by Amelia Jade
“Poor? No,” she waved him off. “But I’m not rich either, and this is a lot of money for me to just have lying around.”
He grinned. Boy was she in for a treat then.
“What’s so funny?”
“Funny? Not funny. That’s a happy smile,” he told her with a wink, and then reached into his shirt, pulling three more gold bars from the inside pockets in quick succession. “These are for sheltering me for the weekend,” he said, putting two of them on the table.
“And that one?” she asked nervously, pointing at the last.
“That one’s for being forced to deal with me, as well as a thank you for doing so,” he joked, putting it on the counter.
Hollie was staring at him, lovely brown eyes wide and unblinking. “Sid…” She breathed the word softly. “You don’t need to do this.”
His hand came up to stop her. “I know. But I want to. You’re a very unique person, Hollie-Annabelle. Very unique. I value that in a…” he hesitated. “In a friend.”
It was an immense struggle not to say more, not to tell her how he truly thought of her. But he didn’t. Not yet at least. Not until he got the first sign that she wasn’t going to bolt the instant he said anything.
“Thank you,” she said, one hand reaching out to softly caress the bars. “This is…nobody has ever done anything like this for me before.”
“You’ve never met a dragon before,” he teased.
“I don’t think anyone in this modern day and age can say that,” she shot back. “No matter what you tell me.”
Obsidian shook his head. “They are out there. I can feel them. Some are sleeping. Some are awake. But they are out there.”
Hollie was staring at him, and he decided not to scare her any more.
“Seriously, don’t worry about it.” He pushed the bars closer to her. “I’ve got more, after all.”
Her pupils dilated, though she tried to hide her interest. “Showoff,” she said, instead of asking him how much more. That was the biggest indicator of why he liked her. She clearly wasn’t all about wealth. Many humans were, and he doubted that had changed. But Hollie, it seemed, wasn’t that concerned about it.
“I am a dragon. We like shiny things. That’s the truth.”
They shared a laugh together.
“So why are you giving these up then?” she asked, pushing a loose strand of her short hair out of the way.
He couldn’t get over the oddity of how short her hair was, and also how much he liked it. So different from anything he was used to, but it was beautiful, and framed her round face just perfectly. His eyes were drawn momentarily to her lips, and an image of them kissing seared itself into his brain before he could focus back on to her question.
“Because you’re worth it,” he said huskily, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
Hollie blushed and looked away, and an awkward silence blanketed the room.
Ding-dong!
He spun around at the noise, arm shooting out to stop Hollie as she headed toward the front door.
“What?” she asked impatiently, frowning at him. “What is it, Spot? Do you smell bad guys?” Then she pushed past him and answered the door.
Sid crept up to the side, testing the air. He relaxed almost immediately as the scent of fresh pizza invaded the house.
“Ahhh,” he sighed, stepping into view. “Smells delicious.”
WOLF!
Thankfully Hollie was busy searching her pocket for the bills she’d set aside earlier, otherwise she would have seen the stunned look the pizza person gave him. Their eyes locked, and it was obvious that the other person knew as well. Obsidian tested the air once again and picked up the faint odor of wolf, hidden under the deliciousness of dough, cheese, and chicken.
Interesting. A werewolf delivering pizza. He’s young, not just young-looking. Still coming in to his powers. I wonder if he knows what I am.
“H-Hi,” the driver stammered.
“Good evening,” he returned, his voice silky smooth and dripping with power.
They shook hands. To his surprise, despite the surprise he must be feeling, the return grip was strong and confident. Obsidian had been prepared for him to go for a crushing mano-a-mano style of handshake. Instead it was just a crisp, firm, professional shake.
“Clear skies?” he asked.
The delivery man—his name tag read Lucas—nodded. “Yes. Perfect night for a run, if you’re into that sort of thing.”
Obsidian chuckled and shrugged, enjoying the sudden turnabout as Lucas realized he wasn’t in danger. There was strength to this man. “If you are. With the skies as clear as they are, you could see for miles if you were high enough.” He tossed the young man a wink when he swallowed hard, his suspicion about what Obsidian was confirmed.
“Here we go,” Hollie said, stepping forward and handing him money before taking three boxes in exchange.
“Thank you,” Lucas said, dipping his head and then stepping back down the walkway.
Wise man, not turning his back.
Obsidian returned the nod just before the door closed.
“Shall we eat?”
He snatched the boxes from her hand and ran into the sitting area by way of answer, promising to eat it all before she could join him. Hollie yelped and came chasing after him, laughing the entire time.
***
Hollie’s mouth opened wide in a yawn.
Sid glanced over, a little smile on his face. She was just so cute when she yawned! Her forehead wrinkled up and her little button nose flared adorably. If he were to tell her that she would probably throw a pillow at him and hide in embarrassment, so he kept that observation to himself.
“You should get some sleep.”
She nodded in agreement, but didn’t move. Sid smiled and rose from his seat with casual ease. Hollie followed a moment later.
