My dragon and I are united, breathing as one, our thoughts and purpose aligned to protect one of our own. Even if we’re technically only meant to protect Starry Hill, for us, Eleanor is part of that, and where she is, we’ll go.
I duck below the surface, swimming faster and faster, not caring who can see me or who I can frighten as I focus on my sole priority—getting Eleanor safely in my arms.
It doesn’t take long until Cape Easton comes into view and I slow only long enough to plot the shortest course through the different boats returning to the harbor.
When I get into shallow water, I shift back into my human form, jump into the boat, dry myself with my water magic, and pull on my clothes. I’m already scanning the car park in the distance for Eleanor’s car while I loosely secure the boat.
Relief floods me as I spot Eleanor with her phone in her hand, staring at the device while absent-mindedly biting on a nail. Then, I’m sprinting toward her.
She must see me coming out of the corner of her eye, because her head turns toward me when I’m still a couple of yards away. The emotion on Eleanor’s face flits between surprise, relief, and disbelief, but then she’s opening her car door and walking straight into my waiting arms.
“You’re here,” Eleanor says, the words muffled against my chest.
“Of course.” I refuse to entertain any other option than being there for her whenever she needs me. The painful memory of watching from my window as Eleanor waited for me, all alone in her backyard so many years ago, still haunts me. The day before I decided to court Eleanor, I vowed to myself that I won’t be the reason for her tears ever again, and I aim to keep that promise until my dying breath.
“Are you okay?” I ask, tilting her head back to really study her face.
“I am now,” Eleanor breathes out, lifting onto her toes and pulling me down toward her.
The kiss is sweet, soft, a gentle brushing of lips with only the slightest hint of our tongues meeting, and it speaks of the comfort of being reunited, saying so much more than I could put in words at the minute. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the fact that I get to kiss Eleanor, a dream my teenage self didn’t even have the courage to wish for.
Leaning back with her arms still wrapped around my waist, Eleanor asks, “How did you get here so fast?”
“I swam. In my dragon form,” I admit, my eyes flitting over her face to gauge her reaction.
“I’d like to see him one day,” Eleanor says, one finger tracing over the scales still visible in the V-neck of my shirt.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I bet he’s cute,” Eleanor says, the most adorable smile pulling at the corner of her mouth that I can’t help but trace with my thumb.
Hearing those words, my dragon basically flutters his eyelashes, imploring me to show her soon.
“I don’t know about cute, but he’ll be happy you thought that,” I say, trying to communicate on my dragon’s behalf.
Eleanor reaches up to cup my face. “Thank you for coming. I would’ve been okay, but I feel much better now that I’ve seen you.”
Folding my fingers around hers, I lean down and whisper, “Come back to Starry Hill with me.”
“I can’t,” Eleanor whispers back with a slight shake of her head.
“Why not?”
“I came here straight from work,” Eleanor says, gesturing to her formal office wear, as if that makes sense as an excuse. “Besides, if I go with you now then you’d have to bring me back later tonight and pick me up again tomorrow morning only to bring me back again in the evening. I refuse to be a burden for you.”
“You couldn’t be a burden if you tried,” I say, cupping her face between both my hands. “But I mean, come stay the nightwith me. Nothing has to happen. It’s just, I can’t stand the thought of you being alone when you’re upset.”
“Should I go back home first and pack a—”
“No,” I interrupt quickly before she starts to overthink things. If clothing is Eleanor’s only reason to consider saying no, I’ll find her ten other garments to wear. “We’ll figure everything out. I promise.”
Eleanor takes a second to respond, her eyes flicking between mine as a decision wars within her, then finally, a smile creeps across her face. Nodding, she breathes out, “Okay. Take me to Starry Hill.”
Warmth floods my veins from head to toe before settling in my heart, expanding the organ at least five times its size before Eleanor came back into my life. Excitement and relief, nervousness and lust drum against each other, as Eleanor grabs her tote bag, locks her car, and walks with me hand in hand toward the dock.
Our steps are light, quick, bordering on giddy as we keep glancing at each other, smiling like two creatures setting off on an adventure.
As we near the boat, I note Eleanor’s heart beating erratically, the same way it usually does before we set sail, and I glance over at her. “I don’t know how to phrase this politely, but I can sense your nerves. Is it because of me, my boat, the ocean, or something else?”
