Chapter Ten

Between one moment and the next, Loralie fell asleep. He could see the fatigue in her every move, the haunted look in her eyes. Det liked that she felt safe enough in his presence to give in to her tiredness and take the sleep she so desperately needed. He would watch over her rest this night.

And…if fate was kind…perhaps he'd be able to do so again. In some bright future where all was right with the world, and none of the sorrow and pain had ever happened.

Yeah, right. And fairytales would come true.

Det rose silently and went over to the entrance to the cave. Loralie had her furry companions to keep her warm, but Det had something even better. Gren was warmer than the pacas and would tuck Det under his wing and keep him from freezing in the night. They'd done this many times when they were Scouts. It had been a while, but Det knew how to survive in the snow lands.

It was some hours later when Det woke. Gren had kept him toasty warm but a quick glance into the cave told him that Loralie was awake, fixing a cup of tea for herself and shivering. The temperature had dropped as the wind howled outside and the storm thickened.

"What's it look like out there?" he asked Gren silently when he realized the dragon was awake.

"It's quite a blizzard out here," Gren replied easily. The snow and cold didn't really bother him. It was his element after all, and he carried his own furnace around inside him. A snow dragon didn't mind snow at all. Even the deepest, coldest snow. "I'm mostly buried at this point. I used my wings to form a cavity around me and let the snow form a dome over me. It's quite nice actually, and it'll be easy enough for me to free myself once the storm passes. For now, I'm quite content."

"Good," Det replied. "I'm going to see about Loralie. She's shivering pretty badly from what I can see."

"Those pack animals were a good idea on her part," Gren allowed, "but I doubt they can keep her warm enough in this kind of weather. They stick to the lower slopes of the mountains at this time of year."

Detlif approached Loralie, going slowly so she wouldn't feel threatened. She was out from between the pacas, stirring the fire as she waited for snow to melt and come to a boil in her little pot over the coals.

Not saying a word, he draped his blanket over her shoulders from behind.

She groaned in pleasure at the warmth, and just like that, his loins tightened. Damn. He hadn't been able to get hard for any woman since Loralie, and he'd almost thought that part of him would never work right again. Yet here he was. Only a few hours in her presence, and he was as randy as a teenager.

In one way, it was a relief to know that his body still worked. He'd almost given up hope he would ever feel arousal again. In another way, it was damned inconvenient.

"It's too cold up here for you without a dragon to warm you. Gren credits you for bringing the pacas, but he says even they cannot keep you warm enough at this time of year," Det told her reasonably, just looking for something to break the tension suddenly coursing through his body.

"I am learning the truth of that," she admitted as she gathered the warm blanket tighter around her body. "Do you want some tea?"

"No, thank you," he replied, surprised that she would offer.

Suddenly, they were being ultra polite to each other. He almost shook his head. He didn't understand any of this, and his body was still eager to get closer to hers. Traitorous body.

"It's a shame Gren can't fit farther into the cave," he mused.

"You might not believe this, but having him blocking the entrance has made this the warmest it's been in here since I moved in," she admitted. "I haven't been sleeping more than a couple of hours at a time."

Det frowned. "That's not good. If you plan to do battle, you need to be well rested at the very least."

"Don't you think I know that?" She looked up at him, anger and despair mixing in her gaze.

He wanted to tug her into his arms. At the same time, he wanted to yell at her for not planning this better. Though, he had to admit, she had put at least some thought into her situation. Bringing the pacas was proof of that, even if they weren't quite adequate to conditions up here.

Det sighed and knew he was going to have to do something about this situation. He couldn't let her go on like this. If she did, she'd fail, and they'd all be in a worse place. At least, that's what he told himself even as he formulated ideas and discarded them one by one.

He couldn't bring her back to the enclave. They'd eat her alive for one thing. For another, it might be too hard on the children. He had vowed to protect them above all else, and he wasn't sure bringing Loralie back into their young lives for who-knew-how-long was best for them.

If she was determined—and he believed she was—to take out Gebel, then she wouldn't leave the area anyway. But there had to be a better place to both camp and stand watch.

