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Suddenly worried, the sense that he’d been badly hurt and was still healing filling her heart and mind, Ellie reached across the table. Sliding her fingers through his, she softly urged, “Take a breath and when you're ready, tell me what happened."
Running the fingers of his free hand through his hair, mussing up the curls on top, looking more like a little boy than a couple of hundred-years-old Guardsman who could shift into a Dragon, breathe fire, and take on all comers, Ranger blew out a sharp breath. Looking her right in the eye, his tone leaving no room for any misunderstanding, the man she'd loved from the moment she laid eyes on him matter-of-factly stated, "I fucked up. Royally, all the way, no holds barred, messed up in a truly epic fashion."
Waiting as he took a drink of water, let out another long-suffering sigh and held tight to her hand, it took all of Ellie’s control not to scream, “Just tell me! You’re killing me here!”
But she didn't. She waited patiently. She didn't even take a peek into his mind or listen to his thoughts the least little bit. It was Ranger's story to tell, and she wanted to hear it from him. Even if she was twisting the napkin into a tight roll beneath her free hand.
Finally, she knew the second he had his thoughts together and was ready to talk by the gleam in his eye and the steadying of his heartbeat. “Well, I got a lead on the Chimera from a highly reputable source - one who has never let me down. He knew where specifically the Tribe from Valentine, the one that tried to settle on y'all's land, were laying low. He'd seen them with his own eyes."
Nodding when he took a breath, letting the warmth and love she had always felt for him flow from her fingertips to his, Ellie again found herself waiting. But then, she knew she’d wait for Ranger forever, no matter how mad he made her. He was the one for her. There was no doubt about it.
When he began again, it was as if he was giving a report instead of telling a story. It was how Ellie imagined he talked to his partner or his boss.
"I got to an old abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere right on the Texas-New Mexico border in the middle of the damned desert. The place was dark but stunk of evil magic and ill intent. I just knew they were in there, plotting and planning. Hell, I thought they might even have their next victim tied up waiting for execution or sacrifice or whatever the fuck it is that they do."
Trailing off, Ranger looked over her shoulder. Ellie felt a tremor run through his body. She couldn't tell if it was rage or worry, but either way, it set her nerves on end. Something terrible had happened. Something that was going to make her want to simultaneously wring his neck and hold him close.
Opening her mouth to speak when she just couldn't take it any longer, Ranger beat her to the punch. "Literally in the middle of nowhere. I know I said it before, but you need to understand that I didn't completely lose my mind or forget everything I knew or was taught. I hadn't lost sight of my ultimate objective. I was not, in any way, too wrapped up in being the hero or any of the other shit I've had to listen to."
"That fucking place really was so far out that backup would've taken too long to get there. As much as I hate to admit it, those bastards are powerful. The longer I was there, the more my chances of being discovered grew. So, I decided to go in and find out what was going on. I mean, what if I was wrong? What if I had blown it up bigger in my mind than it actually was? I didn't want to look like a complete idiot to my bosses."
"Why am I not buying this?" Ellie replied, trying not to sound judgmental while letting him know that she cared. "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"
Shaking his head and drinking the rest of his water in one gulp, Ranger speared her with a look that made her heart skip a beat and her blood run cold. “Because you know me better than anyone else in the world.” His chuckle was dry and almost sad. “Because I never could lie to you. Why do you think I packed up and left without telling you what was going on or saying goodbye?”
Shrugging, needing him to tell her where all this was going and that he was okay, Ellie shrugged. “I have no idea. Enlighten me, Dragon Man. Goddess knows I've been wracking my brain trying to answer that exact question for way too long to play guessing games with you right now."
"Because you…" Pointing the index finger of the hand that was entwined with hers at Ellie's heart, he kept right on going. "Ellie, my wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, amazing, and powerful Mate, you know me better than I know myself. You did from our first meeting. I felt it right here." Slapping his free hand over his heart, Ranger vowed, "Felt it in every damned fiber of my being. You can see right inside me. You know everything. If I had told you what I planned, what I was going to do, that I was going to leave and go after the Chimera, you would've known I was doomed even before I did."
“Well now, that’s not quite true,” Ellie tried to laugh, but it sounded more like she was clearing her throat as she held back the tears she wanted to shed. “I had no clue why you…”
"I did it to keep you safe," he answered before she had time to ask. "I left to keep you out of harm's way. To get those bastards, the ones who killed your parents. To make sure they never came back for you. I had to know that I was worthy of you. I had to be the one who brought that fucking Tribe to justice."
And there it was. As plain as the nose on Ellie's face. The things she'd missed when they were together. The one thing she should've known but didn't. Her Mate was just as scared as she was of not being worthy of the match the Universe and the Goddess of All had set into motion for them both.
“Oh, Ranger, you big dumb Dragon. You don’t have anything to prove to me.”
"I do," he contradicted, letting go of her hand and getting to his feet. At her side in the blink of an eye, he pulled out her chair, took her hand in his, and helped Ellie to her feet. "But right now, I need to hold you in my arms, and I don't want an audience."
“But I thought you were hungry.”
“I am,” he stopped midstride. Flames flashing in his eyes, he growled, “For you.”
