But this magnetic pull he was experiencing had Leo beginning to wonder if the bedtime tales held a sliver of truth.
Giving up the possibility of a true mate for whatever he could expect from Nan, The Strongminded, was ludicrous and shortsighted on his part.
“We cannot give her up,”his dragon snapped, butting into Leo’s musing.
“What if Nan decides the blow to her pride is too much, and she demands a blood apology?”Leo asked in mindspeak. He gave into temptation and brushed a lock of Gwenyth’s long hair away from her face. It was lustrous and smelled of the salty brine of the sea.
“How is your head?” he asked.
“Better,” she said, fingering the wound at her temple. “The ache has receded.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“Come and talk to me while I prepare food,” he said. “I’ve put out a shirt and a pair of trews for you to wear.
“She needs to keep warm,” his dragon pointed out.
Leo rifled through his wooden chest and pulled out a plaid, woven by women who lived on the farthest island north. Long ago, the women’s ancestors had lived in the Highlands of Scotland, and they continued with the traditional crafts of weaving. He strode to her side and draped the plaid over her shoulders.
“Thank you. I’m lucky to have such a thoughtful husband. Where did we meet?” She slipped out of bed and tugged on the shirt to cover her nakedness.
Leo stared at his feet, hating to lie more than necessary and guilt surging to the fore. He couldn’t help but study her, his fingers itching to test the softness of her skin.“What do I tell her?”he mindspoke to his dragon.
“Tell her you think it’d be better for her memories to return on their own, that we shouldn’t fill in the gaps for her.”
“My dragon and I think you should remember on your own rather than us filling your mind with information that will wedge together like an ill-fitting puzzle.”
Her brow creased as she frowned at him, and Leo stilled, wondering if she might snap and snarl and show her teeth. Many a male dragon bore scars from temperamental females. He studied her, fascinated as her brow cleared, and a rueful smile grew. She edged closer, and every one of his muscles tensed; his inner dragon also alert to danger. Her fingers curled around his biceps, and she rose on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
His dragon gave a tiny moan, undone by her sweetness, while Leo froze, the spot where her lips caressed firing salvos of heat through every muscle in his body.
Before he could kiss her in return, she stepped back and sat on the edge of the bed to tug on the trews. They were too big, but she folded them at the waistband and the legs.
Next, she draped the plaid around her shoulders before gazing at him in expectation. “What are you making me to eat? What can I do to help?”
Leo shook away the stupid while his dragon shifted his position on Leo’s torso and peered around Leo’s ribs to better see Gwenyth. “A beef-and-vegetable pie. While that is cooking, you can snack on fresh bread and cheese. And perhaps some apple juice, if that is to your liking.”
Her brows rose, and her forehead creased again as if something worried her.
“Is there a problem?”
“You cook pies?”
“My dragon and I enjoy eating. If we don’t cook, we don’t nourish our body and remain strong. The younger dragons snap at our heels, planning to steal our title.”
“Your title?”
“Everyone in the Dragon Isles has a title they have won through their behavior or their endeavors. I am Leonidas, Champion of the Skies.”
“What does that mean?”
“My title tells other dragons I am the fastest and strongest at aerial battle. I have other lesser titles, such as the one I was born with. Leo, The Youngest Son, or another I acquired is Leo, The Landowner. My older brothers and parents call me Leo, The Land Grubber.” Leo forced a grin despite the internal ache that accompanied this confession. “They have no conception of the personal satisfaction of a day’s labor or my contentment once I relax and enjoy the peace of my mountain home.”
Her mouth opened and closed without sounds emerging while her gaze darted to the old battle scars on his chest and back. The one on his thigh. Finally, she said, “I don’t think I like your family.”
“They have their moments.” Leo removed the cheese and butter from the chiller and the fresh bread he’d obtained at the human village. He’d found shopping there meant he didn’t encounter dragons connected with the castle. Best that way since less gossip regarding him made its way to his parents’ ears.
