Hidden Dragons (9 page)

But the sound seemed to alarm her, and he
cursed himself for having made it. He let her draw away, breaking
the kiss, but he didn’t let her out of his arms. She drew back,
looking up at him, searching his gaze. Her cheeks were flushed and
she had a dewy look in her eyes that made him want nothing more
than to kiss her again, but he knew he shouldn’t rush
her.

“
You are amazing, Isabelle,” he
whispered, wanting her to know just how special she was.

Her gaze widened and any insecurity he had seen
there disappeared. That she needed his reassurance, touched him
deeply. She was innocent. Unsure of her own value. That was
something he would do his best to change over the course of their
relationship. He would tell her and show her every day, he vowed,
just how special she truly was.

“
I’m not used to—” she began, but
he stilled her words by placing one finger gently across her
lips.

“
I know. I’m sorry I rushed things.
My only defense is that I’ve been wanting to take you into my arms
since the first moment I saw you. I’ll respect any boundaries you
set, Isabelle, but please don’t ask me not to at least try to kiss
you every time you give me the slightest chance.” He smiled, hoping
she understood the teasing nature of his words.

He mentally held his breath until she returned
his smile with a shy one of her own. She seemed more stunned than
alarmed, and he took that as a good sign. There was hope for them
yet.

Robert stepped back. There was much to do today
and he had pushed her far enough for one morning.

“
Shall we see to your new flock of
chickens?” he asked playfully, hoping she would want to work with
him instead of letting him go off on his own.

Excitement lit her eyes when she remembered the
feathered cluckers in the barn.

“
Bear said he would build a coop,”
she said, recalling Bear’s earlier words.

“
He did, but there’s no reason we
can’t give him a head start. He’s not the only one familiar with
the care and feeding of your new feathered friends. Plus, he’s
bound to be tired when he returns and I’d like to help. What do you
say?”

“
Why not? The sooner we get them
settled in their new home, the happier they will be,” she agreed
and they headed for the door together.

The rest of the morning was spent deciding how
big and exactly where they were going to place the coop. Robert
kept in touch with Bear through the dragons and he knew Bear was
fine with Robert helping get the project started. In fact, he was
thankful. The winds aloft were fierce today and Bear was having to
expend a lot of energy just to stay on Tilly’s back. He would be
wrung out by the time he got back if that sort of weather kept
up.

Robert let Isabelle decide where to place
things, only having to give her guidance a couple of times to set
her on the right path. She decided on the style and shape of the
coop and he built it while she played with, and pet her new
chickens. They weren’t the friendliest of creatures at the best of
times, but Isabelle seemed to have a way with the
critters.

She fed them and tried out names for them,
finally deciding to call them Henrietta, Jazzleberry and Bob. He
laughed when she explained that the rooster was named—in a way—for
both Bear and Robert.

By noon he had the bare bones of the structure
set up. Bear would be able to put his touches on the inner workings
of the place. The hens would need nesting boxes and whatever
comforts Bear had in mind. Robert had already installed a watering
system that would allow Isabelle to use her kitchen window to feed
cups of water down a little chute that led directly to a shallow
vessel from which the chickens could drink. The water dish was kept
near enough to the hearth bricks that the water wouldn’t freeze
over in the deep winter, as long as Isabelle kept the kitchen
hearth warm.

Which reminded him of his plan to cut some wood
for her this afternoon. They shared a quick lunch of bread and
cheese with some of the fruits Bear had brought that morning, and
then went on a little jaunt through the woods with Growloranth to
help drag a rather massive dead tree Robert had noticed the day
before, closer to Isabelle’s home. The dragon brought it to a good
spot behind her house where Robert and Growloranth could work on it
without being seen by anyone.

Although it was an activity Growloranth seldom
engaged in, he seemed to enjoy breaking the log into smaller pieces
that Robert then turned into even more manageable bits that
Isabelle could use in her fireplace. When Isabelle came around to
the back of the house, after she had finished fussing over her new
chickens for a bit, she stopped short.

“
You did all this in just a couple
of hours?” She walked slowly toward Robert and Growloranth, her
gaze roaming back and forth over the massive wood pile they’d
created for her.

“
Having a giant dragon around is
useful, on occasion,” Robert allowed with a little bow toward his
partner. Growloranth only snorted, little tendrils of smoke heading
up toward the leafy canopy of the forest.

“
This is enough for the whole
winter!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Robert said nothing as she came closer, looking
around at the neatly stacked firewood. When she got close enough,
he saw the tears in her eyes and he reached for her, wanting to
comfort her. He put one arm around her shoulders.

“
Why are you upset?” he asked as
gently as he could. Women were mysterious creatures, this one
doubly so. He had to tread lightly until he understood what made
her cry.

“
I’m not upset. I’m overwhelmed,”
she replied, turning to look at him, though she stayed close. Her
wide, glistening eyes looked up at him and he was lost. He would do
anything for this woman. Anything at all. “Thank you,
Robert.”

A little thrill went through him when she spoke
his name in such a familiar way. The barriers between them were
dropping one by one, and he was happy to see them fall.

“
It was our pleasure to assure that
you will be safe and warm through the cold months. We will not
leave you here without being certain we have done as much as
possible to assure your comfort. We all agreed.”

“
Thank you.” She reached up and
kissed his cheek, then lowered her head to his chest, staying in
the warmth of his arms. Robert saw her look in Growloranth’s
direction. “And thank you, Sir Growloranth. I haven’t known such
kindness in a very long time.”

