Hidden Dragons (8 page)

“
Even sweeter,”
Bear confirmed.
“And far hotter than
I ever dreamed. She will set us both aflame should we ever convince
her to be our mate.”

“
I pray the Mother of All will give
us the chance,”
Robert replied, sending
the prayer heavenward even as he smiled encouragingly at
Isabelle.

“
And you, Sir Robert?” Isabelle
said softly, a slight tremor in her voice. “Do you also believe
this?”

Robert stepped forward and took her hand in
his, looking deep into her eyes. “I do.” He dipped to place a
chaste kiss on her brow, unwilling to scare her off. Her world had
just been rocked, judging by the look in her eyes. He didn’t want
to add even more chaos. “I think you are a courageous, clever,
lovely woman with much to offer our family. You could complete us.
All we ask is that you think about it.” He let go of her hands and
moved slightly away. “As Bear said, we have a mission to complete,
but after we’re done with that, we would like you to think about
visiting the Lair with us to see how we live, and what it’s like
being among so many dragons and knights. It is our hope that you’ll
like what you see and perhaps it will help convince you that we
have only the best intentions where you are concerned.”

She was silent a long moment, until she finally
answered. “I would like to see it someday. For now, you’ve given me
a great deal to think about.” She looked at the cages holding the
quietly clucking hens. “And a flock of chickens to
feed.”

She smiled and Robert breathed a sigh of
relief. They were past the biggest hurdle. She hadn’t turned them
down outright. She was just being cautious—and who could blame her?
She hadn’t survived this long on her own without being
careful.

Isabelle turned and, while she didn’t actually
flee, she certainly moved rather quickly out the door of the barn
and back to her house. Robert had to smile when she sent back a
message via Growloranth, apparently unwilling to talk mind-to-mind
with anyone but the dragon at the moment.

“
Lady Isabelle invites you to
breakfast when you are ready,”
Growloranth
conveyed the message to Robert and Bear with a comically haughty
air.
“And may I add my congratulations on
your swift thinking, Sir Bernard. All along I thought my knight was
quicker with the ladies, but I see I have underestimated your
prowess. Well done, and thank you for moving things along. The
sooner you find your mate, the sooner my lady and I can take to the
sky. While we are not pressuring you to hurry, just the same, we
are glad you are showing signs of bringing your search to an
amiable end. Tildeth and I agree that Lady Isabelle would make a
wonderful addition to our little family.”

“
It will be nice to have another
female to help with the little ones when they come along,”
Tildeth put in.
“Isabelle is a gentle soul who would be kind to younglings of
either race. And she would sing the sweetest lullabies.”
Tildeth sounded almost wistful.

Robert knew that parenting of babies was shared
by the mixed families in most Lairs. The humans acted as a second
set of parents to any baby dragon born in the family, while the
dragons did the same for any human children. It was an arrangement
that had been working for centuries within the borders of Draconia,
and Robert looked forward to seeing it in action in his own small
family unit—once they found their mate. He would bet his best suit
of armor that Isabelle was the one. Now they just had to convince
her of that little fact.

They walked to the house, Bear carrying the
heavy sack of provisions he had secured on his early morning
flight. The farmer from whom he’d bought the chickens had sold him
a lot more besides the livestock. Robert was glad Bear had been so
thoughtful, but he felt like a dolt by comparison. He had yet to
shower their lady with gifts, but for the life of him, he couldn’t
think of what he could give her besides his heart. And he didn’t
think she was ready yet to hear declarations of undying love from a
man she had met only a day before.

When Isabelle let them into her home, Bear took
the lead, placing the heavy sack of supplies on the counter near
the washbasin. It was a smart move because, as Robert quickly
realized, Isabelle had already prepared breakfast using her own
supplies. Bear’s provisions might hurt her feelings or cause
embarrassment in light of her own meager offerings. The last thing
they wanted to do was hurt her in any way. Leaving the supplies for
later was the best course of action at that moment.

Bear smiled and rubbed his hands together in a
gesture of anticipation as he settled on the tree stump he had
brought in the night before. A large portion of cooked oat mash was
already in the bowl placed in front of him. Robert was treated
similarly when he sat, and they shared a companionable half hour
eating and talking of simple things.

When it came time for Bear and Tildeth to get
on their way, Bear placed a lingering kiss on Isabelle’s cheek. He
thanked her in the gentlest tone Robert had ever heard from his
fighting partner. It was obvious Bear didn’t want to leave, but
they had come here to do a job and they wouldn’t be able to truly
court Isabelle until their mission was completed.

Bear nodded to him and left, going directly to
Tilly, who waited deeper into the forest so she would not be seen
by anyone from the village. Growloranth was closer, but Tilly’s
lighter coloring would make her stand out more against the greenery
surrounding Isabelle’s home.

“
Take care of her. I’ll be in touch
when I have something to report,”
Bear
sent to Robert silently as he disappeared into the
forest.

“
I’ve got the watch, partner. Good
hunting,”
Robert sent back, aware in the
corner of his mind that was connected to Bear through his
connection with his dragon partner, that Tilly had already launched
them both into the air.

Robert helped Isabelle clean up from their
meal. After the dishes were washed and set to dry, he opened the
large sack Bear had brought in earlier, putting things away in
Isabelle’s kitchen as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. He saw
her wide eyes as he uncovered each new item. There were wheels of
what looked like good, hearty cheese. Baskets of dried berries.
Small jars of spices and salt. Larger flasks of oil and vinegar.
Fruits that would keep well into the winter, and vegetables that
would do likewise. The more perishable items Robert left out for
Isabelle to deal with, since they would have to be used
sooner.

