by Rinelle Grey
It was the truth. He was genuinely worried about what had happened to her. He pulled out his phone and set a video rolling just in case he came upon a body or something. But he was more concerned than worried about a news story at this point.
If those dragons had hurt Rita, by hell, he’d see the world heard about it. That would certainly put a kibosh on their peace plans. He’d never believed that one. Why would creatures with talons and teeth like theirs want peace? He was sure there was something more sinister going on.
But as he walked through the rooms, he found no signs of a body. No signs of a struggle even. In fact, it looked like Rita and her dragon man had just up and walked out of the door for no reason at all that he could see. Todd walked through the empty rooms, turning off the video, feeling silly for even putting it on in the first place.
Maybe they hadn’t needed a car to leave. Dragons could fly, after all. Maybe they’d just flown off into the sunset?
It was a logical assumption. Todd should have just accepted it and left. But somehow he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He walked into the kitchen, frowning at the evidence Rita had been preparing a meal. Cut up potatoes had gone brown on the cutting board, and there was a puddle of water around a packet of frozen vegetables. Rita’s laptop was open on the counter. Her phone was next to it.
This wasn’t right. Surely even if she and dragon man had flown off into the sunset, she would have put away the food and her laptop? She would have turned off the air conditioning. She definitely wouldn’t have left her phone.
A sick feeling settled into the pit of Todd’s stomach. He shouldn’t have run away when the dragon had threatened him. He should never have left. If he hadn’t, Rita might still be here. He might at least have a clue where she’d gone.
He stared around the kitchen, not sure what to do next. He walked across to check Rita’s phone, even though he wasn’t sure what information he could get from it. As he picked it up, he bumped the mouse, and the laptop flickered to life.
Todd couldn’t help himself. He stared at the words on the screen, skimming over them, just in case there was something there that could help him figure out where Rita had gone. That’s what he told himself. But as he read, he couldn’t help being drawn in. As usual, the picture Rita painted with her words took his breath away. She wrote of a proud dragon caught in traditions that messed with his head. Of a people caught in a painful past, fighting in a war that could very well be a lie. Yet they were proud and loyal and caring. Her words detailed out a deeply romantic people who had eschewed love. It almost made Todd’s stony heart ache.
If a picture painted a thousand words, then a video had to be worth at least ten-thousand. That’s what Todd had always told himself and why he’d always loved video. But he couldn’t help feeling Rita’s article said something that would be hard to capture on the screen. She dove deep into the story, examining the feelings and thoughts behind the dragons’ actions.
Her words were exactly what the world needed to hear right now, human and dragon alike.
And yet, she’d left them here, unpublished and unread.
The seriousness of what she’d been planning to do hit Todd right in the gut. Was it possible the dragons had heard about her plans? Had they captured her, maybe even killed her, to keep her quiet?
Todd hesitated, but he knew that no matter what had happened to Rita, she’d want her story shared. She’d want this article to see the light of day. He might not be able to find her or help her wherever she was, but he could do this for her.
He read through the document again, correcting a couple of typos, and then opened her email and sent it off to her editor at the Mungaloo Chronicle.
The End
Want to know what happens next? Part 4 of Dragon Forged is available for preorder now!
All their secrets are well and truly out in the open, and Rita and Warrian know they can never forgive each other. There’s no moving past this. There’s no point in even discussing it.
Trouble is, they’re trapped together in Ultrima’s lair, with no way out, and nothing to do but talk…
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About the Author
If you read a Rinelle Grey story, you can trust in a happy ending. Love will always triumph, even if it seems impossible… Rinelle Grey writes feel-good romance usually in science fiction or fantasy settings. Her heroines are independent and headstrong, and her stories are hard to put down.
She grew up in a remote area of Australia, without power, hot water, or a phone, but now lives with all of those and her (happily ever after) husband, daughter, chooks, ducks and veggie garden.
She also writes fantasy under the name Rin Grey.
She loves to receive e-mails at [email protected], or follow her on facebook or twitter.
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