“I would have thought that a dragon would have better security,” she said, laying his hand back down by his side. “We can talk about it when you wake up...”
Of course he'll wake up. I don't believe in a world where he doesn't. I can't.
A stillness fell down over her as she paged through his contacts. There was a sense that she was doing something that she should not be doing, but she pushed it aside. This was one of those situations where she had to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, and she could live with it if it only got Morgan the help he needed.
There was no one helpfully listed as “emergency” or “call in case I get knocked out in a state park,” but when she opened his most recent calls, she saw that the last person he had contacted was someone listed as Reese Marrak.
“Marrak...”
Morgan's voice rang in her memory.
We're from Wales, originally. The Marraks, a larger branch of the family are still there. They're old-school in many ways, but they're kind, very kind …
Well, Reese Marrak wouldn't do her much good if he was in Wales, but she would take kind. She hit the call button, cradling the phone on her shoulder while she held on to Morgan's hands. She felt heartened that he was warm, he was always so warm.
“Morgan, this had better be damned good.”
The words were sharp, but they were spoken with such a lazy pleased amusement that Harper found herself blushing. That was the voice of a man who had been interrupted doing something he liked very much, and she cleared her throat before she spoke.
“I'm sorry, this isn't Morgan. I have his phone. Look. We were on our way to his family reunion and...”
Faster than she would have thought, she outlined the events of the last, God, it had been less than half an hour. Through the line, she got the idea that Reese was listening intently, and when she was done, he let out a long breath.
“Well, that's all terrible news,” he said, so blunt it made her laugh. “I know where you are. We're already on the grounds. We can be to you within twenty minutes or so.”
Harper blinked.
“Wait, are you sure you know where we're at? Morgan said we wouldn't get there until tomorrow morning.”
“I am sure,” Reese said. “Twenty minutes, and if I'm late, I owe you a pizza.”
“Pizza and a Coke,” Harper countered, holding on to Morgan's hand tightly, and Reese laughed, hanging up.
***
Twenty-five minutes later, a thick whoosh made Harper look up fearfully.
I should have gotten Morgan under cover, I should have…
The dragon that set down lightly in the clearing wasn't the one that had attacked Morgan, however. In fact, he was almost identical to Morgan himself, pure black from head to toe with the same coppery eyes. As Harper watched, the dragon put a small woman on the ground in front of him, so tender and gentle that she didn't even stumble. Then he was shrinking himself down into a tall man dressed in jeans and a nice button-down.
Harper had to blink at his resemblance to Morgan. She knew that they weren't brothers, but they could have passed for such easily. They were probably within an inch of each other in height, and the only difference was that Reese was perhaps a bit heavier, a little more muscular through the chest and shoulders.
Oh, she thought with dawning realization. This is what Morgan looked like before whatever happened to him.
Harper had to resist the urge to actually growl at him when he knelt down by Morgan's side. Reese touched his fingers to Morgan's throat for a pulse, and cupped his hand briefly over his mouth to make sure that he was breathing and then sighed.
“I take it that bastard knocked him out of the sky?”
Harper didn't know what to say to that. She suddenly had no idea how much Reese knew or what Morgan wanted him to know. Would Morgan rather Reese think that he had been defeated or that he had fallen?
“I didn't see all of it,” she said. “Um, I was in that ditch over there. Suddenly he was falling, and when he hit the ground, he was like this.”
Reese snorted in a way that she was not sure she liked.
“I keep telling him he needs to go into his dragon form more than he does. Use or lose it, as Uncle Wilf always says.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Harper demanded, and Reese gave her a startled and slightly guilty look.
“Yeah, he's just exhausted himself,” he said. “I'm sorry, I should have said that first.”
“You definitely should have said that first,” said the woman who had come in with him. “Imagine you were down, and I was the one worried about you.”
“Yes, but you're my –“
Reese's eyes widened, and he looked at Harper again with new understanding.
“Oh! Oh, I see...”
Harper blushed. It was one thing to have this kind of talk with Morgan, another entirely to have it with his family.
“Look, I just want Morgan to be okay...”
The woman nodded firmly.
“No, that makes perfect sense. I'm sorry. Reese knows that Morgan will be fine, but you didn't. We can get up to the grounds in twenty minutes, and there are people there who can check to make sure. I'm Tara, by the way, and this is Reese, because someone needs to make introductions.”
“I'm Harper. And if it's all the same to you, I would really like to get Morgan somewhere safe. I don't like him just like unconscious out here in the open.”
“And we're going to need to talk about whoever it was that attacked him,” Reese said, scanning the treeline as if expecting another attack. “Once to test Morgan's strength is one thing. Twice in a matter of days…that might
