Free The Dragon Healer by Bianca D'Arc Page A

greatly. Sleek muscles moved under her close-fitting tunic, and she wore her badge of office with clear efficiency and pride.
    She wasn’t armed that he could see, but then that didn’t mean much. Each of the town’s Guards was armed in some way, carrying the weapon or weapons of their choice. For some, that was a sword or even a bow, but others had different specialties. He wondered idly what hers was while he finished off his meal.
    The serving girl who’d replaced Devyn behind the bar greeted the woman with a friendly, familiar smile. Apparently this Guardswoman was known to the people in Devyn’s employ and welcomed by them. That spoke volumes for her character, as far as Drake was concerned. Jinn didn’t usually accept outsiders easily, and Drake read not only acceptance, but genuine friendship, in the serving girl’s words and actions toward the other woman as she served up a healthy portion of stew and a lighter beer that would leave the Guard with a clear head after her hearty dinner.
    Drake observed, not intruding on the bundle of feminine power sitting next to him while he finished his own meal. She ate with neat manners, though it appeared she was used to rough living, as most warriors were. Often, women didn’t choose professions where they would be in the thick of a fight, though there were a good number of female Guards who worked in administrative ways or who dealt specifically with domestic issues and violence against women or female prisoners. This woman, however, showed every sign of being a patrolling Guard—one of the most dangerous of the Guard jobs.
    “Quiet night so far?” Drake asked conversationally when it looked like she was finishing up her meal. It had been far smaller than his own, considering her much more petite size compared to him. She was trim and lithely muscular in a way that made his mouth water.
    She looked at him with resignation, and Drake got the distinct impression she’d rather be left alone. Too bad. He had no intention of leaving the puzzling beauty to her own devices. He wanted to get to know her and then he wanted to bed her. It was that simple.
    Suddenly, learning the feel of her body beneath his became of paramount importance. He had little doubt he could charm his way into her bed. He’d perfected his art over five lands, so why should his homeland be any different?
    “It was a quiet day,” she said with the beginnings of annoyance in her tone. “We’ve yet to see about the night.”
    “You’ve been on duty all day?” Drake was surprised and more than a little alarmed. No wonder she looked so tired. He felt a crazy impulse to protect her from the long and potentially dangerous night ahead.
    She nodded wearily. “We’re shorthanded with all the new sectors to patrol. Excuse me.” Her gaze brightened as she slid from the stool and headed over to the far corner of the big tent. Drake followed her movements, his gaze glued to the enticing roll of her hips. She had a great ass from what he could see, and he looked forward to seeing it bare and ready for his desire.
    He was so entranced by the way she moved, he almost missed the action going on across the tent. A drunk was getting a little too forward with one of the serving girls. She was struggling to free herself from his groping hands, to no avail. Drake was on his feet and moving across the crowded room before he thought about his actions.
    But by the time he got there, the Guardswoman already had the serving girl free and was escorting the unruly drunk outside. Drake followed hot on her heels. He didn’t like the look of that drunkard and feared the man might not go peacefully on his way.
    He was right. The ruffian was putting up a fight, but his attempts to knock the Guardswoman out were met by neat blocks and counterstrikes meant to disable the big man. But he was drunk and stronger than he ought to be with the pain-deadening effects of strong ale running through his system.
    Drake stepped forward,