“
You will want for nothing,” Robert
vowed. “Now that I know you are in the world, I will do all I can
to see to your comfort, whether you choose to stay here or whether
you ultimately decide to come with us to live in the Lair.” He bent
down to kiss her hair. “You are very special to me. To all of us,”
he whispered, holding her close. “We would like to make you part of
our family, in the fullness of time. But we all agreed that you
should not be pressured in any way into making that decision. If
you come to us, we want you to come knowing that it is not your
only choice. We want you to choose us. To choose me. And Bear. And
to share your life with all four of us.”

She was silent a long moment, then spoke in a
small voice. “I don’t know if I can.”

He gentled her, stroking her back with his
hands in a soothing gesture. “It’s all right. There is time yet to
discover more about this situation. You need to get to know us
better, and to understand exactly what it is we have to offer. And
sadly, we are still on a mission. We have to complete our task and
report back to our superiors at the Lair within the next few
days.”

“
You’re not like regular dragon
knight teams, are you?” she asked, surprising him. It pleased him
that the woman he wanted for a mate was both observant and
intelligent.

“
What makes you say that?” he
asked, testing her a little, just to see what she would
say.

She stepped back, out of his arms, to look up
at him. “Sir Growloranth blends with the forest as if he were a
tree. And Lady Tildeth is nearly invisible in the blue sky, which
is no doubt why she and Bear fly all day while you stay here.” Her
words were quiet but challenging in a playful way that felt good.
It wasn’t often he got to talk with anyone about the work they did.
“I see the way you and Sir Growloranth watch the village. And I
know enough about the goings on in that village to guess why you
might be interested in some of the residents and their
dealings.”

Now he was truly intrigued. He stepped closer
to her, sensing she might have insights they could use. “What do
you know?”

“
Cleef Mantell is a thief, and
probably a traitor too,” she whispered.

Chapter Five

“
Cleef Mantell,” Robert repeated,
trying the name out. “Is that the name of the man who lives in the
mansion under the trees?” he asked urgently.

She nodded. “It was to his barn that I was
summoned last night. But you know that, don’t you? I thought I saw
Sir Growloranth aloft as I was making my way back home. And I have
a feeling you weren’t far behind.” She tilted her head as she
looked up at him, challenging him to tell her the truth.

At that moment, he could’ve kissed her. Not
only was she smart, but she was observant too. Could the Mother of
All have picked a more perfect mate for him? He thought
not.

“
As Bear and Tilly scout the day,
he and I…” Robert pointed toward the dragon lurking not far away in
the woods, “…have the night. We heard the commotion and would never
have let you walk home alone as those barbarians in the village
allowed. In truth, we were watching over you from the moment you
answered your door. We would not let anything happen to you,
Isabelle.”

A smile broke over her face that enchanted him.
“That is so sweet,” she said softly. “Thank you.” And then she
reached up, using his shoulder for balance, she stood on tiptoe and
kissed him. Not a peck on the cheek this time, but a full-on lip
lock that both surprised and pleased him immensely.

She might be a novice at kissing, but she
wasn’t shy.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed that way.
Truth to tell, Robert was enjoying himself too much to pay
attention to something as mundane as time, but Growloranth finally
broke them apart. He spoke into both their minds.

“
I hate to interrupt, but my lady
and her knight return. They bring news.”

Isabelle drew back from his lips slowly, a
slightly self-conscious smile curving her lips that made him grin
in return. Bear walked into the small clearing behind Isabelle’s
house and his expression was grim. Tildeth stopped inside the
perimeter of the trees where she twined her long, sinuous neck with
Growloranth’s in greeting.

“
The news is not good,” Bear said
without preamble. He was removing his leather gloves as he walked.
His riding armor were made of the lightest possible shade of
leather, then stained slightly with the blue of special berries to
match Tilly’s hide as much as possible. “There is a sizeable force
massing on the other side of the border. It looks like enough men
to occupy this village and hold it, making it the foothold
Skithdron needs to be able to launch further attacks. And worse,
there are many skiths being herded toward the pass. They will be
here within the next day. Two, at most.”

“
Skiths?” Isabelle sounded
appropriately shocked.

“
We must get word to the Lair
immediately,” Robert said, already moving toward the barn.
“Isabelle, pack what you want to save, and get ready to fly. We’re
taking you to the Lair for safety. You can return here after the
battle—if there’s anything left—but you cannot stay here right
now.”

“
Good. Because I’m not stupid
enough to try to hold my own against a herd of skiths!” She ran for
the house. “But we have to take my chickens,” she shouted back over
her shoulder, making Robert pause to smile just a little. He should
have realized she wouldn’t leave her new flock to suffer the
degradations sure to come if a herd of skiths arrived en
masse.

“
It’ll be dark enough soon for
Growloranth and I to do some more reconnaissance,” Robert said to
Bear as they entered the barn and began to gather their gear. “You
take Isabelle to the Lair while Growly and I do our work here
tonight, then join you in the morning.”

“
If they don’t send Tilly and me
back out again before you get in,” Bear added.

“
I won’t be surprised if they do.
You’re just about the only pair at the Lair right now that can fly
across the border undetected by day. I’m sure they’ll get some of
the other dark dragons to fly tonight after you make your report,
so we’ll watch the village and see what we can learn about this
Cleef Mantell.”

“
Good plan,” Bear agreed, finishing
his packing and turning toward the door. Robert followed, his own
pack in his hands. He would set Growloranth up to fly at a moment’s
notice, leaving no trace of their presence—except perhaps the
repairs to the barn, the pile of cut firewood, and the new chicken
coop.

Trying not to panic, Isabelle packed as many of
her mother’s treasures as she could. She hated to leave the house
they had worked so hard to fix up and maintain, but it had to be
done. This flimsy place of wood and straw would never stand up
against the massive size and strength of a skith. Snakelike and
armed with massive jaws that could snap a person in two, skiths
also had the charming ability to spit highly corrosive venom up to
twenty feet away, or so it was said.