Chapter 17
Graham
I lay with Meera in my arms as her heart rate returned to normal and her body relaxed. Her skin was damp with sweat and cooler than it should be.
I’d realized she was dreaming when her breathing had gotten shallow, and her limbs grew restless, occasionally lashing out like she was scrambling away from something.
She’d been hard to wake, and I’d shaken her and called her name several times before her eyelids fluttered. It still took her a while to fully wake, and when she did, she’d struggled like the sheets over her body had been strangling her.
I wondered what the nightmare had been about.
Perhaps her ex? She had witnessed him taking a life just days ago.
I’d been watching her carefully since the moment she set foot in the penthouse, and she hadn’t had nightmares the nights before.
But the human brain worked in mysterious ways, and it could be haunting her now.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” I asked after a long silence. “A dream witch once told me that monsters in dreams lose their power when you talk about them and bring them to the light. Only cowards hide in dreams.”
She looked up at me from the cradle of my arms, her dark eyes expressive.
I was surprised when, instead of mentioning anything related to the murder she witnessed, she said, “I dreamt that the rightful owner of the egg wanted it back. A dragon. He was angry I gave it away.”
“Do you regret giving it to Desmon?”
She hesitated. “I don’t think so. But I do wonder if he was the right dragon. I only relaxed after meeting Carly. She is a sweetheart, and I can’t imagine her ever hurting a dragonlet.”
I hummed, understanding dawning. “Dragons are usually not very trustworthy. Many don’t care about human affairs, though some are learning they have to now that humans have become more powerful through technological advancements.
They usually only care about what they can get out of a deal or out of someone.
“But there are decent dragons out there. Desmon is one of them. He wasn’t always, but I do not believe he is the dragon he was in his youth.
Young Desmon I wouldn’t trust, but the Desmon now?
Darlington exists because of him, and all the magical creatures and monsters here have lived under his protection for centuries. ”
“I don’t think I’m really worried about him harming Omelet. I guess it’s just my brain playing tricks on me.”
I grinned to myself at the fact that she’d called it Omelet without thinking.
“You can call Carly tomorrow and talk to her. Maybe it will put your mind at ease.”
“Good idea.” She snuggled back into my arms.
Just as I thought she was about to fall asleep, she spoke again. “I know this sounds silly, but is it possible that the real owner of the egg is trying to reach me in my dreams?”
“Not in here. The penthouse’s wards are strong and maintained by a very talented witch.”
“So there is magic that can reach someone in their dreams?”
“Yes, but our wards won’t let any magic like that through.”
The weight of her fear still clung to the air around us, and I wanted her to know she was safe here. Redrock was protected, and even if it wasn’t, they’d have to get through me to get to her.
“That’s good to know.” She exhaled slowly, but her body didn’t fully relax.
The ghost of the nightmare lingered in the way she breathed and the tension in her shoulders.
I knew how to make her forget.
My hands slid down her sides, slowly mapping the curve of her waist and the dip of her hips. She shivered as my fingers traced the edge of her breasts, her skin warm beneath my touch.
“Graham…”
“Let me distract you.”
She nodded and relaxed. I continued worshipping her body with my hands and lips.
Her breath caught when I hooked my fingers into the elastic waist of her undies, the only article of clothing she wore. Her eyes were hooded with desire, and she lifted her hips to help me as I dragged them down her thighs.
I kissed my way down her body and celebrated when she relaxed a little more with every touch, every kiss. I settled between her legs, my wings spreading over us to block out the world. The first brush of my mouth against her inner thigh made her gasp, and her fingers found the base of my horns.
I gave her exactly what she needed with my mouth and tongue.
And when her back arched and moans escaped her lips, I knew I’d banished the nightmare from her head. For now, there was only this. Only us.
Everything else could wait.
“This is Sybil from Auntie Syl’s Wards & Witchery. How can I help you?”
“Sybil, it’s Graham from Redrock.”
“Ah Graham, how are those new cameras working?”
Sybil had taken over the business after her great-grandmother passed away in recent years, and it had soon become apparent that Sybil had a lot more magic than granny ever did.
She also recently started working with a talented witch named Lily who was a whiz with anything tech-related, making the duo a one-stop shop for all our warding needs.
Up until recently, Gunnar had been the one who’d set up our cameras, but normal cameras didn’t have the ability to detect and follow magic the way our new ones did.
Those recordings had been the first thing I’d checked this morning. But none of them had shown anything peculiar last night during and before the time that Meera had had her dream. And of course, our alarms hadn’t notified us either.
“Good, I think. But I wanted to know if you detected anomalies at the penthouse last night between one and two a.m.”
“Nope. I sensed nothing wrong with the wards last night,” Sybil said over the phone. “Not even a blip. Did something happen?”
“No. Not really. But… never mind.”
“Spill it.”
“It’s probably just a dream then.”
“A dream you had?”
“No. Someone we are protecting.” That wasn’t a lie. She didn’t need to know the details, like the fact that Meera had been in my bed at the time.
“If you thought it was a normal dream, you wouldn’t have called me. Did if feel particularly malicious?”
I recalled the details Meera had provided.
The dragon had demanded she bring him the egg.
But she hadn’t mentioned anything about the dragon threatening her.
Now that I thought about it, she hadn’t described the dream as threatening or scary.
I was making that conclusion only by the fitful way she’d struggle on the bed like she was being chased.
“Not directly.” Now I was wondering if I was overreacting to a simple dream. “It’s probably nothing. I just wanted to double check.”
“Well, I’ll keep an eye out for anything unusual. Zayn and I are in the city this week, so I can also come by and check on the wards physically if you think it’s needed.”
“No, no. I think it’s fine. Just keep an eye out. Thank you.”
“You got it. Call back if you change your mind.”
I hung up and checked the camera footage one more time on my laptop. Nothing showed up anywhere.
I’d promised Meera I’d take her out and show her around the city today, an apology for being an ass and ignoring her for the past few days.
I felt almost giddy to spend time with her, which was something I hadn’t ever felt.
I wondered if it was just because I’d been voluntarily celibate for so long, and this was just my body and mind waking up again to feminine companionship. Or if it was actually something more.
Meera was out in the common area getting her own emails done while I finished up the simple tasks that kept Redrock running smoothly. Other than special requests from Desmon or the EA, we mostly sent one of our well-trained agents, now that three out of the four of us were mated.
Today, I was glad we’d gone through the process of hiring and training, because it meant I could spend the day with Meera, though technically she was a job too.
With fresh determination, I brought up the Redrock email and got to work.