"When the storm ends, Gren and I will look for a better place for your campsite. Someplace you can be both warmer and more secure," he told her. "I'm not sure we can find such a place, but we'll have a look. There are quite a few caves secreted in these craggy mountains."

She sipped her tea and shivered. He knew, even with the blanket that had been warmed by the dragon's heat, she was still quite cold. Once the cold got into your bones, it took a while to warm up, and these conditions weren't the best for that kind of thing.

He sat down beside her and put one arm around her shoulders, dragging her close to his side. She squeaked but calmed once his warmth started seeping into her side.

"If you're okay with this, then maybe you'd be willing to let Gren warm you for a few minutes before you return to your paca friends," he suggested after a moment. "It seems silly to freeze when there's a warm dragon just a few yards away."

"But Gren hates me," she whispered.

Det tilted his head. "I confess, before the red dragon showed up for the second time, I think all the dragons in the enclave had it in for you. But now? Something's changed. I'm not privy to what Leasharra said to the others, but I think many of them are now reserving judgment."

"I did some awful things to dragons at Gebel's behest," she admitted in a small voice as she stared into the flames.

"Gren knows that. But again, whatever Leasharra said seems to have altered his views a bit, though he hasn't discussed it with me in any detail," Det mused.

"Because until today you couldn't even think of Loralie without becoming totally unreasonable. I figured it was better to leave the subject alone, but perhaps I was wrong about that. I never imagined you'd be so cuddly with her after just a few hours together," was Gren's amused thought sent privately to Det.

"She's cold through and through. Will you allow her to warm up under your wing?" Det asked point blank of his heartmate.

"As if I'd say no," Grennulf scoffed. "Bring her over. You both need to warm up."

"Gren says it's okay. He doesn't want to see either of us freeze," Det told Loralie.

He stood, taking her with him. He didn't quite pick her up in his arms, but he didn't leave her much choice. Together, they walked closer to the entrance blocked by the dragon's big body, and Gren shifted slightly to allow them both to crawl in under his wing. Det showed Loralie how to proceed, and within moments, they were snuggled together in the tight space between the dragon's wing and his fantastically warm body.

"This is pretty amazing. Please thank Sir Grennulf for me," Loralie said between chattering teeth. "Also tell him I won't take advantage. Once I'm warm, I'll go back to my pacas. It's just so good to feel real warmth for the first time in days."

"No problem. You can stay here as long as you need," Det answered graciously.

She snuggled into him unexpectedly, even as she shivered. "Do you do this often?"

"Not anymore. When we were younger and in the Scouts, we did a lot of camping outside the Veil that protects our enclave. We spent many a night in a snowstorm like this one, and Gren always kept me warm under the shelter of his wings," Det mused, thinking fondly of their past adventures. She was quiet so he told her about a few of their more memorable camping adventures.

Det had his arm around her, and he could feel when her shivering began to ease. After a while, she wasn't shivering any longer, and when he looked down at her beautiful face, expecting her to want to move away, he discovered she was asleep.

Now what? He didn't want to move away and wake her, but his feelings for her were so mixed up at the moment he didn't know what he really wanted.

"If you two are comfortable, just go with it," Gren advised, undoubtedly picking up on Det's churning emotions through their bond. "You both need sleep. Take it while you are comfortable, and let the rest take care of itself. There will always be time for recriminations and second thoughts later."

The dragon sounded amused, and Det didn't wholly understand how Gren's attitude toward Loralie had changed so drastically since the return of the red dragon. But there it was. Dragons often kept their own counsel on certain topics, and the subject of Loralie's new status seemed to be one of those.

Puzzled about the ways of dragons, even after spending most of his life bonded to one, Det decided to let it go and take Gren's advice. Det was tired, and Gren was keeping watch. He was also keeping them all warm. It was time to get some sleep.

He studiously tried not to think of how right Loralie felt in his arms as he drifted off to sleep. He also didn't make any sort of move to put her away from him.

