The muscles under her clutching hand were hard, and when she looked up at the random man that she’d grabbed, Lyssa’s mouth went dry. Grabbing him was like winning the lottery because she was certain that she’d picked the hottest peasant here. He towered over her, his hair was coal black and his silver eyes were surrounded by thick dark lashes that made her envious.

“I am more than willing to go anywhere with you, but perhaps you should tell me who you are worried about so I may prepare myself for a confrontation.” His deep, rich voice caressed her ears and his accent was European. Her situation had seemed urgent until she’d taken hold of him. Now it was like he projected a protective cocoon around her where nothing could touch her while she was by his side. “We can walk around while you tell me.”

He put his hand over hers where it rested on his arm and guided her along the path, deftly avoiding the crush of people.

“I need to find my friend Portia.” She couldn’t see her anywhere, and Lyssa wondered if Portia had made her way back to the woods and was waiting for her there. There was no way she was going to go back there to find out.

“You looked distressed when I saw you earlier. Is your friend Portia in trouble?” He rubbed his hand on hers as he looked down at her. God he was beautiful. “Did you hear what I asked? Is your friend in danger?”

A blush crept up Lyssa’s cheeks. He must think she was an imbecile, since all she did was stare at him. She was acting like she’d never seen a good looking man before.

“I don’t think so.” Unless Kevin thought he could use her to get to Lyssa, but she didn’t think he would. Unfortunately for her, Kevin’s obsession was solely with her and he wouldn’t want to take his eyes off her for a second to hunt for Portia. She risked a quick look behind her, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. She still didn’t know for certain if he was here. “We got separated and I’d like to find her.”

“Whoever is after you will not hurt you while I am here.” He led her toward the craft booths that lined the promenade, and Lyssa forced herself to pretend to look at the items for sale at the first booth.

“I don’t know if we should be stopping.” She darted her head around, expecting Kevin to come up and grab her at any moment.

“You asked that we pretend to be together, and if we were together, there would be no need for you to be afraid. I said that I will keep you safe while you are by my side, and I always keep my word. We can look at some trinkets while you tell me about what is troubling you.”

“Nothing is troubling me. I just want to find my friend.”

Lyssa let go of his arm and went over to the next booth. Why had she been so dramatic when she’d grabbed him? She didn’t want to tell him about Kevin. He was a stranger, and while he made her feel safe, she didn’t know if she wanted to spill her problems to him. There was no bigger turn off than a psycho ex boyfriend, and she was reluctant to share that with anyone. Particularly a handsome man who looked at her with interest.

“I can always spot a damsel in distress.” His mouth quirked as if he’d said something funny, but she didn’t get the joke.

Her attention was caught by the items in the booth in front of her. The artisan had a display of mythical creatures made of colored glass. There were unicorns, phoenixes, minotaurs but what drew her attention were the dragons.

It was funny that the fortune teller mentioned seeing dragons in her future. She’d dreamed of dragons from the time she was a little girl. There was something about their grace and power that drew her, and she forgot the man beside her for a moment when her eyes focused in on the dragon she was most interested in. It was a red dragon, and it would fit in her palm.

“Do you like dragons?” The man standing beside her asked, and she looked over at him to see his eyes had taken on an odd intensity.

“I do. I’ve been fascinated by them since I was a little girl.” She looked over at the artisan who was watching her closely with a smile on his face. She indicated the red dragon. “May I?”

“Of course.” The artist smiled at her as he nodded.

She picked it up, and looked at it in the light. The detail on it was incredible, and she could almost imagine that it could take off and fly. She was afraid to ask how much it was, and she set it back down.

“You have beautiful work.” She offered the artist a smile, and he didn’t seem bothered by her refusal to buy as he turned his attention to someone else.

Her steps felt heavy as she walked away from the booth and moved on to another one. There was something about that red dragon that called to her, but she already had quite a few glass dragons in her collection. She didn’t need another one right now.

A hand grasped her arm, pulling her to a halt. She started, and her heart pounded. Had Kevin caught up with her? She turned with a gasp to see it was the stranger who’d been accompanying her around for the past several minutes.

“Why did you not buy the dragon? I know you liked it, I could see in your eyes that you wanted to obtain it.”

How could she explain that she wanted it, but didn’t want to spend the money?

“It was beautiful but I don’t need another dragon.” Lyssa sighed and took one last look at the red dragon sitting on the table. Sometimes she wished she didn’t have to be so careful with her money, but it was her reality. She couldn’t always get whatever she wanted. She forced a smile on her face to cover her disappointment and looked up at him. “Let’s look around some more until I find Portia.”

She stepped away from him and deliberately turned her back on the booth that held the dragon. She went to the next one and pretended she was interested in the carved wooden bowls on display. The work was beautiful, but the items were rather mundane and ordinary compared to the glass creatures.

