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“A spiorpion? What in all that’s holy is a spiorpion? Do they even exist? Did you just make that shit up? You did, didn’t you? Yep! You did. I just know it.”
Interjecting a huge inhale that was like a cross between a groan and a growl, he started again, his tone more like a big, burly, sexy man trying coax a kitten out of a tree than a big, burly, sexy man trying to calm his Mate.
"It’s all gonna be ok, Violet. I promise it is. You're freaked out and you want me to be just as freaked out as you are. It’s natural. You think it will make you feel better if we're both losing our minds, but it won't. Trust me, Babe. Lost in the plot is not a good look for me. I'm your man -your Dragon. I've got this. I've got you. I don’t need to be all crazy Dragon dude to save the day."
Another inhale - this onewithoutthe grumble and growl and through his nose by the sound of it, my man was working double time to save the day. Sadly, I was pretty much inconsolably freaked out and nothing short of Auntie Belinda’s Knock-Out Spell was going to work, but…
I tried to chill out. Really, I did. I hung on every word of Mick’s little speech. Focused on every syllable, the calm, steady beat of his heart, the love in his voice. I even took deep breaths.
But instead of calming down, I got light-headed, inhaled dust bunnies the size of Bugs Bunny, and damned near choked on a pebble. Short of passing out, I feared there was no hope – however, my man kept right on being the best dadgum Mate the Universe ever created.
“Remember to exhale, Vi. Deep breaths are good, but you gotta let it out sometime. Here, do it with me.”
I appreciated the effort. Really, I did. Loved him all the more for it. I knew in my heart of hearts that Mick would always have my back. He was the cherry on my sundae, the wind beneath my broomstick,blah, blah blah. That and all the other mushy sentiments I couldn’t think of at the moment. Mick Archer was one of the good guys and he was all mine.
However, none of that did one blasted thing to negate the fact that something creepy wasstilltouching my ass. No matter what I did, the little buggers refused to go away.
Not one to ever give up, still inhaling and exhaling, speaking to me in his deep, creamy baritone, the sounds of the scuffing of the heels of his boots filled the inky, creepy darkness as I continued to jump, skip, hop, twirl, cuss and squeal. Mick was trying to find me. Knew from experience that his touch would settle my frayed nerves better than anything else ever could.
(Again, I have to say – my man is the best ever. Even when he can’t give up the fight…)
“By the way, I still can’t quite believe that National Geographic had an article about something as asinine and unbelievable as a spiorpion. I’m just sayin’, we’re gonna look that shit up as soon as we get out of here, ‘kay? Now, stand still and chill out, Baby. Hold still. I’m gonna…oooooh! Ow! Shit! Ouch! Son of a blacked-eyed Badger! Ow! Ow! OWWWWWWWW!”
(It is important for you to know that I neither stood still nor chilled out. I couldn’t. That ship had sailed, and Mick should’ve known that. I was on Crazy Violet Island and that was all there was to it. Until…)
At the alarming sounds of awful distress coming from my hunka-hunka-burning love, my Mate, my Dragon, the only dude I’d ever loved and would ever love, the someday-daddy of my babies, the man the Universe made just for me - all motion stopped.
(Lookie there. Who woulda thought it? That was all it took for me to chill the hell out and get my head on straight. Bring my ass back from Crazy Violet Island. Shame we didn’t think of it sooner.)
With my hands out to the side like I was about to take off, my booty stuck out as far as it would go, and my eyes open so wide it felt like they were about to take over the entire surface of my cute-if-I-do-say-so-myself face, I apologetically squeaked, “Oh, my Goddess, Mick. I am so sorry! Are you okay?”
“No worries, Sweetie,” he ground out through what I didn’t have to see him to know were gritted teeth.
(The gnashing and grinding of enamel was a sure tip off.)
“I’m good. Just, umm, maybe next time, when you’re…umm freakin’ out over imaginary bugs and hopping around like you’ve got ants in your pants, maybe you could jump away from me, and not on my toe.”
“Oh, no,” I cooed, honestly upset that I’d stomped on my honey’s tootsies and really, really regretting that I’d gotten freaked out thus causing what will go down in the annals of Brown-Archer history as the Jumping on the Foot incident.
(I told Mick not to share that story with his brothers and my cousins. But did he listen? No, no, he did not.)
Inching the toe of my cherry red Chuck Taylors across what I prayed was a floor and not the burial ground of a herd or a horde orlegionof whatever had been on my behind, I tried with all my might not to once again freak out and inadvertently step on my sexy Dragon. "Are you okay? Stay right where you are. Let me get over there and I can fix ya' right up. I’ll use Dr. Bombay's Heal Anything Any Time Anywhere Spell. He said I was the fastest learner he'd ever seen and most proficient of all. Heck, he wants me to take some of his house calls once we're all settled in back on Earth. Just give me a sec, and I'll have you fixed right up."
“I’m not sure you should…”
“Oh, stop,” I pshawed, pushing my arms out in front of me and flicking my finger in the direction of the sound of Mick’s voice. “I know you think that Dr. Bombay, who is in my humble opinion…”
“I love you, but you areanythingbut humble,Mo chroí.”
“…the best doctor in the known universe and some we have yet to discover, should limit his practice to Witches.”
“You betcha.”
“I know. I know. I know, you think he’s not had enough practice with Shifters of any kind, specifically Dragons, to be treating…”
“I’ll be damned,” Mick chuckled.
(You have to admit, my man is lovable. Yes, I agree, he’s irritating and sarcastic, but loveable and adorable top the list.)
