“That’s a possibility.”
Leo continued flying in silence. Then, because his curiosity itched about his mate, he asked questions, eager for information.
“You said you live in a village. What is its name? What do you do?”
“West Bansrston is the town where my sister, my friend, and I live. I work in a cafe. We sell tea and coffee and make cold drinks. We also sell food. I do a bit of everything—take orders, make coffee, waitressing if my boss takes a booking for a private function. Sometimes, I help in the kitchen. I might do the dishes or bake muffins. There are always tables to clear and customers to serve and chat with. Cherry, my friend, owns a bookshop. Occasionally, I’ll help her if she’s busy. I love to read books, which is how Cherry and I met. In fact, the reason I thought you were my husband when we first met and that we were on our honeymoon was because of the last book I read. A romance about a couple who’d recently married.”
“Ah, I wondered why you’d assumed that. Now it makes sense.”
“What else?”his dragon asked.
“In my spare time, I’m writing a book about dragon mythology. When I met you or rather when you rescued me, I was returning home after interviewing a couple. They told me the story of the last dragon ever seen in England.”
“A distant relation,”Leo said.“A human killed him when all he wanted to do was rest after an arduous journey.”
“I’m so sorry. Humans panic when they see something they don’t understand. Not that this excuses the actions of the human, but from what I hear, the dragon’ssudden arrival scared the locals and the visitors at the village fair. They didn’t understand the dragon required rest.”
“You’re not frightened of dragons,”Leo said.
“No, but since I was researching dragons and collecting myths and legends, your appearance fascinated me. I forgot to watch the road—the reason my car flipped over the barrier. I was lucky the sight of a human didn’t scare you. You saved me.”
“Fate,”Leo said, his words ringing with truth.
“Is it possible Nan and your brothers are responsible for the barrier malfunction?”Liza asked.
The notion had occurred to Leo, but he’d discarded it because his brothers would’ve gloated. They enjoyed lording it over their friends and acquaintances.“I suppose it’s possible, but I’m certain the rumors would’ve caught up with me.”
“I haven’t been here long enough to learn the politics and the way each island runs, but I wondered if it would be an advantage for dragons to leave the Dragon Isles. How do you get your supplies? The things you can’t make yourselves. Has there been a surplus of luxury items available?”
“Excellent points,”Leo mused.“I don’t hang around the dragon village or the castle enough to know the answer to your question. Whenever I require food or supplies, I visit the human village.”
“Have you noticed anything off there? That’s another possibility,”Liza said.“Maybe some of the humans would prefer to move to the mainland instead of staying here. Or, a third possibility—maybe the druids in charge of things are open to bribes. Is there a head druid?”
Another excellent point. Leo didn’t have the answer. He kept flying, the trip going faster than he’d thought because of the tailwind and the fact he had Liza with him.
“Is that... Are those dragons ahead of us?”Liza asked.
Leo scanned the sky. While he’d flown, and they’d conversed, the sky had lightened. Liza was right, but the flight of dragons was too far away for him to identify.
“How do you communicate between the isles?”Liza asked.“Is it possible these dragons are trying to intercept us?”
“I don’t know. We should see land soon. If the wind is in the right direction, I get a hint of the spices that grow on the island. The fishermen take messages between us. That’s all we’ve needed for communication.”
“So these dragons might have received a message from the castle. There are dragons behind us,”Liza said, seconds later.“Four. No five dragons.”
Leo increased the pace of his wing strokes, trying to keep worry from flooding his mind. Nothing about this boded well for him and Liza. Exhaustion nipped at his heels, the battle with his brother and lack of rest slowing him.
“I can see land,”Liza said.“How far away do your friends live?”
“A few miles inland.”
“Will we make it to safety in time?”
Leo wanted to lie, but he couldn’t. Not to his mate.“I’m tired and not flying as fast as normal. It will be difficult to fight because I’m carrying you. I can’t drop you again. We’re too high. Last time we were lucky you didn’t get hurt.”
“At the first opportunity, we’ll talk to someone who can design a saddle or at least experiment with me sitting on your back. You must be free to fight,”Liza said.“That way, my hands would be free too. I could carry a weapon and help you.”
“I haven’t heard of anyone doing this before.”
