Pia Saves the Day Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn’t know what kind of creature she was, but she was no predator. If she had been, he really might have killed her once she had dared to reach his ledge.
    He realized something else, as disjointed images ran through his mind.
    An explosion of pain, the first pain. Crushing weight and darkness. Shouting from a distance.
    And a voice in the darkness. Her voice?
    Where are you? Come on !
    “Yesterday,” he said. “You were one of the people who attacked me.”
    Dismay bolted across her features, and she straightened with a jerk. “No—that’s not what happened!”
    The dragon regarded her cynically. Wyrm, he was called. The Great Beast. Traps had been laid for him before, and he had been attacked, but no one had ever brought him down. “It wasn’t? Then what would you call it?”
    Rubbing her forehead with both hands, she said tightly, “I would call it a horrific misunderstanding.” She dropped her hands and looked at him, and either anger or desperation flashed in her eyes. Or maybe both. “If you can recall anything at all about yesterday, try to think back to what I said to you. I said, ‘It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.’ Do you remember that?”
    He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. He had no recollection of what she said, only the voice in the darkness, but once again, there was no hint of a lie in her voice.
    He said, “No.”
    Her shoulders sagged. “I know your name,” she told him. “Your name is Dragos.”
    A thread of recognition ran through him, like a jolt of electricity.
    Dragos.
    Yes, that was his name, but the rest of what she said… he strained to think back.
    The female—she said her name was Pia—was continuing, her words tumbling rapidly over each other as she stepped forward. “You’re obviously in pain. I don’t think you realize how seriously you’re hurt, but if you will only let me look at your wound, I swear I can help you.”
    She pushed him too hard, too far. The only things he could recall were the pain, being buried under a heavy weight, a heavy cloud of dust covering the scene like a shroud and people shouting.
    “Stop,” Dragos said. “I’m done talking. I need to think.”
    Alarm filled her expression. “No, you have to listen to me. This is more important than you can possibly understand—”
    “Enough.” He growled it with such intensity, the ground behind them vibrated. “I have listened to you enough. I have never needed healing from anyone before, and I will not tolerate you trying to convince me that I need it now.”
    She stared at him in astonishment and the beginnings of bitterness. “That’s not true,” she said, her voice clipped. “You’ve needed my healing before. You just don’t remember it.”
    “If I don’t remember it,” the dragon said, “how can I trust you’re telling the truth?” He spread out one forepaw to indicate the gold and jewels. “You bring me convenient gifts of all my favorite things. Do you think I’ve never seen a trap baited with such as this before?”
    She stared at him, breathing heavily, but remained silent. Then her chin came up. “Fine. Maybe bringing the treasure was a mistake, but I’m not leaving.”
    “As you wish,” Dragos said.
    He glanced dismissively once more at the treasure lying on the ground between them, then turned his back on her, gathered himself and sprang into flight.
    The last thing he wanted to do was go hunting, but he needed food to heal and time to think. Either the female would be waiting for him when he returned, or she would not. If she truly wanted to find her mate again, she would wait.
    If he returned.

Chapter Four

    P ia stared up at the sky, watching Dragos leave. Normally she loved to see him take flight, but now watching the dragon fly away gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. How far would he go?
    How could she be so stupid?
    The satellite phone in her pack rang, and she dug it out to answer it.
    Graydon demanded, “Are you all right? He didn’t