“What do you think of this?” She picked up a bowl and turned to look at the man. He wasn’t beside her as she’d expected, and she scanned the area to see where he’d gone. She felt vulnerable without him at her side, but she could see he hadn’t gone far. He was at the booth they’d just left, and the proprietor was wrapping something up for him. She’d been so eager to get away from the booth that she hadn’t asked him if there was anything that he wanted from it.

He finished paying for his purchase and walked over to join her. She put the bowl down as he stepped up beside her. Her eyes darted curiously to the package in his hand but he made no move to share it with her. Her stomach chose that moment to remind her that she had eaten nothing in hours, and it rumbled loudly. She pressed her hand to it as heat crept up her cheeks.

“It sounds like you are hungry. Come. I will take you somewhere to eat.” He put his hand on the small of the back and turned her back in the direction they’d come. She made her feet stay still. She didn’t have any money, and it didn’t matter how hungry she was, she couldn’t pay for anything.

“Portia has my money. I’m not that hungry. I can eat something later.” Her stomach rumbled again, louder this time, making a lie out of what she said. He looked down at her and cocked one dark eyebrow. “Okay so maybe I am a little hungry, but I still can’t pay for food until I find Portia.”

“I will pay for your meal.” He gave her a gentle push on her back and she had no choice but to go forward.

“I can’t ask you to do that, but if you want to eat something I’ll keep you company.” It would be hard watching him eat when she was hungry herself, but she wasn’t ready to walk away from him. She would love to have the excuse to sit and watch him.

“You are not asking. I am insisting. I am buying a meal for you because I want to.”

He was going to do it whether she wanted him to or not. It would be less embarrassing to accept graciously than to further insist on not eating when she was clearly hungry.

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome.” He guided her over to a small building that had tables and chairs set up outside. Each table had an umbrella sticking out of the center and she sat down at the one he’d chosen. She had forgotten to bring a wide brim hat, so she was grateful for the shade. It was the end of August and the summer heat was waning, but with her pale skin any amount of sun was too much.

“What would you like to eat? The food here doesn’t appear to be authentic.”

“I don’t think people come here for the authentic medieval experience. They come here to be entertained.” Lyssa looked at the menu board posted at the side of the building. “I’ll get the chicken garden salad.”

“I’ll go get the food.” He stayed where he was for a moment, looking down at her. He slid the package he’d bought from the glass artist in front of her. “I got this for you.”

He turned and walked toward the building before she could say anything. She picked up the wrapped package and had a feeling she knew what was inside. Lunch was one thing, but she could not accept a gift from a stranger. Curiosity got the better of her and she pulled off the paper. As she thought, nestled inside the package was the red dragon.

* * *

The muscles under her clutching hand were hard, and when she looked up at the random man that she’d grabbed, Lyssa’s mouth went dry. Grabbing him was like winning the lottery because she was certain that she’d picked the hottest peasant here. He towered over her, his hair was coal black and his silver eyes were surrounded by thick dark lashes that made her envious.

“I am more than willing to go anywhere with you, but perhaps you should tell me who you are worried about so I may prepare myself for a confrontation.” His deep, rich voice caressed her ears and his accent was European. Her situation had seemed urgent until she’d taken hold of him. Now it was like he projected a protective cocoon around her where nothing could touch her while she was by his side. “We can walk around while you tell me.”

He put his hand over hers where it rested on his arm and guided her along the path, deftly avoiding the crush of people.

“I need to find my friend Portia.” She couldn’t see her anywhere, and Lyssa wondered if Portia had made her way back to the woods and was waiting for her there. There was no way she was going to go back there to find out.

“You looked distressed when I saw you earlier. Is your friend Portia in trouble?” He rubbed his hand on hers as he looked down at her. God he was beautiful. “Did you hear what I asked? Is your friend in danger?”

A blush crept up Lassa’s cheeks. He must think she was an imbecile, since all she did was stare at him. She was acting like she’d never seen a good looking man before.

“I don’t think so.” Unless Kevin thought he could use her to get to Lyssa, but she didn’t think he would. Unfortunately for her, Kevin’s obsession was solely with her and he wouldn’t want to take his eyes off her for a second to hunt for Portia. She risked a quick look behind her, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. She still didn’t know for certain if he was here. “We got separated and I’d like to find her.”

“Whoever is after you will not hurt you while I am here.” He led her toward the craft booths that lined the promenade, and Lyssa forced herself to pretend to look at the items for sale at the first booth.

“I don’t know if we should be stopping.” She darted her head around, expecting Kevin to come up and grab her at any moment.

“You asked that we pretend to be together, and if we were together, there would be no need for you to be afraid. I said that I will keep you safe while you are by my side, and I always keep my word. We can look at some trinkets while you tell me about what is troubling you.”

“Nothing is troubling me. I just want to find my friend.”

Lyssa let go of his arm and went over to the next booth. Why had she been so dramatic when she’d grabbed him? She didn’t want to tell him about Kevin. He was a stranger, and while he made her feel safe, she didn’t know if she wanted to spill her problems to him. There was no bigger turn off than a psycho ex boyfriend, and she was reluctant to share that with anyone. Particularly a handsome man who looked at her with interest.

