heal his
extensive injuries required a lot of energy. His breathing
was slow and deep, his eyelids hardly moving.
The sight of his motionless body in that bed left her
aching with fear and guilt. She’d watched her grandmother
slip away in a hospice bed and had been the one to ID
Hector after he’d wrapped his truck around a tree.
Realizing how close she’d come to losing Stig made her
never want to leave his side again, not even for the
briefest of moments.
The sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention.
Moments later, Ignatius appeared in the doorway. He cast
a glance at Stig’s motionless form. His scarred face
showed no emotion. “He will wake soon.”
Cora sensed Ignatius knew the exact moment when Stig
would wake. There was something about his bond with the
rest of the Brotherhood that was different. He’d been the
one to send Madoc and Griff, the two closest Brothers, to
their rescue that night. Ignatius had felt her terror and
Stig’s pain.
He lifted the lunch tray clasped in his big hands. “I
brought you some lunch.”
Her hungry gaze swept over the sandwich and chips as
Ignatius settled the tray over her lap. A glass of iced tea
and a few celery sticks slathered with peanut butter and
sprinkled with raisins rounded out the simple lunch.
“Thank you.”
He allowed the tiniest of smiles to curve his mouth
before moving toward Stig’s bed. Ignatius closed his right
eye, his only eye, and swept his fingertips over Stig’s
forehead. Could he see what Stig dreamed? After a few
seconds, he removed his hand and crossed to the empty
chair on the other side of Stig’s bed.
Cora felt a little weird eating by herself. She picked up
a celery stick. “Hungry?”
He shook his head. “I ate earlier, but thank you. I should
tell you that I spoke to a friend and we’ve dealt with that
legal issue of yours. You can’t go back to San Antonio but
I think it’s a small price to pay for escaping that mess you
created.”
Cora blinked at him. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”
“Stig considers you part of our family now. I take care
of my family.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to that so she ate. The room
fell into an awkward silence punctuated only by the crunch
of the celery sticks. When Madoc or Griff sat vigil at
Stig’s bedside, Cora found it easy to talk with them.
Ignatius was a different story. He was so distant. Not
mean, exactly, just…aloof.
“Do you like me?” Cora figured the worst he could do
was say no and thought he probably would. His opinion of
her shouldn’t matter, but she’d seen the way the other
dragons looked up to Ignatius. She didn’t want Stig to
suffer because Ignatius disliked her. If there was some
way she could make friends with him, she’d damn sure try.
Ignatius seemed a little surprised. “Why would you ask
me that?”
She remembered the tale Stig had told her in the kitchen
about the deaths that had started the war. “Your brother
died because he fell in love with a human girl.” She
gestured to a motionless Stig. “You almost lost one of your
Brothers because he fell in love me, another human girl.
You see where I’m going with this?”
“I do but you’re not Cornelia and he isn’t Sixtus.” He
exhaled slowly. “I like you…”
“But?”
He was quiet, as if considering his words carefully.
“You make Stig vulnerable and his love for you makes us
all vulnerable. His loyalties are torn between you, the
woman he loves, and us, the Brothers he’d bled with on
the battlefield for centuries.”
Guilt twisted Cora’s belly. “I didn’t know what would
happen when I left San Antonio that night and sought
refuge with Stig.”
Ignatius’s face softened. “No one blames you. What
happened to the two of you was terrible but we managed
to recover and destroy two swords, so some good came
out of it. Unfortunately, you were just a pawn. The Knights
found a way to use you in their nasty
extensive injuries required a lot of energy. His breathing
was slow and deep, his eyelids hardly moving.
The sight of his motionless body in that bed left her
aching with fear and guilt. She’d watched her grandmother
slip away in a hospice bed and had been the one to ID
Hector after he’d wrapped his truck around a tree.
Realizing how close she’d come to losing Stig made her
never want to leave his side again, not even for the
briefest of moments.
The sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention.
Moments later, Ignatius appeared in the doorway. He cast
a glance at Stig’s motionless form. His scarred face
showed no emotion. “He will wake soon.”
Cora sensed Ignatius knew the exact moment when Stig
would wake. There was something about his bond with the
rest of the Brotherhood that was different. He’d been the
one to send Madoc and Griff, the two closest Brothers, to
their rescue that night. Ignatius had felt her terror and
Stig’s pain.
He lifted the lunch tray clasped in his big hands. “I
brought you some lunch.”
Her hungry gaze swept over the sandwich and chips as
Ignatius settled the tray over her lap. A glass of iced tea
and a few celery sticks slathered with peanut butter and
sprinkled with raisins rounded out the simple lunch.
“Thank you.”
He allowed the tiniest of smiles to curve his mouth
before moving toward Stig’s bed. Ignatius closed his right
eye, his only eye, and swept his fingertips over Stig’s
forehead. Could he see what Stig dreamed? After a few
seconds, he removed his hand and crossed to the empty
chair on the other side of Stig’s bed.
Cora felt a little weird eating by herself. She picked up
a celery stick. “Hungry?”
He shook his head. “I ate earlier, but thank you. I should
tell you that I spoke to a friend and we’ve dealt with that
legal issue of yours. You can’t go back to San Antonio but
I think it’s a small price to pay for escaping that mess you
created.”
Cora blinked at him. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”
“Stig considers you part of our family now. I take care
of my family.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to that so she ate. The room
fell into an awkward silence punctuated only by the crunch
of the celery sticks. When Madoc or Griff sat vigil at
Stig’s bedside, Cora found it easy to talk with them.
Ignatius was a different story. He was so distant. Not
mean, exactly, just…aloof.
“Do you like me?” Cora figured the worst he could do
was say no and thought he probably would. His opinion of
her shouldn’t matter, but she’d seen the way the other
dragons looked up to Ignatius. She didn’t want Stig to
suffer because Ignatius disliked her. If there was some
way she could make friends with him, she’d damn sure try.
Ignatius seemed a little surprised. “Why would you ask
me that?”
She remembered the tale Stig had told her in the kitchen
about the deaths that had started the war. “Your brother
died because he fell in love with a human girl.” She
gestured to a motionless Stig. “You almost lost one of your
Brothers because he fell in love me, another human girl.
You see where I’m going with this?”
“I do but you’re not Cornelia and he isn’t Sixtus.” He
exhaled slowly. “I like you…”
“But?”
He was quiet, as if considering his words carefully.
“You make Stig vulnerable and his love for you makes us
all vulnerable. His loyalties are torn between you, the
woman he loves, and us, the Brothers he’d bled with on
the battlefield for centuries.”
Guilt twisted Cora’s belly. “I didn’t know what would
happen when I left San Antonio that night and sought
refuge with Stig.”
Ignatius’s face softened. “No one blames you. What
happened to the two of you was terrible but we managed
to recover and destroy two swords, so some good came
out of it. Unfortunately, you were just a pawn. The Knights
found a way to use you in their nasty
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