“
How long do you plan to stay,”
Isabelle asked, eyeing the mountain of food Robert had unpacked.
Her gaze shot to his as she realized that her question could be
thought of as rude. “I didn’t mean—”

Robert held up his hands, palm outward as he
smiled. “Be at ease, milady. We only have a few more days to
complete our mission here, but we cannot in good conscience leave
you anything but well-stocked for the winter.”

“
But this is all too much. The
chickens were already too much, but this is…” She looked at the
vast array of food items Bear had brought and seemed at a loss for
words.

“
This is only the beginning. Now
that we know where you live, we will be back,” Robert warned in a
teasing tone. “Of course, you could always come with us when we
leave. Women like you, who can speak with dragons and do not fear
them, are always welcome in the Lair.”

“
You said something like that
before, but what would I do? How would I earn my keep?” She looked
worried and uncomfortable. “What would be my role?”

Robert moved closer to her. “You could come
back with us as our mate.”

“
Both of you?” She seemed shocked,
which worried him. He had hoped she already understood.

“
Yes.” There was no way to
sugar-coat it. He had to be honest with her about their intentions,
even if it scared her off. He had to try to explain it better to
her, so that she would understand. “We are bonded on a soul-deep
level with our dragons. And our dragons are mates. They already
have two children who are grown and have knights and mates of their
own. Their first knights died many years ago, and both Tildeth and
Growloranth mourned their loss for decades before returning to pick
another set of knights—Bear and I—to share their lives with. The
thing is, because of our bond, the dragons cannot consummate their
relationship again until Bear and I have a mate of our own. The
spillover from a dragon mating flight is intense, from all
accounts. If the knights bonded to the two dragons do not have a
mate of their own to share in the deep love and passion, it can
drive them mad. Which is why the prohibition was instituted long
ago, that bonded dragons cannot mate until their knights have found
a woman of their own, to love and share their lives and
passions.”

“
So until you and Sir Bernard have
found such a woman, your dragon partners cannot come together,” she
repeated, seeking his confirmation.

Robert nodded. “They have been very patient
with us, and they will wait as long as they need to, but the sooner
we find our mate, the sooner they can be together again as mates.
Bear and I think that maybe you could be the woman for
us.”

“
Why only one woman? Why can’t you
each find a wife of your own?”

“
It doesn’t really work that way,”
Robert admitted. “And I’m not entirely sure of the reasons why.
Having never experienced a dragon mating through the bond I share
with Growloranth, I can only speculate. But from what the mated
knights have said, the spillover running through the bond is too
intense. Only the triad joining seems to account for the closeness
needed between the knights while their dragon partners’ passions
are running through them.”

“
I have never considered such a
relationship,” Isabelle admitted. He admired her honesty, though it
pained him to hear her words. “Frankly, I had given up on finding
even one man who would be willing to have me as his wife—or that I
would consider as a husband. To suddenly be faced with two men
vying to share my affections, not to mention two amazing dragons
who would be reunited if I agreed…” She ran a hand through her hair
as she leaned back against the kitchen counter. “It’s all very
confusing and kind of unbelievable.”

Robert moved closer. He didn’t want to push her
too fast, but she needed to know where he stood in no uncertain
terms. Bear had made himself clear earlier that morning. Now it was
time for Robert to do the same.

“
It can be simple,” he said softly,
drawing her gaze as he stopped close in front of her. She looked up
into his eyes and he felt his heart stutter. She was so delicately
beautiful, she stole his breath. “It is said the Mother of All
guides us in these matters, more than other men. Knights often know
very quickly if they’ve met the woman meant for them. We feel it—in
our hearts. In our souls. I felt something profound when I first
saw you in the forest. I feel it every time I’m in your presence.”
He moved closer, putting his hands on the counter behind her, one
on either side of her hips. When she didn’t object, he moved closer
still. “I’ve never been in love before,” he admitted. “I would like
the chance to discover if what I’m feeling could be that most
magical of all feelings. You are a very special woman, Isabelle. I
think it would be very easy to fall in love with you.”

“
Is that what it would be? Love?”
she asked, whispering.

“
If you agreed to be our mate, we
would settle for nothing less. If you cannot love us—both of
us—then we are not the knights for you. All we’re asking is that
you give us a chance.” He whispered the last words against her lips
as he moved in for the kiss he’d been craving ever since he first
laid eyes on her.

He took it slow, simply rubbing his lips
against hers at first, keeping the kiss delicate and gentle. He
wanted to savor this first kiss. The first of many, he
hoped.

When she didn’t pull away, he deepened the
kiss, his tongue seeking entry, which was granted, much to his
satisfaction. From there, he took things one step at a time, taking
on the unexpected role of teacher and coach. He could tell from her
shy responses that she was unused to kissing, and that nearly tore
a little hole in his heart. How could such a special, desirable
woman not know how to kiss?

It was his honor and privilege to show her all
the ways a simple movement of lips and tongues could spark the
flame he hoped to fan to an inferno at some point. Not today,
perhaps, but sometime soon…when she was ready. And when he and Bear
weren’t embroiled in the middle of a demanding covert
mission.

It was incredibly difficult, they were
learning, to properly court a woman when most of their attention
had to be on their job. With any luck, they’d be able to finish
their observations soon, give their report to their superiors and
come back to put serious effort into luring Isabelle away from her
cottage on the edge of the woods, to their home in the
Lair.

Robert wrapped his arms around her, drawing her
close to his body. She was so soft. So unbelievably feminine. So
perfect.

Her small hands crept up to his shoulders and
explored the sensitive area near his neck. He was wearing only a
simple woven shirt this morning and he was truly glad there was so
little between her seeking fingers and his skin. When one of her
hands dipped inside his collar, he groaned, loving the feel of her
touching him.