Page 19

Heather woke up suddenly, still on the couch in the semi-darkness, with her mate asleep beside her and a wet spot beneath her.

“Ew,” she whispered, rolling off of it.

“Aye, deae ,” Graeme murmured, his eyes closed.

Heather sat up, nausea gripping her. She wrapped both arms around her stomach, breathing deeply and waited for the feeling to pass. Next to her, Graeme began to wake. He opened his eyes and saw her uncomfortable.

“Ach.”

He got up quickly, and crossed the room. He hurried back to her with a pot in his hands, putting it in front of her just in time. She retched and held her stomach, once, twice, and then it was over. She held the pot out weakly and Graeme took it. He gave her two hand towels, then put a third over the wet spot.

“I’ll get ye something to drink,” he said. He left the cottage naked, taking the puke pot with him. The sight of his tall, strong form made Heather smile a little. She sank back down on her pillow and watched him pass in front of the windows in the moonlight.

She wiped her mouth and felt better, so she got up to get dressed, and once she had her clothes on, she immediately checked on the anklets. They were still as she had left them. She put them back in her pocket as Graeme came in the door with a pitcher of water. He poured some in a mug for her.

She took it and drank some. Cold! Clean! The water tasted like nothing she could find in Illinois, but still she only sipped. She didn’t feel like throwing up again if she could help it.

“I had another dream,” she said. “I’m supposed to put the anklets away for a year and tell no one.”

Graeme looked at her closely, took the pitcher from her hands and put it on the table, then held both her hands.

“Who told ye such?”

“A dragon as big as the moon.”

Emotions played across Graeme’s face—confusion at first, then understanding, then acceptance, and then… joy? He dropped his head and covered his eyes with his hands, then looked up again, smiling the sweetest smile she’d ever seen. He reached up to stroke her cheek, a look of awe on his face, then he took both her hands in his.

“Yer being trained to guard gold as any dragen would be. I didnae foresee it.”

He hugged her tightly and Heather hugged him back, thinking about what he’d said, her earlier feeling of accomplishment flooding back.

“But…” she said into his chest, as he still hugged her close, “why can’t I tell anyone? I don’t like that part.”

“Aye, it doesnae seem right at times. Ye can ask to forget information ye arenae allowed to share.”

She thought about that for a few moments while they embraced in the quiet cottage.

“What was your dream about?” she asked into his shirt.

“Dream? I didnae dream.”

“I heard you talking in your sleep. You said, ‘Aye, deae .’”

He was quiet for a minute, then he shook his head. She looked up to find his expression disturbed.

“I dinnae remember,” he said gruffly.

Heather kissed him on the cheek, then stepped away. “I gotta pee,” she said, and headed outside.

She crossed the small clearing in the moonlight and went into the ‘forest, all the while thinking of what Graeme had said.

When she returned to the cottage, Graeme had the lantern on the table, and some packages of food out next to a bucket with a label that read ‘ready-to-eat meals’. He motioned to Heather to help herself.

“I had these brought up when they built the loo,” he said. “Just in case.”

Heather picked out some crackers and munched on them. Graeme finished a packet of beef macaroni, then started on some shredded beef in barbecue sauce.

“Not bad,” he said, then he pulled an envelope out of his pocket and dropped it on the table.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said warmly.

Heather looked at the envelope, looked at Graeme, then without warning, burst into tears.

“I didn’t bring your gift,” she wailed miserably. She knew she was overreacting, but she couldn’t help it. Emotions were swirling inside her and she felt inconsolable at that moment, while being fully aware that pregnancy hormones were the devil.

“Leannan,” Graeme said, opening his arms. She went to him and he smoothed her hair and kissed her on the top of her head, hugging her until she was calm and quiet.

He held her at arm’s length, looking in her eyes, and said, “Ye are my gift.”

Tears leaked down Heather’s cheeks. She cradled her belly with her hands, thinking she didn’t want to be crying but she couldn’t help it.

Graeme motioned to her. “This is my gift, my weepy female who loves so openly.” He pulled her close and kissed her gently, moving a hand to her hands on her belly. “Ye are my gift and I thank ye for it. Our young thrives in comfort and protection, and I cherish every part of ye, each tear and hiccup.”

Heather wanted to bawl, but she smiled instead, tears still running down her face. The baby kicked, hard, and Heather pressed her hand to the spot.

“Do you think the dreams made me puke? I thought it was the baby.”

“It could be the bairn, if she's resisting Rhen’s communication with you. She'spart dragen, and likely to be strong-willed.”

“I was thinking morning sickness, but… good to know.”

She sat, opened the envelope, and shook it. Out dropped two tickets to a world-famous reptile exhibit in Chicago.

“Oooh,” Heather said. “We’re going to this? Me and you?”

“Aye.”

She clapped her hands together. “I can’t wait. Thank you.”

“Yer welcome, love.”

He bent for a kiss and she gave him a good one. When she released him, he pointed at the food.

“Finish off whatever else you want, then we’ll head home. I think we can be back by dinnertime.”

Heather mindlessly ate a few crackers, her thoughts on how much she had to look forward to.

