Trusted: Dragons' Trust Book 1 by Krista Wayment Read Free Book Online Page B

head broke above the crushing water. Lainey sucked in a breath before she was tugged under again.
    Around her there was blackness, sliced up by the light dancing across her face. The bitter cold pressed in around her. Her lungs began to ache for want of air. She kicked mightily with her legs, trying to gain control of her movement, to drive herself upward. She kept her arms extended, if nothing else, she knew she must keep the baby dragon above the surface. Just when she felt sure she would die in the cold wet of the river, her head broke the surface once more.
    A voice was calling out to her, but the words were swallowed by the cold water.
    Lainey felt a sob threatening to escape her tightly closed mouth. All is not lost. All is not lost, she told herself over and over. She would not give up yet. Thane and Renick would save her. They would come for her.
    Suddenly she felt a warm comfort, much like hope, spread through her. Lainey had the distinct impression in her mind of the baby dragon wrapping its wings around her and lifting her up.
    Air. She breathed deeply and looked down to see the dragon still trapped in the pack, watching her.
    Then the water again.
    All is not lost.
    An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her upwards.
    "I've got you," Renick said in her ear.
    Lainey relaxed and sobbed in between deep, desperate breaths. She pulled the baby dragon close to her and watched the brown and green blur of the forest. There was a flash of color in the trees. Lainey tried to focus on the movement, blinking the water from her eyes. Thane's figure appeared, sprinting along the bank. The fear and panic receded as she watched him move through the trees. She was safe.
    The pressure of Renick's arm around her chest lessened and she slipped below the water again.
    Lainey felt the rucksack with the baby dragon being pulled away from her. She clutched it closer, but her hands were too cold and she lost her grip. Looking up, she saw the sunlight play off the surface of the water. Two long shadows descended toward her. Strong hands gripped her shoulders and she surfaced again.
    Sucking in gulps of air, Lainey tried to speak as Thane dragged her out of the river. All that came out was a fit of coughs. "Dragon," she managed to wheeze. Thane's step did not falter as he carried her away from the edge of the water. Lainey stretched out one hand over Thane's shoulder and said with more strength, "The dragon!"
    "Got him." Renick's lanky frame rose from a shallow section of the river just a little downstream. He held the soaked pack and the wriggling baby dragon.
    Lainey sighed with relief. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "and Renick! Sorry, I forgot about you," she added with a sheepish smile.
    Thane laughed. Lainey could feel it rumbling through his chest as he set her on the ground. The gentle movement helped erase some of the lingering fear.
    Renick gave her a half smile. "It's okay, Lainey."
    "We need to get her warm," Thane said. Renick nodded, set the dragon down next to Lainey, and dodged off into the woods.
    "Where's—s h—he g—going?" Lainey asked, her teeth chattering.
    "To collect firewood. We need to get you out of your wet cloak." He helped her unclasp her traveling cloak and pull her arms out of the sleeves. Thane laid the cloak over a nearby branch. When he returned, he draped his mostly dry cloak around her shoulders.
    Lainey tried to offer thanks, but the only sound she managed to make was a vague grunt. She smiled up at him instead.
    There was a soft thud and Lainey looked down to see that the baby dragon had knocked the pack over as it attempted to get out. She reached down and tried to aid him with her numb fingers. After a moment of her fumbling, Thane sighed and gently covered her frozen hands with his. They were so warm that they almost burned against her skin. He moved her hands aside, peeled the baby dragon from the rucksack, and placed it in Lainey's outstretched arms.
    "Thanks," she said. Thane looked as if he were