Chapter Five – Estelle
“Mama, why do you keep looking toward the window?” Adara asked as she sat at the kitchen table while Estelle put their scant supplies into the cupboards.
Out of the mouths of babes, her dragon said as Estelle tried to focus on getting the house straight.
You know why, Estelle replied, forcing herself not to glance toward the window.
Because that old dragon Fiona has unsettled you, her dragon said.
But they both knew it was not only Fiona’s veiled words that had unsettled them. It went deeper than that.
Soul deep, her dragon murmured as she pictured Leo.
“I’m not,” Estelle said quickly, turning back to the cupboard. “I’m just... organizing.”
But Adara was too perceptive, those gold-flecked eyes missing nothing. She hugged Fizz closer to her chest. “Are we leaving again?”
The question pierced Estelle’s heart. She abandoned the can of soup she had been shelving and crossed to kneel beside her daughter.
“No, sweetie,” she said, brushing Adara’s curls back from her face. “We’re staying right here.”
For tonight, at least, her dragon added.
Is it a mistake to stay? Estelle asked. After what Fiona said...
Her dragon stirred restlessly. That old dragon was testing us. Probing. But she didn’t actually say anything concrete.
That’s what worries me, Estelle replied. What if she knows something? About Adara. About me.
“But you’re doing your checking thing,” Adara said, her small fingers tracing patterns on the tabletop. “Like before we left the blue house. And the apartment with the squeaky door.”
Estelle’s breath caught. She had not realized Adara had noticed those preparations before. How many other patterns of behavior had she picked up on? How many fears had she absorbed without Estelle ever meaning her to?
“I’m just making sure everything is where it belongs,” Estelle said, forcing a smile. “This is a new place, and we need to learn where everything goes.”
Like our emergency bags by the back door, her dragon noted dryly.
Estelle ignored the comment and stood up. “How about we get you ready for bed? It’s been a big day.”
“Can we read the dragon book?” Adara asked, sliding off her chair.
“Of course.”
As she helped Adara with her bath and pajamas, Estelle’s mind kept running through contingencies.
They could be packed and gone within fifteen minutes if necessary.
North would be best—deeper into the mountains where the roads were quieter.
She had a stash of cash and emergency food supplies. The car had a full tank.
You’re spiraling, her dragon observed as Estelle tucked Adara into bed.
I’m being cautious, Estelle countered.
Overcautious, her dragon replied.
“Three stories,” Adara negotiated, her voice sleepy despite the attempt to bargain.
“One story,” Estelle countered, settling onto the edge of the bed. “It’s late, and tomorrow we can explore our new house properly. Maybe even walk into the forest.”
If we’re still here, her dragon added.
We will be, Estelle said, though even to herself it sounded uncertain.
She read the familiar tale of a dragon who could not breathe fire until he found his courage, Adara’s eyelids growing heavier with each turn of the page. By the time she reached the end, her daughter was fast asleep, Fizz clutched tightly in her arms.
Estelle sat watching her for a long moment, memorizing the peaceful curve of her cheek, the soft flutter of her lashes. So innocent. So trusting.
So much to protect.
You can’t keep running forever, her dragon hissed.
I can if it keeps her safe, Estelle replied, rising carefully from the bed.
But deep down, she knew her dragon was right. Running was not living. And she wanted Adara to live a life filled with happiness.
Downstairs, she double-checked the locks on all the doors and windows. Not that anyone would get close enough to the cottage to break in before her dragon senses would alert her to their presence.
Next, she unpacked their essentials for the morning—Adara’s favorite cereal, her own coffee, two mugs, and two bowls. Just enough to get through breakfast. Everything else stayed in boxes that could be grabbed quickly.
She’s safe here. We’re safe here, her dragon insisted as Estelle paced the small living room. This place called to us for a reason.
A shiver ran up her spine at the thought. Yes, Bear Creek had called to her. Had drawn her here with an almost magnetic force. But she had thought it was only the mountains, the promise of anonymity.
Not... him.
Leo Thornberg, with his gentle eyes and careful distance. The way he had fixed the loose floorboard without being asked. The way he had looked at Adara as though she were something precious, not just an obligation he would have to accept if he wanted to be with Estelle.
A mate, her dragon purred. Our mate.