Loralie woke, her mind foggy, her body warm as it hadn't been for weeks, possibly months. She'd been living rough, on the run, but for some reason, she was toasty warm and… A man's arms were around her. She was pressed against a hard male body that felt so inviting.

Keeping her eyes closed, she reveled in the sensation. If this was a dream, she wanted to stay in it for just a little longer. She hadn't felt a man's arms around her since her all-too-short time with Detlif. Goddess, how she had missed him!

She snuggled deeper into her dream man's arms, reveling in the memories of what she had thrown away. She'd hurt him deeply. She knew that. But she truly had seen no other way.

Here, in the dream, she could admit to herself that she missed him. That she had loved him with all her heart and had been devastated by the need to walk out of his life when she had.

A tear escaped her eye, and she felt the wetness trickle down the side of her face. Incongruity made her open her eyes. This wasn't a dream. She really had a man's arms around her. Not just any man's either. Det's arms.

She looked upward to meet his gaze and found him watching her with a closed expression. But while his face might seem closed to her, his body was saying something else entirely. His arms were warm and supportive, and she could feel his arousal against her hip. Oh, yes. His body was saying very different things than his expression.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not sure if he understood the enormity of her words.

She was so sorry for everything she'd put him through. Sorry for leaving him without a word. Sorry for dumping Petr on him without any real explanation, and not being able to spare Penny. Sorry for the wreck that had become of all their lives. So, so sorry.

"It's all right," he grumbled back, raising her hopes that he might understand. "You were tired. When you finally warmed up, you just fell asleep." Her hopes crumbled. He was focusing on the here and now, not the past. She had to let it go. "Gren was the one who told me not to wake you. He didn't mind. He said we both needed sleep, and I know he was right. How do you feel?"

He moved slightly away, angling his body so that they weren't pressed together so very tightly anymore. She couldn't feel his hardness against her, but she carried the secret knowledge deep in her heart. His mind may not like her anymore, but his body still did. That was something.

"Still a bit groggy, but a lot better. I haven't slept well in weeks," she admitted. "I've been running on nerves and pure stubbornness. Is the storm over?"

"Not yet," Det reported. "Gren tells me it's still blowing too hard for safe flying. He's just going to stay put for a few more hours."

He finally let her go completely, and Grennulf moved his wing so that they could both get out easily from underneath. Loralie went over to the pacas and made sure they were all right. They had slept by the fire, but they were up and over in the corner of the cave she'd taught them was for relieving themselves. Once they were done there, they walked over to the place where she fed them, and she set out grain for them. Then, she started fussing with the fire, rekindling the embers left from last night. She had to melt snow for water.

All the while, her mind raced. It looked like she had been granted more time with Det, which left her with mixed emotions. They seemed to have called some sort of truce for now, but what would happen when they started discussing her plans? She could already tell he was going to want to know everything. That was just the way he was. If there was a problem, he always wanted to fix it.

She supposed he had a right to know more of her plans because of the children, but it was her mess, and she was going to fix it herself. At this point, she knew she couldn't really count on anyone but herself. Life had taught her that bitter lesson, though, to be fair, Det had never consciously let her down. She'd left before he even knew what was happening last time.

Loralie didn't think she could take the chance of allowing him to help now. She had safeguarded the children. Gebel thought Penny was dead, and he didn't even know about Petr. They should be all right. Now, it was her time to finally fulfill her role as Guardian of the Citadel and end the threat.

That was her job. Her calling. Her birthright. She couldn't count on anyone else to help her resolve this problem. Not even Detlif.

"You are missing something very important." Grennulf's voice suddenly sounded in her mind. He had never spoken directly to her before, and she was shocked.

"What's that?" she thought back at him, not sure if he could hear her, though if he was eavesdropping on her inner thoughts, she had little doubt he could.

"First, I was not eavesdropping. You are a very powerful mage, and you were unconsciously broadcasting your thoughts in your distress. Any nearby dragon could have heard you," he explained, sounding a bit insulted. "And second, you are not thinking about me and my kind. All dragons are sworn to defend the Citadel. It is part of our reason for being. If you need help in that task, you can call on any dragon."

"I can?" That thought stunned her.