Page 14 of Pets in Space 10

Landry secured the skiff, the gentle lapping of water against the hull a counterpoint to the creak of the ropes as he tied it off, then shouldered his rifle and climbed onto the bank.

Turning, he reached to help Harmonia. His gaze softened as he watched her gently lift Lilypad, the tiny dragon nestled securely in her arms. The sight stirred a sudden image — of Harmonia cradling a child — their child — instead of the injured water dragon.

He gently reached out and scooped up Lilypad, feeling the fragile weight of the water dragon in his arms, then cradled her close to his chest. It was the first time he had ever held one this close, and he felt the creature’s tiny heart beating against his palm.

The once-bright scales were now dull, almost lifeless, and a long, ragged cut ran from her back hindquarters down to her left thigh, the raw flesh visible beneath.

His expression twisted as he closed his eyes, his knuckles white with tension as he realized how close they had all been to joining Jack tonight.

He shifted Lilypad’s sleeping form to the crook of his arm so he could free one hand to help steady Harmonia as she climbed out of the boat with Pug cradled against her shoulder.

“They are exhausted,” she murmured.

“So are you,” he replied.

She gave him a wan smile and nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever used so much magic at one time in my life,” she said.

He pulled the screen door open, unlocked the back door, and pushed it open so she could enter.

He followed, switching on the kitchen light, and silently thanked the improvements he had made to the cabin over the last six years.

Water turbine and solar, along with battery storage, provided power; LED lighting reduced the strain; propane provided his cooking, refrigeration, and hot water needs; and a good filtration system turned the rainwater and water from a nearby freshwater creek into his potable water supply.

“I’ve got some blankets that we can use to make them a bed,” he said, lying Lilypad on the bed.

Harmonia nodded. “I need to help Lilypad.”

He straightened from the chest he had been bent over and frowned. “What do you need? I have some medical supplies here, but I don’t know if they are good for water dragons.”

Harmonia smiled and shook her head. “An injury caused by magic needs magic to heal it. Fortunately, healing is one of my gifts.”

“It isn’t the only one,” he murmured, clearing his throat as he made a thick pallet on the floor near the end of the bed.

He took Pug from Harmonia and laid the chubby dragon on the blanket.

Pug lifted his head and looked at him with soulful, sad eyes before looking at his sister’s limp form and then looking back at him.

“She’ll be alright. Harmonia’s going to work her magic,” he murmured, gently stroking the young creature’s head.

Pug released a snorted chuckle at Landry’s unintended pun. Landry chuckled as well and stroked Pug’s head before he straightened.

“How about I make us something to eat,” he suggested. “All that saving the world has to have made you hungry.”

Harmonia laughed and nodded. “Yes, I do believe it has.”

Right then, Landry decided he was going to do everything he could to make Harmonia laugh. He loved the way her face flushed a pretty pink and the way her eyes glimmered with amusement while her lips —

Yeah, her lips, he thought as he turned away to hide his body’s reaction to her lips. Food, Landry. Think of food. Not where you’d like her lips to be… or where you’d like to put yours. We almost died, man! Think with the head that has a brain!

Maybe there was some truth to that saying that almost dying makes you horny, he reasoned as he bent to pull sandwich items out of the refrigerator.

He quickly made two turkey and cheese sandwiches, cursing under his breath when the tomato he cut kept slipping off the lettuce before he jammed the top piece of bread down on it.

He pulled out a bag of potato chips and added a couple of handfuls to each plate.

“Chef Landry, you’ve outdone yourself once again,” he murmured, pleased with the meal.

He picked up Harmonia’s plate and placed it on the table, then retrieved two bottles of water from the fridge and added them to the table. A giggle of laughter made him frown. He raised an eyebrow at Harmonia when she covered her mouth and nodded toward the counter.

“Pug! You stupid dragon, that was my dinner!” he groaned when he realized what she was laughing about.

Pug sat on the counter, staring back at him.

The little dragon pushed the slice of tomato into his mouth with one claw before swallowing and grinning.

Shaking his head, Landry scowled back at Pug before he sighed and pulled all the items he had just finished putting away back out again.

The loud sound of crunching told him that the dragon was eating all his potato chips as well.

“What do water dragons eat?” Harmonia teased.

“What?” he asked.

