Saved By Her Dragon (8 page)

Unable to grip her rescuer with her arms held tight to her
sides, she simply burrowed into his body with the hopes of somehow
fusing their bodies together. He was the perfect barrier between
her and her abductor. His chest vibrated under her cheek as he
whispered words of comfort and she knew at once he would never let
anything or
anyone
hurt her. As her pulse and breathing slowed, she felt his head
turn. He addressed the man behind him. “What the
fuck
, Aaron? What did you
do?” His words sounded angry, but his tone was
questioning.

“Me? What the
hell
, Dev?” The man across the room answered. The sound of others
entering the room and whispers could be heard as he continued, “I
walked in, looked out the window, and she started screaming. I
didn’t know she was awake and damn sure didn’t have a chance to
speak.”

Warm hands rubbed up and down her spine, and for the first
time in her life she understood why cats purred. Just his touch
made her want to live in the safety of his embrace for all time,
but she could tell from the tension in his body that it was not the
time for
friendly
hellos. When he spoke again, it was in little more than a
breath beside her ear and made goose bumps rise all over her body.
“What happened, Sweetheart? Can you lean back just a bit and talk
to me…
please
?”

The tone
he used was gentle and caring and left her no choice but to do as
he asked. At her movement, he loosened his arms just enough for her
to lean back against the headboard but kept his hands at her waist.
His continued touch gave her the encouragement she needed to look
into his eyes. She was left breathless; not from fear, but from the
sheer depth of emotion reflected in her rescuer’s eyes. She knew it
was wrong to think of a man as beautiful, but all other words
escaped her. His nearly black hair was tousled, with a few strands
haphazardly slung across his furrowed brow. The look in his
fathomless grey eyes was intoxicating and the thick, dark lashes
that lined his gorgeous eyes would make any woman jealous. The
patrician line of his nose, his high cheek bones, and his strong
jaw reminded her of the Gladiators she had seen in the old movies
Pops used to watch. She wondered if his stubble would tickle
against her skin, but it was his mouth that drew and held her
attention. The light pink color against the deep tan of his
complexion and the perfect bow of his full lips made her mouth
water. It was only through sheer strength of will that she was able
to resist the urge to lean forward for just a taste.

She
watched those perfect lips move and realized he was speaking. Not
wanting him to think she was ignoring him, or worse yet, daft, she
shook herself out of her stupor and focused on his words. “Tell me
what happened. What frightened you?”

The
weight of his words settled in and around her. Taking a deep
breath, she nodded slightly and answered, tentatively pointing at
the man now pacing in a tight circle by the window. “It’s him. He’s
going to try to take me again.”

It was as though her words sucked all the air from the room.
Both the man in the corner and the man in front of her said,
“What the…?”
at exactly
the same time, and gasps could be heard from the vicinity of the
door.

“Dev, I swear I’ve never seen this woman before that day in
the hospital with you!” the man she
knew
as her abductor shouted from
across the room.

The one holding her answered him while maintaining eye contact
with her, “I know, Aaron, I know. Something’s not right. We just
need to chill out for a second and figure this
shit
out.”

Then he spoke to her, “It’s gonna be okay, but there’s
got
to be a mistake.
That’s Aaron,” he motioned over his shoulder. “He’s my bre…friend,
and I
know
he
didn’t abduct you.
Hell
, he didn’t even know you until I told him about you. He
helped me watch after you in the hospital.”

Hospital? Had she been in a hospital?
She
remembered him saying something
about doctors during one of her too sparse, too brief moments of
cognizance. Then there were the pokes to her arms and the humming
sound she now knew must’ve been medical equipment.
How long was I out? What day is it?
A million thoughts ran through her mind and then
she heard him like she had all those times before,
“I promise to answer all your questions, as soon
as possible, but right now we need to figure out why you think
Aaron had anything to do with what happened to you.”

Her eyes snapped to his, only to find him waiting patiently
for her response. It should’ve seemed weird that he could hear her
thoughts and even weirder that he could answer directly into her
mind, but it didn’t. Instead, it seemed
right
and made her feel closer to
him…safer somehow. His voice was all she’d had to cling to while
fighting the black fog and it was his voice that would help her
again. Nodding her agreement, she looked over his shoulder and was
surprised at all the people watching.
When
did they all get here?

There
was a tiny woman with platinum hair and bright violet eyes that
glowed when she smiled. The light around her was bright and
friendly and when combined with the aura belonging to the biggest
man she’d ever seen in entire life standing protectively behind the
petite woman, it was obvious they meant her no harm. She smiled as
she watched the couple look back and forth between the man holding
her and the man in the corner, like they were at a tennis
match.

The
mismatched couple was joined by a very pretty, tall, dark-haired
woman and a handsome blonde man that reminded her of a surfer. They
were partially hidden by what was left of the door. It was also
apparent there were others just outside the door, all extremely
interested in what was going on in her room.

Unable
to bear all the attention, she bowed her head and lowered her arm.
A finger under her chin lifted her face until once again she met
her rescuer’s expressive gaze. “You have nothing to hide from and
nothing to fear. Everyone here is your friend, I promise. I’m
Devon. What’s your name?”

She opened her mouth to answer then shut it again.
What is my name? Surely, I know my own
name?
She opened her mouth again but
nothing came out. Her mind was a complete blank. Not her name,
where she was from…
nothing
. She could see pictures in her
mind of an older couple that she knew to be Mom and Pops. Not her
birth parents, but a wonderful couple that had raised her and loved
her more than anything. She knew they were long dead and missed
them terribly. The image of the farmhouse just outside the city
where she had grown up and lived, even after her parents’ death,
floated through her consciousness. So did the one stupid night she
had decided to go see a movie and had never made it
back.

