Cruel Daddy Dragon (Candara Dragon Ops #3)

Chapter 21 - Sarah

The dragons have slipped into their own conversation, all talking about the Alpha and what to do next. Lena and Julie have slipped into a similar conversation—also chattering away about magic and relics and all kinds of things.

And frankly, I feel dizzy. I almost feel nauseous from how much is going on in my head. The world, and everything in it, is going way too fast right now. I twiddle the copper ring between my fingers. I remember the odd static shock I got when I first picked this thing up, but I never expected that it was supposed to be some kind of magical awakening. When I look at it, it’s a very unusual ring. I’ve never seen a piece of metal carved in the shape of a diamond before and set where a precious gem would be. I suppose it’s a beautiful ring in its own right, even if it’s a bit unusual.

And it’s mine…?

I look around. All of them are still vividly invested in their own conversations, and I am a complete outsider to them all right now. So I just stand up and walk past them all, heading outside to the back porch.

Once I’m outside in the cold night air, I sit down on the porch bench and just stare into the middle distance.

Dragons… magic… the kidnapping… visions of danger… Rufus…

His voice is in my head again: “I love you.”

It's all so much… I think I just need everything to slow down for a moment. I need the world to take a breather and have a time out.

“Hey.” His gentle voice comes purring across.

Maybe I’m just exhausted. Maybe it’s something else—but something about him coming out here calms me down. I smile a little.

“Hey.”

“Anyone sitting there?” he jokes quietly, gesturing to the side of the bench.

I grin back.

“No.”

He sits down right next to me. I feel that little twinge of attraction through my stomach. He turns to me and says:

“Sarah, I just want to say I’m sorry.”

Is he about to say he regrets saying he loves me? The thoughts hit me with a jolt of horror.

“Sorry for what?” I ask

“I’m sorry for arguing with you earlier,” he says, “I didn’t need to raise my voice at you. There’s no excuse for it.”

“Oh,” I utter in surprise. I think for a moment and then answer back, “I shouldn’t have shouted back either. That wasn’t great of me.”

He links his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. He then leans his chin on his linked fingers and stares out into the darkness.

“It’s no excuse,” he says, not meeting my eyes, “but I really care about you. I’d do anything to keep you safe, and it really, really scares me to have you out there in the middle of the action.”

His jade eyes meet mine, and I can see the seriousness in his gaze.

“It scares me,” he says grimly.

That’s the most honest look I think I have ever seen in his eyes. I feel like the mask’s been ripped off—this isn’t him being sarcastic or playing games. For once, he’s being earnest.

He's trying to talk properly this time.

“Why?” I ask breathlessly.

He looks down at his hands.

“I…” He trails off and then starts again, “You aren’t the first woman I’ve been in a relationship with.”

He says it like it’s a confession.

“Okay?” I say, slightly baffled.

“Her name was Celeste, and she was another dragon in Soleilus,” he murmurs, “And she… she was amazing. She was a warrior there, and she was so strong…”

“Right?” I ask.

I’m not sure why he’s telling me about this random woman, but I have a sinking feeling in my gut about it.

Rufus swallows hard and continues:

“Soleilus was attacked. It was a long time ago, but I think it was Eclipse that attacked us—they have been at our throats for a long, long time. All of us warriors were called out, and Celeste said she was going to stick by my side.”

He sucks in another shaky breath, and I put a hand on his. He looks over and smiles a little bit before he keeps going:

“We were fighting together, and… we fought well together,” he chokes. “She was very fast, and I was stronger, so we matched perfectly. We tag-teamed on the same enemies, and we had each other’s backs. I felt invincible when I had Celeste with me.”

Rufus swallows hard. He closes his eyes.

“So I was right there when she got killed,” he says grimly, “In fact, she leaped between me and another dragon. It was… it was just so fast, Sarah… I couldn’t do anything for her. She’d bled out in seconds; I—I couldn’t even say goodbye, and I was right there. ”

“Oh, god,” I murmur, “I’m sorry.”

Rufus rakes his hands through his long ginger hair. Then he looks up and smiles sadly at me.

“That’s why I freaked out earlier,” he murmurs, an embarrassed smile on his face, “When I saw you in the forest with the Eclipse dragon. I just—I thought I was going to have to watch another woman I loved die in front of my face when I couldn’t do anything about it.”

He averts his gaze again.

“I’m sorry for freaking out.”

“Yeah,” I murmur, “I get it—that must have been… I couldn’t even imagine, Rufus. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all right,” he replies, “It happened years ago, it’s just… I thought I should tell you why it got under my skin so bad.”

“No, of course,” I reply, running my hand up and down his arm, “Thanks for telling me. I had no idea.”

Rufus opens his eyes fully and turns toward me, taking my hands in his.

“I know that your independence means everything to you,” he says, “But it meant everything to Celeste too. She was also the strongest fighter I’ve ever seen outside of the Candara team, and she still died… And… I couldn’t stop it either.”

