by Julie Wetzel
Byrd held her gaze for a second longer before blinking and turning away. “Raven wasn’t the first. We survived then. We’ll survive now.”
Panting, Kara held on to herself as her mind reeled. Those words had come from Byrd, but not the Byrd she knew. This was something older, something deeper. She could feel power tingle across her skin where it touched his side. His words echoed in her brain over and over. What did it mean? She lay there, watching Byrd as his breathing evened out. Who was he? The only thing Kara really knew about him was that he had been part of Raven Nightingale before her death. Noah had saved him by forming a dragon-heart stone and claiming him. Other than that, Byrd was a mystery.
Raven Nightingale was even more of an enigma. Kara knew she had been an ancient dragon, well respected and influential in the dragon world, but that was it. How old was she? Where did she come from? Kara pondered these questions as she relaxed next to Byrd. Ideas played with her mind, driven by Byrd’s words. If Raven wasn’t the first, could someone have given Raven her dragon? Kara made a mental note to look up everything she could find on Raven before going back to her train of thought. That would explain how Byrd had known how to make a heart stone, but how did he tell Noah? Or did Noah already know? She pondered that one for a while.
Rolling over, she pressed her back into Byrd’s warm side and let the subject go. No matter how hard she forced the questions through her brain, she wasn’t going to get an answer without either Byrd or Noah telling her. And then there was the matter of broaching the subject. Asking about the dragon heart meant talking about Raven’s death, and she didn’t know if Byrd was ready for that yet.
As Kara shifted to get more comfortable, something hard dug into her ribs. She wiggled around until she was able to pull it out. She didn’t need light to identify the soft glitter of the diamond tear. Wrapping it in her fist, she tucked her hands up in the hollow of her neck and leaned back against the dragon again. Somewhere in her sheets was another tear.
Kara had never cried diamond tears, but she knew they hurt to shed. Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to get to sleep. She would not bring the subject up while Byrd was still grieving for his loss. She would still work to get them into a condition to answer Daniel’s questions, but she would not be the one to cause them any more pain.
***
A thin beam of sun lanced across the room and fell across the head of Kara’s bed. She moaned as the light broke into her dreams. Rolling over, she snuggled into the warmth behind her. A soft sigh of pleasure left her as she wiggled closer to the heat source. Her mind recalled her late-night visitor and the reason she had a warm bed this morning. A smile graced her lips as she relaxed. It was nice waking up with a dragon in her bed. They were warm and cozy.
“Morning,” she mumbled as she raised her hand to caress Byrd’s hide. Her fingers fell on something firm, but it wasn’t the hard touch of scales she’d expected. Kara froze as something draped across her, pulling her closer to the solid mass in front of her.
“Good morning.”
Kara’s eyes popped open in surprise at hearing a human voice. A wide expanse of creamy flesh filled her vision. Human flesh! She swallowed hard as she took in the male chest her hand rested on. The pec muscles were well toned, even if the skin was a bit pale. A smattering of red curls dusted across what skin she could see. Carefully, Kara tipped her head back and looked into the face of the man holding her. Her heart skipped as she recognized him from the pictures she had seen yesterday. His root-beer eyes held amusement in them. “Noah?”
He smiled. “For the moment.” The tips of his fingers rubbed down her back, easing her tension. His brow furrowed in thought. “I do have a question, though.”
Kara looked at him, waiting.
“What happened?”
She cocked her head, not understanding his question.
“I don’t remember how I got here.”
Kara laughed lightly to herself. “That would be Byrd.” This was probably a conversation best had out of bed. She tried to move out of his arms before answering.
Noah’s grip on her tightened, pulling her back in against him. “Shhh,” he hushed her, holding her in place.
Unsure of what was going on, Kara froze in his arms. Her heart thumped as he curled forwards so his mouth rested against her hair. She drew in a deep breath, trying to calm her heart, but the smell of dragon musk sent trills of excitement down her spine. It had been a long time since someone had held her this close. Her dragon flashed with desire. It liked that Noah held her so tightly.