“Pillows and blankets are in there,” she said, pointing at a closet in the little hallway that led back to her bedroom. “Sleep anywhere you like that’s on this side of that door.” She pointed at her bedroom again.
“Of course. May I ask you something?”
She turned, looking at him questioningly, too tired to speak.
“May I use your phone to look at the Wikipedia some more tonight? I have many things I’d like to research.”
Hollie smiled. “Let me show you a larger version.”
He followed her as she pulled out a rectangular piece of metal that opened, half of it sitting on the table, the other half upright, with a screen far bigger than her phone. On the flat part were little buttons that had the same layout as the one on her phone.
“This is called a laptop,” she informed him. “Have fun.”
“Thank you.” He grinned. “Now go get some sleep.”
“Yeah.” She covered another yawn. “Goodnight.”
Then her arms came up and around him to give him a hug. Sid panicked for a brief moment before returning the embrace. Then, whispering a soft prayer of hope, he kissed her gently on the cheek.
Hollie pulled back, eyes wide as she looked up at him.
“Sorry,” he said, raising both hands. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
One corner of her mouth quirked upward. “You didn’t,” she said softly, patting him on the chest as she started past. “Just surprised me. That’s all.”
He watched her drift down the hallway, trying to decipher just what the hell had happened. Was he in trouble? Her reaction was not at all what he’d expected, one way or the other. Sliding into the chair at the table, he stared at the laptop for a long time. Eventually he just shook his head and started his research.
Women, he decided, were still almost impossible to decipher. Apparently even five hundred years couldn’t change that.
Chapter Eleven
Hollie
She watched as he finished yet another pancake, mopping up as much of the golden-brown syrup as he possibly could before popping the piece into his mouth. The glee radi
ating off of him was contagious, to the point that she’d been smiling for the last twenty minutes, even as she made pancake after pancake for him.
“I think I might like these more than pizza,” he’d admitted after the fifth—or was it sixth?—one.
“Another?” she asked now. Pancake mix was cheap; she didn’t mind.
“No, this time I’m good,” he announced, rising and bringing his plate to the sink where he started to scrub it.
Hollie laughed. “Oh, you poor thing. Let me introduce you to a wonderful piece of technology called a dishwasher.”
After breakfast was cleaned up, Sid walked to the front door and pulled it open, glancing outside. Fresh warm air wafted into her house, and she caught herself enjoying the early fall scents.
“What do we do today?” Sid asked.
He was like an eager child, except six foot four and delicious. When she’d emerged from her bedroom that morning he’d been shirtless, and the sight had stopped her in her tracks. Although he’d made no attempt to put on clothing since, she knew she was going to have to tell him to do so soon. In fact…
“Sid, you need to put this on.” She tossed him one of the new shirts they’d bought the day before. “Here.”
He snagged it midair, and pulled it over his head with a flourish.
Not any better she groaned to herself as the T-shirt stretched across his taut stomach and muscular chest, making it more tantalizing if anything. Dammit, she needed to stop looking at how hunky he was before she lost her composure.
He pushed a hand through his new haircut, parting it all off to the side. Her mouth grew dry as he looked up at her now, his golden-brown eyes full of zest and a desire for life. There was a layer of short stubble the same dirty-blond as his hair covering his jaw now, and that along with his modern-cut and tight shirt was enough to make her wish she was wearing a second shirt.
Shit, he’s a specimen. Keep yourself under control, Hol, he’s probably not even interested in you. Looking like that, he could have everyone. You’re just going to embarrass yourself if you make a move.
She thought back to the way he’d kissed her cheek the night before, the tender and softness of the move. It wasn’t the quick peck between friends that she might have expected, but to read anything more into it than a friendly gesture was silly. For all she knew, that’s how friends kissed one another five hundred years ago.
“What are we going to do today?” he asked, adjusting the shirt slightly.
Her eyes were drawn to the flash of golden-toned skin that was briefly visible before he pulled it back into place. “Umm,” she said distractedly, then looked away. There was something she wanted to do today. Asking him for it was more than just awkward; it was probably inappropriate too. But Hollie wanted it so badly.
“You don’t know?” he teased.
She flipped him the finger. “I dunno,” she said awkwardly at last.
“So there is something.” He pointed a finger at her. “Just spit it out, come on. Tell me!”
Hollie sighed, biting her lip and taking a preparatory breath.
“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad,” Sid said, leaning against the doorframe.
“It’s not,” she said, shifting her weight back and forth from one foot to the other. “But, I dunno. It feels weird just to up and ask for it, you know? Like, it should happen naturally.”
Sid was focused on her now. “I take it it has something to do with me?”
She nodded. “Entirely to do with you, actually. I…I really want to, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to ask, either.”
He gently closed the door behind him before walking over to her. “Whatever you want, Hollie, it’s fine with me. You just have to tell me.”
Biting her lip, she nodded, still working up the courage to speak the words.
“It’s okay,” he said at last, giving her another one of his brilliant smiles. “We don’t have to. Not until you’re okay with it.”
