Draven’s face hardened. “I’m afraid that’s something I’ll have to tell you last of all.”
Her heart sank. “Fine.”
“Tomorrow, then,” he said. He started to open the door.
“Wait, Draven?” she asked, stopping him.
“Yes?” He turned to her with that handsome, serious face. So hard and alpha but with something underneath that was almost vulnerable. Something about being in his presence was addictive.
“Thank you for saving me.”
He grinned. “No problem. It’s becoming a habit. I’d save you any day.”
“Yeah,” she said.
“But that’s our job. If you decide to stay with us, I promise you’ll always be safe. That much I can tell you. At times, you’ll be in danger. What Quill did is nothing. We have enemies, and other dragons can be ruthless when looking for mates. But this much I promise you. We’ll always come for you. We’ll never leave you alone.”
Her heart beat hard and she blinked back the tears that formed at the emotions that rose in her at his words. “Okay,” she said simply. For some reason, what he said meant so much, and he gave her a look of confusion, as if he didn’t know why.
She waved a hand. “Go back to Ran. He needs you.”
He nodded and then gave her one last hesitant look before leaving.
When the door was shut, she flopped back on the bed and let out a deep breath.
Damn, dragons could be so overwhelming.
Not being left alone? That would definitely be different.
* * *
The next day, they drove to Melissa’s old town. It was a few hours outside New York, and the drive was so far very uneventful, with Draven playing loud metal music while Ran bobbed his head. She’d requested the backseat so she could watch both of them more easily.
Her heart raced as she thought of the things she wanted to ask. But she didn’t know what could be answered. Didn’t know what the dragons were so set on protecting.
Ran was looking better after yesterday. He’d been quiet and stayed in his room for the rest of the day after Quill left. Draven had made them dinner, being a much better cook than she ever would have guessed, and she and he had sat in awkward silence, with her feeling far too aware of how good it had felt to have his body on hers and wondering if he was thinking the same.
Ran reached over to turn down the music and ignored Draven’s grumbling as he turned back to look at her.
As always, her breath caught in her throat at Ran’s tanned, golden male beauty and those gorgeous emerald eyes. His perfect lips parted, and she told herself to listen to his words and stop staring at his face.
“As always, it’s flattering,” he said, grinning playfully.
“Do all dragons read minds?” she asked. “Why do you do it so much more than Draven?”
“Draven doesn’t really have any desire to understand people,” Ran said wryly. “He’d try to say it was some sort of noble desire, but really, he just doesn’t care. I, on the other hand, want to know everything about everyone.”
“Years of isolation will do that to you,” Draven muttered.
“What?” she asked.
Ran waved away Draven’s comment with one hand, and her eyes were drawn to his muscled forearm, the deft hand that had stroked her to ecstasy just the other night. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Anyway, tell me about you. I shouldn’t have to go in your head to find out more about my future mate.”
She shrugged and looked out the window. “Not much to tell. Went to college for library sciences. Work at a library. Normal childhood.”
“Liar,” Ran said, tilting his head so his golden hair swung to one side of his face. He pursed his lips. “But your thoughts don’t tell me what it is you’re hiding. Why hide?” he asked.
She shrugged again. “I guess there are just some things I don’t think about.”
Draven gave her a quick glance in the mirror and then focused on the road. There was an odd tension in the car, and then Ran sat forward.
“Very well, I’m not going to force you. So tell us about where we’re going. Did you grow up there?”
“No,” she said. “And I’m never going back to my hometown.”
Draven sat up a little straighter in his chair, as if the conversation was bothering him. Well, it was bothering her too.
“Don’t worry,” Ran said. “We’re not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. We’re just trying to find out a little more about you.”
“So you can decide if I’m dragon-hearted?” she asked, folding her arms and giving him a narrowed glance. “I keep hearing about that, but I don’t know what it means. I’m getting a little tired of it.”