“Sorry,” Noah apologized as his grip on her eased. “Byrd’s focused on you.” He closed his eyes as if he were concentrating deep inside. “I can feel him back there, just waiting. You stirred him when you moved.” He opened his eyes and stared at her. “He likes you.”
A light blush colored Kara’s cheeks, and she looked down at Noah’s chest. “It’s instinct,” she explained. Her fingers rubbed over his skin as she spoke. “Where is he this morning?”
Noah’s head shifted as if he were thinking. “Sleeping, I think.” He paused again. “It’s hard to tell with him.”
Kara smiled. “You’re both a little unbalanced at the moment. Things will settle down as you get used to each other.”
Noah nodded. “But that still doesn’t tell me how I got here.” A smile curled the corner of his mouth as he ran his hand down Kara’s back. “Not that I’m complaining or anything.”
The hint of mischief in his eye sent a shiver of desire through Kara, speeding her pulse along. She ignored it as best she could. “Byrd came in last night, upset.” Thoughts of the two dragon tears lost in her sheets cooled the heat in her body. She tried to think of a way to explain how she felt, but the look in his eye softened, telling her he understood.
“Thank you,” he said. “For everything.”
The blush that had cooled from her skin came back as she looked back down at his chest. Her fingers shifted across his skin again. “You’re welcome.” She watched his chest rise as he drew in a deep breath. “That’s my job,” she said, belittling her actions.
Noah snorted.
Kara looked up at him, surprised by his action.
“It’s not your job to care.”
Offended by his words, Kara shifted back from him as far as the circle of his arms would allow. “I care,” she insisted.
“Yes,” he said, pulling her back in against him, “but that isn’t your job.”
Kara opened her mouth to argue but stopped as Noah went on.
“You’re supposed to understand. Not care.”
She closed her mouth unable to argue. He couldn’t have hit the nail harder on the head if he’d tried. As a therapist, she was supposed to analyze her subjects, empathize with their issues, and help them find a solution to their problems. To truly care about someone required emotions she couldn’t afford to have. Emotions she worked very hard to keep out of her work. In this case, she had failed miserably.
She looked away from him, unwilling to face the swirls of feelings floating inside her. “So.” She changed the subject and looked back at him. “I think I have an idea on how Byrd is taking this, but how about you?”
Noah chuckled. “Oh, you’re going to psychoanalyze me now?”
“Well, that is my job,” she quipped back.
He grinned at her before becoming more serious. His focus moved up and past her as if he were thinking. “I’m dealing.” Coming back to meet her eyes, he went on. “Byrd and I are coming to terms.”
“And was this part of the terms?” she asked, patting him on the chest.
That smile she was starting to enjoy slipped back across his face. “No. This was a pleasant surprise.” His arms tightened around her gently.
Kara reveled in the joy of being held for a second before going back to her line of questioning. “Do you think it will last?”
Noah let out a forlorn sigh. “Probably not.” A look of concentration drove the joy from his face. �
�I don’t think Byrd’s ready to give up control yet.” He closed his eyes again. “He’s quiet right now, but I think that will change very soon.”
Nodding, Kara changed the subject again. “You know, Daniel wants to know what happened.”
A pained look crossed Noah’s face, and he held on to Kara tighter. “I know, but… Not yet.” His fingers clenched into the back of her shirt as he gripped her.
“Is it Byrd?” Kara asked, trying to remain calm. His body had tensed up, and his grip was almost painfully tight.
He nodded his head.
“Relax,” she ordered. The tingle of magic raced across her skin where he touched her, but he stayed clenched. “Just relax and let go. You won’t win in a fight for control against your dragon. It will only make it hurt.”