She sighed. “No. I’m good. It’s just… I’ve never asked anyone this. Ever.”
He shrugged. “First time for everything. I never had pancakes until this morning. But I’m glad I did. So you might be glad if you ask for this.”
“Right.” She wasn’t sure the two were quite the same, but still, he had a point. “Okay, I was wondering, if you would be willing, to s—” She paused, losing her courage for a second.
“Of course.”
“—show me your dragon,” she finished.
“Ah,” Sid replied, looking away for a second. “Of course. Show you my dragon. Right.”
She frowned. What the heck had he thought she meant? “Is that okay?” she asked with a grimace. “I don’t know if it’s rude to ask a shifter that or not.”
“Well, I mean, I told you I was a dragon. And you were there in the cave. Is that not enough?”
“I know it should be, Sid.” She reached out to touch him on the shoulder. “But I mean, everyone was running away, and it was dark, and I still can’t quite decide if I was dreaming or not.”
“And what about where I’ve told you what am I?”
She snorted. “Men have told me they were being faithful too. Sorry Sid, but on that one I’m old enough to be wary of everything. Especially when it comes to something that, according to everything most of the world knows, shouldn’t actually exist.”
He opened his mouth to speak.
“Plus I kinda want to see you where my insides aren’t shaking with terror, you know?”
Sid grinned wide, making her knees a little weak in the process. “Okay, that I can get on board with. But not here. You’ll have to get us out into the wilderness, somewhere that nobody will see us.”
“Not a problem. My car is here. I had carpooled with Mike to work on Friday, since it was his turn. So I can drive us out there. That’s a fair trade, right? A car ride to show me your dragon?”
He grinned. “Can I put the ummm, what do you call that glass again?”
“The window?” she supplied.
“Right! Can I put the window down?”
Hollie laughed. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”
Sid pumped his fist in excitement and quickly slipped his—new—hiking boots on. She’d tried to convince him to get some normal shoes, but he’d spied the pair of orange and brown boots and couldn’t be shaken. Now though, in those, a pair of dark-wash blue jeans, and his black T-shirt, he cut quite the figure.
Biting her lip, she followed him outside, excited to spend yet another day with him. She loved his enthusiasm for the little things, and how, despite being a thousand years old or so, he could still live in the moment of each individual day. His energy was magnetic, and she was feeding off it.
The sound of a car running in the driveway reached her ears as she finished locking the door.
“Huh?” She had the keys in her hand. So unless Sid had learned how to hotwire a car overnight, that meant someone else was there. Her single-car garage jutted forward from the house, effectively blocking her line of sight until she got closer.
“Hollie, we have guests.” Sid’s voice came wafting up to her and she finished twisting the key before pulling it out of the lock and hurrying down. The last thing she wanted was to leave him alone with an unknown. He didn’t seem ready to kill everyone he met anymore, but it seemed silly to take any chances.
The blue car waiting in the driveway was instantly recognizable as her coworker’s. “Eduardo?” What was he doing here?
“Hello, Hollie,” he said as she came up to the driver’s side.
“Mikey,” she said, noting him in the passenger seat. “What are you two doing? Where have you been?”
The two of them looked at each other, then away, obviously too ashamed to admit that they had run away in fear, and only just now worked up the courage to contact her. It was written plainly on their faces. She wanted to criticize them, but the truth was, she was starting to like the way things had worked out, for her at least. Let them just pretend li
ke Friday never happened then.
“We just came by to make sure you were okay,” Mikey said, coughing into his fist at the end. “And to let you know that we’re looking at overtime this week to make up for lost time last week.”
“You mustn’t drill any deeper.”
She glanced up at the opposite side window where Obsidian had appeared, looming down, his hands resting on the roof of the car.
“Oh, this is Sid,” she said casually. “Believe it or not, he actually owns the mountains, though he’s been gone for a long time. He doesn’t want us working on them.”
“Just the one,” Obsidian replied in his deep and powerful “I shall smite everyone” voice that he dropped into when things got serious. “And you must not resume your drilling.”
She saw Eduardo flinch when he looked over at Obsidian, as if he might attack him then and there. Did they recognize that he was the one from the mountain? If they thought about it, they might wonder where else she would have found the “long-lost” owner of the mountain, but for now neither one was willing to question it.
Mikey responded for the both of them, glancing back and forth between her and Obsidian, as if trying to figure out just what was going on. “We don’t make that decision,” he said, stretching out the first several words. “You know that, Hollie. We’re not the bosses. If they say go, we go. I like my job. If they tell me to stop, well, then we’ll stop.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay, Mikey, not your problem. I’m the only operator they have for Betty, so unless I’m there, nothing will happen.”
“Okay,” he said uncertainly. “Anyway, we just wanted to let you know.”
“Thanks,” she said, tapping the roof and standing up. “See you guys later then.”
“Yeah,” Mikey responded, giving her a long look before glancing back over at Obsidian. “Sure.”
The blue car pulled out of the driveway and sped off.
“They must not mine,” Sid told her.