The harder she tried to remember, the more pictures that
flashed through her mind. It was like a highlight reel of her
life…just glimpses of people and places she had known throughout
the years. The longer it lasted without her name, the more worried
she became. The rapid rhythm of her pulse beating in her ears
combined with the single drop of sweat rolling down her back, were
clear indicators that she was heading into a full blown panic
attack. A few deep breaths did nothing to calm her nerves as sweat
broke out across her upper lip. The man holding her looked on
cautiously, obviously sensing her fear and confusion. In one swift
motion he pulled her onto his lap, where her legs fell on either
side of his thighs, leaving them positioned chest to chest. His
fingers wound into the hair at the sides of her head. He looked
deep into her eyes and crooned, “Breathe with me,
mo chroi’
. Nice and
slow.”

She took one breath and then the next, never breaking eye
contact, following his lead. The panic began to recede, her
shoulders began to relax. He smiled and she was rewarded with his
low rumble of approval, “That’s it,
a
chumann
, just breathe. You’re fine. Nothing
and no one will ever harm you again.”

Then he spoke directly into her mind, offering further
reassurance,
“Don’t worry; your name will
come back to you. You’ve been unconscious for quite a while. I’m
sure you just need time to adjust.”

“Thank
you,” she answered aloud and took another long, deep breath. This
man with the compassionate eyes and soothing voice was like a drug.
A very potent, very addictive drug she already knew she never
wanted to be without.

Devon,
that’s what he’d said his name was, spoke again, and his words
brought the reality of the situation into complete, unfiltered
focus. “You said you were abducted, right? And that you think it
was my friend,” he pointed to the man in the corner, “that did
it?”

Her voice failing, she nodded, and the man from her nightmares
all but yelled, “It was
not
me. I think you better have Sam look at her again,
Dev. She must’ve hit her head or something when she was freaking
out.” His voice sounded different than she remembered. It was
deeper and held a bit more of an accent.

Devon
turned and looked over his shoulder, “Aaron, relax, I’m trying to
figure this out. But maybe you’re right, she was really freaked.”
He winked at her as he swung his head around to look over the
opposite shoulder, “Sam, you wanna take a look? Make sure
everything’s okay?”

The
pretty dark-haired woman slowly walked towards them. Devon smiled
and motioned as she stood at her bedside, “This is Sam. Actually,
Dr. Samantha Malone and she’s awesome. Is it okay if she just takes
a look real quick to check everything?”

At the
prospect of being separated from him, her hands gripped his
forearms even tighter, making him chuckle. “It’s alright,
Sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. Although I do think you’ll need
to get off my lap for Sam to have a good look at you.”

The heat
from her blush warmed her cheeks and her eyes closed in
embarrassment. It was the doctor who spoke, easing her tension as
she lightly touched her shoulder, “Don’t worry. He’s just messing
with you. Get used to it. They’re all a bunch of overgrown
teenagers.”

Giggling more to herself than the others, she loosened her
grip on his arms and started to crawl off his lap. In the next
second, she found herself back on the bed, sitting next to Devon.
Her eyes grew big as she looked up to find him smiling.
“
Damn
, you’re
strong,” flew from her lips before she could stop them, and again
she blushed as her hand slapped over her mouth.

Laughter
filled the room as Devon joked, “Why thank ya’, ma’am,” in what she
was sure was his best southern accent.

Shaking
her head, Samantha reached for a weathered brown messenger bag and
pulled out a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and penlight. The
doctor knelt before her, motioning to Devon, “He’s just happy
you’re awake. You’ll have to excuse his goofiness; it’s a welcome
change from the worry. Now, let’s see what we’ve got going on
here.”

The doctor’s words warmed her heart.
I’m gonna need to get used to the teasing?
He’s happy I’m awake? He cares that I’m okay?
It was a lot to wish for and she couldn’t help but
hope it was the truth. Devon made her feel almost normal again. She
loved the feel of his arms around her and the look in his eyes
when… Her thoughts were cut short as Sam stood up and the voices in
the room grew louder. One look revealed a newcomer–a tall, elderly
woman whose long, grey braid swung as she spoke. She was engaged in
a serious conversation with the tiny blonde.

“Everything seems to be fine.” Sam’s words drew her attention
and she watched as the doctor returned her instruments to her bag.
“No signs of trauma, nothing unusual. I would say something light
to eat and then a good night’s sleep will make all the difference
in the world. You’re making a miraculous recovery for someone
that’s been in a coma for at least a month.”

“A
month!” She gasped, unconsciously grabbing for Devon’s hand. He
automatically threaded his fingers through hers and pulled at their
connection to get her attention. “Yes, Sweetheart, the doctors are
sure you were unconscious for at least four weeks. I only found you
twelve days ago and just got to bring you here to my mother’s home
earlier today.” He motioned to the older lady.

A commotion at the door cut off her next question. What she
saw next had her doubting her sanity. Standing not two steps inside
the door was an exact replica of the man that stood next to the
window. Her eyes flew to the first man to make sure he really was
there, and then at the second and back to the first again. The
longer she looked from one to the other, the more certain she was
that Samantha had been wrong about her condition. She
had
to be losing her
mind.

Devon words sounded far away and muffled, “What is it? What’s
wrong? Talk to me,
mo
chroi
.”