Kara watched as he nodded again and loosened his hold. She took a full breath of air and concentrated on being human as the hum of magic against her skin increased. “It’s all right,” she soothed him again. As scales rushed over his skin, she pushed out of his arms before his change called her dragon out. A note of panic hit her when he started to shift into his large form, but he squeaked in pain and shrank into his lesser form.
Worry ate at her as he lay on her bed, recovering from the change. “Byrd?” she said softly, reaching for him. He chirped at her in response, but it didn’t make any sense. She stared at the black collar wrapped around his neck. The way the thick leather pressed into his scales looked painful. She reached out to remove it but stopped before touching it. He had thrown a fit the last time she’d tried to take it off him. She waffled for a moment before checking it.
“Mine,” he gurgled as she touched it, but he didn’t scramble away as he’d done before.
“It’s all right, Byrd,” she said, rubbing her hand down his neck. “I’m not going to take it off.”
Slipping her finger under the band, she checked the fit. As her finger touched the backside of the leather, she felt magic zing across her senses. Something in her clicked as a flood of thoughts and emotions filled her mind. She gasped and yanked her hand back from the collar. The feelings subsided as fast as they’d hit, but now she knew why Byrd was protective of the collar and why he and Noah were progressing so quickly. It wasn’t just a decorative band. It was a spell. Carefully, she reached back and gripped the leather by the edges. She pulled on it to see how snug it was. It was tighter than she liked, but not tight enough to strangle him. “You let me know if this hurts.”
He gurgled something that Kara took to be an affirmative.
“Rest,” she said, patting him on the shoulder and flipping her covers back. “I’ll be back.” She slid out of the bed and dropped the covers over the dragon. Gathering her bathrobe, she pulled it on and headed towards the bathroom. It was going to take her a moment to sort herself out. A flash of light from her carpet caught her attention. A single tear-shaped diamond sparkled in the morning light. She picked it up and cupped it in her hand. It was cool and heavy against her skin.
Closing her hand around the diamond, she lifted it to her chest and headed into the bathroom. As the door clicked shut, she carefully set the gem on the counter where it would be safe. Once Noah and Byrd had worked things out, she’d find the second tear and give them back. Dragon tears were very rare and precious. If he didn’t want them, they would fetch an amazing price online.
***
Taking Kara’s advice, Noah forced his muscles to relax and let Byrd take over. The pulse of magic swept through him in a familiar way. It was nice, almost comforting, until the pain hit. He squeaked out, unable to make a louder sound past the band of leather strangling the life from him. He tried to move, to rip the leather from his neck, but his limbs were caught between one form and another, virtually unresponsive in his time of distress. The magic moving through him responded to the danger, and the pain in this throat eased. He lay there, gasping for breath.
“Byrd?” Kara called.
Noah tried to answer her, to reassure her, but the words came out all muddled. “Byrd,” he called to his dragon. He could feel the dragon’s energy pulsing through him, but it hadn’t condensed into something he recognized. It was wild and afraid. “Byrd,” Noah called again.
The wild energy snapped into something more familiar and focused on Noah.
“It’s okay, Byrd,” Noah comforted it. “You’re okay.”
The sharp edge of the fear eased away as the dragon’s energy settled. It spiked back up when Kara’s fingers touched the collar on his neck, though.
“Mine.”
Noah grabbed control before Byrd could lash out. “Easy,” he soothed Byrd. “She won’t hurt us.”
Byrd calmed as Kara’s words echoed Noah’s.
“She just wants to check to make sure we’re okay,” Noah reassured the dragon.
Byrd relaxed more as Kara pulled at the collar. A hiccough of magic spasmed through them, but it stopped as quickly as is started.
Noah’s mind reeled as he tried to quiet his distressed dragon while dealing with the wash of emotion that had hit. He didn’t know exactly where it had come from, but it lingered against his mind. A mix of concern and worry that he couldn’t place.
“You let me know if this hurts.”
Kara’s words broke into Noah’s concentration. He gurgled at her, but his mind was focused on his dragon. There was something off about it, but Noah didn’t know what it was. The blanket flipped over him as Kara got up from the bed.