That’s exactly why we should leave, Estelle thought fiercely. I can’t drag someone else into this mess. It’s not fair to him.
Her dragon bristled. And what about what’s fair to us? To Adara?
A sound outside made Estelle freeze. Footsteps on the porch. Heavy, deliberate. Not trying to hide their approach. Leo.
So much for dragon senses, Estelle muttered as she moved silently to the door.
He’s our mate, her dragon said. He slipped around my senses. In the same way, he’ll slip around your defenses.
Estelle rolled her eyes at her dragon, unsure if her other side had deliberately masked Leo’s approach.
A gentle knock was followed by, “Estelle? It’s just me.”
Just me. He made it all sound so simple. But all she could think was, Why was he back? What did he want?
Because he knows, her dragon said smugly. We need him.
We don’t need anyone, Estelle shot back, even as she moved to unlock the door.
She opened it just enough to see him standing there, arms laden with bags and a cardboard drink carrier, with that cute smile on his face.
“I thought you might not have had time to stock up,” he said, lifting one of the bags slightly.
“Basic essentials. And...” A faint, almost sheepish smile touched his mouth.
“I brought dinner from the restaurant. Soup, fresh bread, roast chicken, and something I’m not sure of, but it smells good. Enough to share, if you want it.”
Estelle stared at him, caught between suspicion and a gratitude so sharp it made her throat tighten. No one had brought her groceries in... well, ever. She had always been the one to provide, to make sure there was food and shelter and safety.
And dinner. Warm dinner, ready to eat, as if he had somehow known she had not thought beyond getting Adara settled and safe.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she managed.
“I know.” His eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. “But I wanted to.”
Let him in, her dragon urged. He’s no threat to us.
He’s a threat to my sanity, Estelle muttered, but she stepped back and opened the door wider.
And to our heart, her dragon practically swooned.
Estelle ignored her other side and said, “Thank you. That’s... very thoughtful.”
Leo stepped inside, careful not to brush against her as he passed.
He set the bags on the kitchen counter and began unpacking them—bread, eggs, milk, fresh fruit, a few staples.
Then he lifted out two containers of soup, a loaf of bread wrapped in brown paper, a small container of roast chicken, and a couple of other food containers that smelled delicious.
“I was passing the general store and thought of you,” he explained as he arranged the groceries on the counter.
“I figured after the drive and unpacking, grocery shopping was probably the last thing you wanted to deal with.” He touched one of the food containers.
“The soup just needs warming. I thought it might save you some trouble.”
Estelle leaned against the doorframe, watching him. His movements were calm and unhurried. It struck her that he was deliberately making himself nonthreatening, showing her he could be in her space without crowding it.
“You’re right about that,” she admitted. Then, because manners still mattered to her even when her world felt shaky, she added, “Would you like some tea? It’s about all I have right now.”
“Tea would be great,” he said, smiling in a way that warmed something cold inside her.
As she filled the kettle and set it on the stove, a strange domesticity settled over the kitchen. It should have felt awkward—this near-stranger in her home, this unasked-for kindness—but instead it felt... right.
Her dragon sighed. It feels good.
Dangerous, Estelle reminded herself. This feeling is dangerous.
There’s nothing dangerous about our mate, her dragon said. At least he’s no danger to Adara or us. You know that.
She did. She knew it as an irrefutable truth.
By the time the tea was ready, Leo had found bowls and plates, and together they put the simple meal on the table.
Estelle had not meant to let him stay. She certainly had not meant to sit down with him and break bread as though this were ordinary.
But Adara was asleep upstairs, the cottage was quiet, and the warm scent of soup and fresh bread made the place feel more lived in than it had an hour before.
They sat at the small kitchen table with steaming mugs and half-filled bowls, the silence between them surprisingly easy. Estelle wrapped her hands around her tea, letting the warmth seep into her fingers.
“Adara settled in okay?” Leo asked after a while.
“Yes. She adapts quickly.” Estelle tore off a piece of bread. “Too quickly, sometimes.”
“That worries you.”
It was not a question, and Estelle appreciated that he didn’t pretend not to see what was obvious. “Children shouldn’t have to be so adaptable. They should have... consistency.”
“And you want to give her that.” Again, not a question.
“More than anything,” Estelle whispered, then caught herself. She was revealing too much, too quickly. This man was still, in so many ways, a stranger, mate bond or not.