“I can always spot a damsel in distress.” His mouth quirked as if he’d said something funny, but she didn’t get the joke.

Her attention was caught by the items in the booth in front of her. The artisan had a display of mythical creatures made of colored glass. There were unicorns, phoenixes, minotaurs but what drew her attention were the dragons.

It was funny that the fortune teller mentioned seeing dragons in her future. She’d dreamed of dragons from the time she was a little girl. There was something about their grace and power that drew her, and she forgot the man beside her for a moment when her eyes focused in on the dragon she was most interested in. It was a red dragon, and it would fit in her palm. 

“Do you like dragons?” The man standing beside her asked, and she looked over at him to see his eyes had taken on an odd intensity.

“I do. I’ve been fascinated by them since I was a little girl.” She looked over at the artisan who was watching her closely with a smile on his face. She indicated the red dragon. “May I?”

“Of course.” The artist smiled at her as he nodded.

She picked it up, and looked at it in the light. The detail on it was incredible, and she could almost imagine that it could take off and fly. She was afraid to ask how much it was, and she set it back down.

“You have beautiful work.” She offered the artist a smile, and he didn’t seem bothered by her refusal to buy as he turned his attention to someone else.

Her steps felt heavy as she walked away from the booth and moved on to another one. There was something about that red dragon that called to her, but she already had quite a few glass dragons in her collection. She didn’t need another one right now.

A hand grasped her arm, pulling her to a halt. She started, and her heart pounded. Had Kevin caught up with her? She turned with a gasp to see it was the stranger who’d been accompanying her around for the past several minutes.

“Why did you not buy the dragon? I know you liked it, I could see in your eyes that you wanted to obtain it.”

How could she explain that she wanted it, but didn’t want to spend the money?

“It was beautiful but I don’t need another dragon.” Lyssa sighed and took one last look at the red dragon sitting on the table. Sometimes she wished she didn’t have to be so careful with her money, but it was her reality. She couldn’t always get whatever she wanted. She forced a smile on her face to cover her disappointment and looked up at him. “Let’s look around some more until I find Portia.”

She stepped away from him and deliberately turned her back on the booth that held the dragon. She went to the next one and pretended she was interested in the carved wooden bowls on display. The work was beautiful, but the items were rather mundane and ordinary compared to the glass creatures.

“What do you think of this?” She picked up a bowl and turned to look at the man. He wasn’t beside her as she’d expected, and she scanned the area to see where he’d gone. She felt vulnerable without him at her side, but she could see he hadn’t gone far. He was at the booth they’d just left, and the proprietor was wrapping something up for him. She’d been so eager to get away from the booth that she hadn’t asked him if there was anything that he wanted from it.

He finished paying for his purchase and walked over to join her. She put the bowl down as he stepped up beside her. Her eyes darted curiously to the package in his hand but he made no move to share it with her. Her stomach chose that moment to remind her that she had eaten nothing in hours, and it rumbled loudly. She pressed her hand to it as heat crept up her cheeks.

“It sounds like you are hungry. Come. I will take you somewhere to eat.” He put his hand on the small of the back and turned her back in the direction they’d come. She made her feet stay still. She didn’t have any money, and it didn’t matter how hungry she was, she couldn’t pay for anything.

“Portia has my money. I’m not that hungry. I can eat something later.” Her stomach rumbled again, louder this time, making a lie out of what she said. He looked down at her and cocked one dark eyebrow. “Okay so maybe I am a little hungry, but I still can’t pay for food until I find Portia.”

“I will pay for your meal.” He gave her a gentle push on her back and she had no choice but to go forward.

“I can’t ask you to do that, but if you want to eat something I’ll keep you company.” It would be hard watching him eat when she was hungry herself, but she wasn’t ready to walk away from him. She would love to have the excuse to sit and watch him.

“You are not asking. I am insisting. I am buying a meal for you because I want to.”

He was going to do it whether she wanted him to or not. It would be less embarrassing to accept graciously than to further insist on not eating when she was clearly hungry.

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome.” He guided her over to a small building that had tables and chairs set up outside. Each table had an umbrella sticking out of the center and she sat down at the one he’d chosen. She had forgotten to bring a wide brim hat, so she was grateful for the shade. It was the end of August and the summer heat was waning, but with her pale skin any amount of sun was too much.

“What would you like to eat? The food here doesn’t appear to be authentic.”

“I don’t think people come here for the authentic medieval experience. They come here to be entertained.” Lyssa looked at the menu board posted at the side of the building. “I’ll get the chicken garden salad.”

“I’ll go get the food.” He stayed where he was for a moment, looking down at her. He slid the package he’d bought from the glass artist in front of her. “I got this for you.”

He turned and walked toward the building before she could say anything. She picked up the wrapped package and had a feeling she knew what was inside. Lunch was one thing, but she could not accept a gift from a stranger. Curiosity got the better of her and she pulled off the paper. As she thought, nestled inside the package was the red dragon.