“Rest,” she said, patting the covers over him.
Byrd’s attention immediately went to Kara as she gathered up her robe.
“Byrd!” Noah snapped at his dragon, drawing it attention away from Kara. “What’s wrong?”
There was a soft rumble in his chest as the dragon’s attention drifted away from Noah and focused on the bathroom door, looking for Kara. Since she wasn’t there, it drifted lazily around the room.
Noah chuckled and shifted so he was upright in the bed. “Are you still asleep?”
The dragon rumbled at him grumpily.
“Well, you shouldn’t have been up so late last night bothering Kara,” Noah teased as he wiggled out from under the covers.
“Mine,” Byrd rumbled again.
The urge to go back to sleep pushed at Noah, but he shook his head and got out of bed. “Oh, no. It’s time to be up.”
Byrd grumbled at him.
“Besides, I have to go to the bathroom.” The pressure in his gut was getting to be uncomfortable.
The dragon’s attention shifted to the closed bathroom door.
Noah had the urge to go that way, but he headed towards the hall door instead. “Kara’s in there.”
The soft call of “Mine” drifted over his mind again.
“Just leave her alone for a bit. She needs some time to herself.” A hint of irritation rose from his dragon, but Noah ignored it as he found his way to the hall bathroom to relieve himself.
It was weird being back in control of his body. Noah could feel Byrd in the back of his mind. The dragon was not happy that they were awake. “Not a morning person?” Noah teased.
Byrd growled.
Another soft laugh came out of Noah. “Let’s go see if we can find something to help that.” The thought of coffee crossed Noah’s mind.
“Coffee?” Byrd asked.
“It’s a hot drink,” Noah explained, thinking about his last cup of coffee. It had been in his own kitchen, just a few hours before the dragon gala. He reflected on that as he headed down to the kitchen. He had rinsed out the cup and set it in the sink next to his dinner dishes.
Dread pulled at him. He wasn’t sure exactly what day it was, but he knew it had been over a week since he’d last been home. Thankfully, his job kept him too busy to own pets, but he did have some very lovely orchids that needed regular watering. Plus, there was a refrigerator full of food going bad. Then there was the garbage left in the trashcan in his kitchen. Oh God, there were fish bones in there. That was going to smell lovely
when he got back. Not to mention the cans outside that had been waiting to be taken to the curb after the gala. He groaned out loud. The whole house needed to be checked on. If nothing more than to make sure it hadn’t burned down, or that stupid punk from down the street hadn’t tried to set up that meth lab in his shed again. There was no getting around it. He needed to ask Kara to go check on his house today.
Letting out a sigh, he turned the corner into Kara’s kitchen and stopped. There were still boxes piled around, but someone had been busy putting the room together. Looking around, Noah found what he had hoped to find. A coffeemaker! Finding a heavy plastic box, he pushed it over to the counter and hopped up on it. He studied the coffeemaker to see if he could figure it out. It was just a standard machine. The red marker in the reservoir floated near the twelve-cup line. His heart leaped for joy. Fantastic! Kara set it up last night. Reaching out a claw, he carefully punched the power button. In a few seconds, the song of water percolating through the pot reached his ears. Heavenly!
“Hungry!” Byrd rumbled.
Noah smiled and hopped down from the box. “Let’s see what we can find.” He knew that Kara had gone to the grocery store yesterday. There was a vague memory of her bringing in bags, but he’d been so out of it he couldn’t recall what she’d gotten. It took a minute to figure out how to wiggle his claws into the crack between the refrigerator doors, but he finally got it open. The fridge was neatly stacked with a few supplies.
“Meat!”
Noah looked at the package that had drawn Byrd’s attention. The links of breakfast sausage looked amazing, but they would need to be cooked. Noah shut the door as Byrd protested. “Be still,” he reprimanded the dragon. “If we eat it raw, it could make us sick.”