“Chef Landry food,” Pug said around a mouthful of chips.

“Ha-ha, good one. This is mine! Do you think Lilypad will want something? I can make her something else. I have some soup,” he said, turning his attention to Lilypad.

Harmonia shook her head. “Maybe in the morning. I placed a sleeping spell on her. She needs rest. She’ll be starving in the morning, though.”

“I’ll make a big breakfast for her,” he promised.

Harmonia gently lifted Lilypad and placed her on the pallet. A moment later, Pug joined his sister. Landry laughed when the little dragon released a loud belch before sighing contently and curling around his sister.

He shook his head.

“What is it?” Harmonia looked at him with a curious expression.

He released a short laugh. “I still feel like I need to pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming,” he confessed.

“Is it a dream… or a nightmare?” she murmured, stepping closer to him.

He looked into her dark brown eyes, feeling as if he were falling again. Without thinking, his hand lifted and he caressed her cheek, sliding the tips of his fingers from her cheekbone down to her chin where he tilted her face towards his.

“Definitely a dream with you,” he murmured, bending to kiss her.

This kiss differed from the one earlier.

The electrical charge was still there, but on a different level, and all he could envision was her floating above the deck of his boat, her hair swirling around her, her body glowing with magic, and her eyes flashing with fire as she faced a terror that was literally out-of-this-world.

“You are so brave. So beautiful,” he murmured, his fingers caressing her as he spoke.

“So hungry,” she added, her lips curving.

He breathed in deeply. The air expanded his chest until her breasts caressed his chest. He had to remind himself that they had only met this morning.

“As Pug would say, food is good,” he warily agreed, stepping back.

He pulled out her chair for her, knowing that there was another elephant in the room as his gaze flicked from her to the bed and back again.

There was only one bed.

And two of them!

***

Landry entered the cabin with the last of the supplies Hog had dropped off. The screen door creaked shut behind him, and silence settled back over the cabin like a blanket — thick, warm, and oddly comforting.

Outside, the swamp buzzed with lazy cicadas and the low croak of frogs starting their dusk song.

Inside, it smelled like cedar, soap, and the lingering sweetness of Harmonia’s tea.

He rolled his shoulders, easing the tension that always built as the sun went down.

For two weeks, they’d made this place their safe haven.

For two weeks, he’d kept one eye on the water and the other on Harmonia.

She’d nearly burned herself out that night at the lagoon. Between the magic she poured into shielding them, healing Lilypad, and protecting the village, he’d watched her strength drain like a tide going out.

And he hadn’t left her side since.

He had even missed Jack’s celebration of life — a decision that still tugged at his conscience — but one he’d make again. Harmonia needed him, and he… well, hell, he needed her too. Even if he wasn’t ready to say it out loud.

He put the cold stuff in the freezer and refrigerator before he turned to sort the dry goods. He was bent over, head halfway under the cabinet, when he heard the soft patter of bare feet behind him.

“Landry… have you seen the — ”

Her words stalled when his gaze locked on her.

He straightened and turned.

And forgot how to breathe.

Harmonia stood in the middle of the room, damp hair tumbling over her shoulders in glossy dark waves.

She wore nothing but one of his old button-down flannel shirts — way too big on her, barely buttoned, and riding high on her thighs with every step she took.

Her legs, bare, long, and sun-kissed, stretched out beneath it, and the fabric clung to her curves like it had never been designed for anyone else but her.

His brain short-circuited.

So did his hands.

The can of beans slipped from his fingers and hit the counter with a thud, rolling off and bouncing onto the floor. “Son of a — ”

He ducked down to grab it, heart pounding like he’d just sprinted through gator-infested waters.

“Oops,” she murmured softly, brushing her hair behind one ear as she smiled down at him. “Did I startle you?”

Startle me? He nearly choked. Try kill me.

Lilypad and Pug looked up from the bed where they’d been curled.

Pug blinked with a wide-eyed gleam of amusement while Lilypad’s mouth stretched into a wicked grin.

Without a word, they rolled off the mattress, scampered across the floor, and scrambled out the front door.

Their muffled snickers faded with the creak of the screen door slapping shut behind them.

Landry didn’t move.

Couldn’t.

Harmonia took one slow step forward, the hem of the shirt swaying gently with her motion.