He blinks hard. His hand reaches up and wipes his eyes with his thumb and forefinger quickly before he looks at me intensely again.

“That’s what scares me,” he says, “If you got yourself in the fray, I don’t trust myself to save you. I couldn’t do it before when Celeste needed me, so… what if you needed me and I couldn’t save you?”

He puts a hand on my face. I lean my face into his hand.

“I couldn’t do it, Sarah,” he murmurs, “If that happened again… I couldn’t handle it. I can’t lose another woman I love.”

I look in those endless green eyes. There’s so much I’ve never seen before in them before tonight. I nod.

“Okay,” I mutter, “I understand. I’ll try to rein in the hero complex and keep myself a little safer for you.”

Rufus sighs, closing his eyes and smiling lightly.

“Thank you,” he replies.

He leans forward, and his warm lips touch mine.

I love you.

I deepen the kiss a little. He shuffles a little closer to me and—

He jerks back from me with an “Ah!”

I snap back. What’s happening?

“Oh, my god!” he snaps, “Get out of here, you little bastard!”

“Huh?” I ask

Soft fur starts cuddling up on my lap. I look down to see the little black mask of Roscoe looking up at me as he clambers up onto my thighs. I start laughing. Rufus has walked almost to the other end of the porch, away from us.

“Oh, hey there!” I coo, “Are you looking for Kaius, you little chubster? I haven’t got any popcorn for you!”

“Don’t touch him, Sarah!” Rufus yelps, “He’s probably got rabies!”

“He’s fine. He’s vaccinated,” I assure him, “He’s just here looking for his dragon dad or whatever Kaius is now.”

I scoop Roscoe up with a light heave, holding him like a baby.

“Oh, he’s heavy now! What the hell is that guy feeding you, Ros?”

“Sarah!” Rufus protests.

“It’s fine, Rufus!” I insist.

I walk back inside, carrying the plump little trash panda in my arms. The dragons are still in there, chatting away.

“Kaius!” I call.

His head pokes up, and I look down at Roscoe pointedly:

“I think this is yours!”

“Hey! C’mere, Ros!” he calls.

The raccoon wriggles in my arms and I lean down, letting him go. He leaps from my arms and waddles across the floor to get to Kaius. Once he’s returned to his one true love, Orion talks to us all:

“Roscoe reminds me—we should go and investigate that cave more thoroughly,” he says, “From what I could tell when I slipped out earlier, we may have gotten lucky; there haven’t been any more signs of Eclipse since the attack earlier.”

“Right,” Rufus says, walking in, keeping his distance from us, “and who’s going to be going?”

“I think we all should,” I say.

They all look at me, but I meet Orion’s eye first.

“There were runes in there. Sigils and other things which I think Julie and Lena might need to have a look at,” I explain.

Orion nods his head at me.

“That makes sense,” he grunts, “And obviously, if Julie and Lena are going, we need to be there to protect them.”

He looks down at Julie and Lena, still on the couch.

“That is, if you are going, the pair of you?” he asks, “Would you want to do that?”

“Going makes sense to me,” Lena says, “I’m sure that Gram’s notebooks will be useful if there are markings.”

“And I might have another vision,” Julie pipes up.

“Exactly,” I say, “So, I think all of us should go as one big group. If something happens, then we have more people to help figure it out.”

Orion nods.

“That makes sense to me.”

He looks to Kaius and Milo, and the pair of them nod and murmur in agreement. As everyone gets back into conversation with each other—including Lena and Julie getting up to leave to go to another room—the back of my arm is gently touched.

I turn and see Rufus’s hooded gaze.

“So…” He says, “when you say everyone’s going for safety, does that include you too? Or are you going to work anyway, despite everything going on?”

I smile wanly.

“I’ll call up and take some long overdue vacation,” I say, “They don’t usually give it so quickly, but I’m the sheriff, so I’ll pull some strings there.”

I stare at him more seriously.

“I told you I was going to keep myself safer to help you out, and I mean it,” I say, “It’s just until the danger’s passed, right?”

Rufus gives a little sigh of relief and smiles at me.

“Thanks, Sarah,” he says, “I really appreciate it. I love you.”

My heart gives another jolt as he says it again—I can tell in his rumbling tones that he means it. No one has ever spoken those words to me and meant them the way he has. My stomach has butterflies in it.

“I…” I try, but my throat closes a little, and I nod, “Thanks.”

Rufus just chuckles, and he loops his arms around my waist. I pause for a moment and then relax into him, leaning into his chest. I feel like I can tell the eyes on us—and despite a little snickering, followed by a harsh hiss by someone else, no one says anything.

It's… okay. It’s okay to be affectionate here. It’s… safe.

It's strange to realize it so suddenly now, but it suddenly occurs to me that no one in this room is going to think less of me as the Sheriff for being with Rufus like this. They’re still going to respect me.

So when Rufus leans down and kisses me, I feel free to kiss him back for the first time in front of people.