AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 10
Delaney
Delaney almost called him back as she watched his broad shoulders, muscled back, and great butt leaving her room. But call him back to tell him what? That she thought she’d been the victim of a dragon attack? There were no such thing as dragons. She knew that. She didn’t believe they ever existed, and even if they had, they’d been extinct for a very long time. But if she called him back, told him everything—then what? And could she be sure that’s really what she’d seen?
It was hard to doubt it as the image of first one and then a second dragon doing battle in the sky above her was one she found hard to dislodge. If she closed her eyes, she could not only see them, but hear their wings beating rhythmically against the sky and smell the sulfur from their flames. Could an image that clear, that detailed, have been some kind of hallucination?
She was exhausted, and when the nurse returned, offering her something to help her sleep, she took it. Normally, she didn’t like how groggy sleeping aids made her, but she knew she needed to rest, and tomorrow would be a long day, but she could snooze through most of it. That was one of the nice things about Tevryn. She never felt like she had to be in control. She instinctively knew she could trust him to take care of her and Lucy.
The nurse left and dimmed the lights. Delaney could feel the sleeping agent stealing through her veins, relaxing her muscles and calming her mind. She was sound asleep within minutes.
By the time Tevryn arrived the next morning, she’d almost finished the paperwork. The owner of the B&B had sent a breakfast to go. They found a lovely courtyard on the hospital grounds and had breakfast together.
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to the trip?” he asked.
“Honestly, there’s not much to it for me. I don’t even have to negotiate the airport. We just go to the landing strip, board Whistler’s plane, and land in Issaquah. Frankly, I’d rather sleep in my own bed.”
“I completely understand that. I’m sure Lucy would rather have you home.”
“She hasn’t been bugging you, has she?” Delaney asked.
“I wouldn’t say she’s been bugging me; she’s been concerned.”
“In other words, you’ve already talked to her two or three times.”
Tevryn smiled ruefully. “As I said, she’s concerned.”
Delaney rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I think she forgets I’m all grown up, and our mother is gone. I don’t need Lucy to protect me.”
“Did you need protection from your mother?”
“Not often—at least not physically and as soon as I was old enough to hit back, that stopped. But she had a fondness for comparing me to Lucy, and I didn’t come out well in those comparisons. Lucy was perfect and I was not. The funny thing was that Lucy always made sure I knew that our mother was wrong and that there was no better little sister in all the world.”
“I’ll have to remember to do something nice for Lucy.”
“It’s just been the two of us for a while now and we’ve made it work. We’re best friends as well as sisters. And if things work out the way we want, business partners. Where are you going after you’ve finished your article?”
“Who says I’m going anywhere?” he asked.
“I don’t want you to feel bound by anything you’ve said…”
He took both her hands in his. “I’ve never said anything to you I didn’t mean.”
They finished their breakfast and took an Uber out to the private airport. Tevryn had called the pilot beforehand to let him know they would be leaving in the late morning or early afternoon. When they arrived at the airport, the plane was ready to go, and they were airborne quickly.
Settling back, Delaney said, “I think this is the best way to fly.”
“I agree that it beats the hell out of flying commercial,” said Tevryn.
“Well, that’s really the only two ways—commercial and private.”
“True; I guess I just wasn’t thinking.”
Something about the way Tevryn said ‘true’ made her wonder what other ways he might be thinking about. When she looked at him, his face seemed lined with concern. Perhaps worrying about her had made him not really think about what he’d said.
Delaney slept most of the way home and was grateful for the pilot’s skills and that Tevryn had buckled her seatbelt before they landed. Apparently, he’d called Lucy who was waiting at the private airport and ran to meet them as they descended the stairs.
Lucy hugged her close, reaching out to Tevryn with one hand to include him. “I’m so glad the two of you are home safe and sound. Well, relatively sound, anyway. Come on, let’s get back home.”