***

Heather sat on her dragon’s back as he flew through the dark night sky higher and faster than a plane. She fidgeted in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position. She never thought she’d even think this, but she’d had enough flying. It had been three hours from Scotland to Illinois and her butt hurt. Her thighs hurt. She was tired and finally felt hungry—really hungry because she’d barely eaten anything all day.

Graeme started descending.

“Oh thank goodness,” she muttered, the pain and irritation fading as she perked up.

They dropped into the level of the clouds and her clothes grew damp. She blazed hot to dry out.

We’ll be down in a few minutes, Graeme said.

Okay.

She leaned forward, thinking about the chest of gold in Graeme’s claws and how he was going to land. They dropped out of the clouds, and it was still snowing. She couldn’t see much because it was so dark, but she sensed it when they dropped into the gorge.

Graeme hovered, the chest thudded to the ground, then they landed gently near it. He folded his wings and dropped to his belly. All around, snow melted to water and rushed away from them. Heather swung a leg over his back and carefully slid to the ground, where she checked on the compressed packet of gold anklets right away. All was in order.

Thank you, kind sir, she said.

The pleasure was mine, bonnie lady. He lowered his head, then asked, The diadem, do ye want it?

Heather shook her head. No, hide it with the rest, please.

Aye.

As they headed out to the waterfall, Graeme transformed into a man and carried the chest in his arms. He stepped behind the frozen pillars of water and stopped at the wall of solid rock. He transformed to a dragon, still standing on two legs and holding the chest in his forelegs. He brought his wings around, enfolding both the chest and his body, then fire burst around him until he burned white hot. He walked directly forward, pressing into the wall. It held solid for only a few more seconds, then it groaned and sputtered, and heated into molten rock, spraying the smell of sulfur and rotten eggs everywhere, making Heather cover her nose and mouth. Graeme pressed forward into the rock like a knife through butter, then he disappeared completely.

Heather gasped, not expecting that to happen at all. The rock seemed to glow and merge behind Graeme, and she held her breath until his dragon emerged without the chest. The wall blazed with the fire of his exit and rock melted off him, dripping to the ground like water. Behind him, the rock sputtered steam as it cooled and solidified.

“Wow,” Heather breathed, a little lightheaded.

Graeme transformed into a man and put his arm around her shoulders. “That’s a job well done. We can go home—”

He quieted, then spoke to her in ruhi. Someone’s close by.

She held his shirt and froze, quiet. Listening.

He spoke ruhi, not to her, but she could hear him.

Trent?

Graeme?

Aye—we’re in the gorge near the waterfall.

Heather and Graeme left the nook behind the waterfall and walked out into the gorge, barely able to see the black blob in the snow that was Trent. He was halfway down the incline into the gorge, making his way through deep snow, wearing a reflective ‘police dog’ vest .

Trent stopped moving. I didn’t expect to see you two out here. Are you good?

Aye. Fine. What about ye? We’re miles from home.

Everyone went to Serenity Falls Resort for the night. We already watched a movie and now they’re all eating dinner. I finished my steak so I came out to patrol.

Who’s everyone? Heather asked.

Ah, Ella, Trevor, Troy, Mac, Bruin, Cerise, Beckett, Crew and Dahlia. They’re at the buffet. You guys can come eat. Trevor prepaid for your dinner, just in case you showed up.

Graeme’s stomach rumbled. I’m hungry enough to eat the head off a loch monster, he said.

Heather stepped away from him and looked at him like she’d never seen him before. You what?

A horse, he said. I’m hungry enough to eat a horse. Do ye like that better?

She laughed. Actually I do.

Come on, Trent said. I’ll take you there.

Within a few minutes, they were approaching the resort. Heather had been there before years ago, but she was certain Graeme never had. Trent took them around the back of the resort where they could hear grunting and swearing. Heather moved closer to Graeme and he took her hand.

Under an overhang, Mac and Bruin sat at a picnic table just outside a door, arm wrestling, with beers and a large, covered stockpot next to them. They both were straining but neither was moving the other. Bruin saw them, looked back to Mac, and gave one mighty heave that knocked Mac over into the snow. Mac bounced to his feet, downed his beer, and dropped his elbow back on the table.

“That was your last freebie, Teddy McFuzzy, ” Mac snarled. “Let’s go.”

But Bruin stood and fist-bumped both Graeme and Heather. Mac waggled two fingers at them, then sprawled his legs out, looking bored.

“Graeme! Heather!” Bruin said. “You two missed a great day.”

Graeme said nothing, but Heather nodded and smiled.

“Glad you’re finally here! Everyone’s inside.”

He opened the door for them. Graeme went in first, holding Heather’s hand, and Trent followed. They were at the far end of an empty dance floor lined with speakers playing rock music, and the delicious smell of roasted vegetables and seared meat made Heather’s mouth water.

They walked across the dance floor, and the moment they saw the food, Graeme pulled her that way. Heather saw her sisters at tables around the room. They were all dressed up and looked beautiful. She waved to them, thinking very deliberately, If I can’t share, I would like to forget, and the answer came back at once—not a voice in her head, exactly, but more an understanding.

And so you shall, once the gold is well-hidden.