their conversations.

Then Emily leaned in close and said, “I’ve missed you.”

I smirked. “Is that so?”

“Yup,” she said. “You were gone for a while.”

“How much?” I asked, trying to keep how much her words affected me out of my voice. “How much did you miss me?”

She nodded. “A lot.”

I chuckled. “In that case, I should go patrol again.”

She quickly slipped her hands around my arm and pulled me closer. “Don’t you dare go anywhere, unless it’s with me.”

I chuckled. “Okay then.”

I resettled against the railing. “How was everything while I was gone?”

“Good,” she said and smiled. “I really like Cassie. It’s nice having another woman to talk to.”

“I’m happy for you,” I said. “What about Kai?”

I leveled my gaze on him.

She shrugged. “He kept his distance.”

“Good.” I patted her hand.

“What about you?” she asked, twisting to face me. “How was the flight?”

“Everything is clear for right now. I’ll need to do another run in a bit. I’ll wait for a few hours though.”

“I hope so,” she said, sliding a little closer to me. “I’m not ready to let you go yet.”

Being with her like this… it was almost like no time had passed between us. It was a reminder of what we had, what I had lost, and what I desperately wanted to get back. Whether or not that could happen, I wasn’t positive. But I sure as hell was going to try damn hard to make sure I got as close as I could.

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