Page 10 of Knight of the Sword

He shook his great head, dislodging small fragments of sandstone overhead, and sighed once more. He had frightened the mortal girl the night before when he’d followed her home. He had forgotten how humans reacted to his kind. But this one cared for animals, which wasn’t unusual considering her real ancestry. Perhaps if she saw more of him she would lose her fear.

Settling his massive jaw between his claws and the spiky tip of his tail, he shut his eyes to nap and plan his strategy.

Seconds later, he opened them wide as the scales on top of his head fanned out in spears of defense. Another dragon was near.

Brighid had told him no dragons walked the earth any more. Cautiously, he breathed in the air. It was not that close—perhaps a good twenty leagues away—but he now recognized the scent.

Sigurd. The damn white dragon that Hengist and Horsa had brought with them. They had battled before and Pendragon had ultimately lost when Arthur was killed. He snorted once, thinking about revenge.

This time, he would win.

He had to.

****

Sophie peered out the window of the clinic again. Yep, the reporters were still there, hovering like vultures waiting for the next kill. She’d managed to elude them by retreating to the Palo Pinto County Clinic yesterday, but the AP had gotten wind of the story and the phone was ringing off the hook. Her vet partner, Allison, needed her back.

With a sigh, she turned back to her computer and Googled “Dragons” once more.

Two days had passed without any return of the dragon—except in that weird dream she had.

Her cell phone rang again and she groaned. Robert had left at least a dozen voice mails since the sighting. She glanced at the Caller ID and frowned slightly. Toby Clark. Of all the reporters, he was the only one who hadn’t accused her of setting up some sort of publicity stunt for her clinic. She pressed her answer button.

“Hello, Mr. Clark.”

His voice sounded cheerful. “Dr. Cameron? I was wondering if I could do a human interest story on you?”

“I thought it was the dragon—or whatever it was—everyone was interested in. Why would you want to do a story on me?”

“The tie-in would be great,” he replied. “You’re a vet. You heal animals. Maybe the dragon is ill and needs your help?”

Sophie almost smiled. The dragon—or whatever it was—she was still not too sure she was ready to accept what should be a myth as reality—certainly had appeared healthy, if nothing else. “I really think it was just circumstantial that it hovered here.”

“But maybe not. Look, I’m a rookie at this reporting stuff,” he said with a note of desperation in his voice. “If you give me an exclusive interview, it would really go a long way with my boss. Plus, once you’ve given the story, most of this pack will melt away.”

Sophie glanced out the window again. That would be a help. Potential adopters were having a hard time getting past the crowd. “Okay,” she said, “but I can’t do it for a couple more days. We’re swamped right now.”

Toby hesitated and she was wondering how insistent he was going to get. He sounded sweet and nice, but she knew media types were predatory. To her surprise, he didn’t argue. Instead, they set a time for Wednesday morning.

She had just turned back to the computer when Janie, their assistant, appeared in the door. “There’s a man here to see you,” she said.

“A client?”

“Don’t think so. He’s really cute,” she said with a smile.

Sophie repressed a sigh. Janie was all of twenty and nearly every male under thirty was “cute” in her eyes. “Does he have a name?”

“Michael.”

This time she did sigh. What in the world was he doing here? After what she did to him, she wouldn’t think he’d ever want to see her again. Probably not too many women kneed the man. “Show him in,” she said.

Janie giggled and managed to brush against Michael as his broad-shouldered frame filled the doorway. He gave her a fleeting smile and then looked at Sophie. His dark eyes held hers instantly with an intensity that made her breath hitch as he crossed the room toward her. The sunlight streaming in from the French doors caught the deep auburn streaks in his almost-black hair and she thought she saw a flame-like halo around his head. She gave herself a shake. What would she be seeing next? Faeries floating around in the air? And why did her thinking go all goofy when Michael was around?

“Please have a seat,” she said quickly before he got any closer to her. “I must say I’m surprised to see you after our last encounter.”

He inclined his head as he drew a straight-back chair near to where she sat at her computer. “That was my fault. I’m afraid I took advantage of the situation.”

He was apologizing? She was pretty sure she had put him out of commission for at least twenty-four hours. Most men would be cursing her for that. “Well, I probably could have used an alternative way to stop you.”