Sleep, his dragon told him. She is real, she is here.
Kelos blinked, trying to keep his eyes open before he finally succumbed to sleep. Yet even as he slipped into the nothingness of sleep, he was haunted by the fear that he would lose his mate. Not because she was never real.
No, that fear had been replaced by another. Could he keep her safe?
If the people who were chasing Margie and her children came here, would he be able to defend his home against intruders?
In days gone by that would have simply meant flying over the head of whoever meant them harm and breathing fire on them. A simple but permanent solution. Sometimes he missed those days. This was one of those times.
Chapter Six – Amber
“Morning.” Kelos stood over her with a cup of hot coffee in his hand as she blinked rapidly, trying to figure out exactly where she was. “I brought you coffee.”
“Morning.” Amber rubbed her eyes as she sat up, reached for the cup in Kelos’s hand, and took a sip. “That’s exactly what I needed.”
As her eyes came into focus, she took her first proper look at the living room where she’d slept on the sofa of the man who said she was his mate.
She closed her eyes briefly and gathered her sleep-scattered thoughts. It wasn’t just that Kelos had said she was his mate. As she recalled last night, she remembered the way he made her feel. Amber knew she was his mate, just as he knew she was his forever love.
Life sure was complicated right now.
“Shall we go outside?” Kelos asked and offered her his hand. “It’s a beautiful morning. The sun is just rising and makes everything look fresh and new.”
Amber slipped her hand into his, feeling the same shock of recognition she’d experienced last night. There was no point denying her attraction to him. Which meant she was going to need to deal with it.
Along with everything else that seemed to be piling up at her door.
“I can’t remember the last time I watched the sunrise,” she admitted as she pulled the still warm wool blanket around her shoulders and followed him out of the room. The cold chill of the early spring morning air circled her ankles as she took one last longing look at the sofa and followed Kelos outside.
The weak sun cast a rosy glow over the fields and houses below as Kelos led her past the rickety front porch and sat down on a large fallen tree trunk to the side of the driveway. The view of the valley below was amazing, as if they were a couple of birds sitting on the branch watching the world go by.
“Worth getting out of bed for?” Kelos asked as he raised his cup to his lips and took a long drink.
“Worth getting out of bed for.” She nodded. “I used to rise with the dawn a few years ago. It’s a habit I’ve let slip.”
“I try to get up at first light and make the most of every day.” He cast a look over his shoulder, his eyes resting on the cabin. “I usually get a couple of hours work in on the cabin before I go to the sawmill.”
“Is there anything you need a hand with?” Amber asked as she followed his gaze. With some love and attention and plenty of work, the cabin would make a wonderful home.
Their late-night conversation slipped into her head and she recalled telling him she didn’t want children. As she switched her focus from the cabin to the man seated next to her, she questioned her choice. Sitting here with Kelos, she could imagine their children running around in the safety of the front yard. She could see herself seated on the front porch with Kelos by her side, watching as their children scampered around in the sunshine that poured in through the gap in the trees that lined the driveway leading to the cabin.
This was a good house. It gave her a sense of security, a sense that with the mountain at their backs and the forests on either side, they could be safe here.
Of course, a fire-breathing dragon sitting next to her on the porch would be the best kind of deterrent for anyone who might mean them harm.
“So, if we have children, they would be dragon shifters, too?” she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Amber’s question caught Kelos by surprise. “Yes. They would.” His brows knitted together as he looked at her. “Although they wouldn’t shift until they were older.”
“Shawn told me.” She pulled her knees up under her chin and rested her wrists on them while she sipped her coffee. “I asked him about Jane. Whether she would shift as a baby.” She grinned. “That would be so cute.”
“A little bear would be cute. But a baby dragon might cause some real damage,” Kelos mused as the sun rose higher in the sky. Warmth flooded over them as it finally crested the trees and shone down on the cabin and the surrounding area. “The path of the sun means the front of the cabin stays warm most of the day while the back stays cool.”
“It’s a beautiful spot.” Amber breathed in the scents of the damp forest floor coupled with the sweet smell of the overgrown lilac bush that grew in the front yard. “What plans do you have for the house?”
“Mostly taking out the old rotted timber and replacing it with new. I like the place just the way it is. Although, I might need to extend out back. I’d like to add a couple more bedrooms and a dining room. But I want to live in the house first and get a feel for it before I make big changes.”
“I’ve never really lived anywhere for long enough to get a feel for the place,” Amber admitted. She’d never really opened up to anyone before. On her
