Page 31 of The Heart of the Dragon

"Someone like you?"

She nodded, another slight laugh jerking her against my side. "I am a woman of science. I have always preferred facts and figures. Things I can touch. See. Prove. That's what makes my brain happy. Figuring out context and nuance is hard work, not to mention exhausting.”

"You would hate fae politics then. No one speaks plainly or with clear intent. They like games and trickery and will spend all theirtime coming up with new ways to get their way. When they cast their confusion spells, you won't know what hit you. That said, they are terrible liars. If you are careful you will know. But you do have to be cautious. They get around the lying thing by being very good at misleading. They truly cannot be trusted."

"So I've heard," she mumbled sleepily, prompting me to caress her arm in a soothing motion.

"I thought you didn't believe in such things. They certainly don't fit the facts and figures thing you've got going in your head. They defy logic. Although trust me, they are as real as your science."

She shrugged. "My parents are big believers. For better or worse, I was raised on so many fairytales I could almost believe they were history lessons. I guess at least some of it rubbed off on me. Why else am I brewing potions with herbs from my garden to help solve people's problems instead of working on some research grant at the University?"

It was my turn to laugh. Her knowledge of fae, despite her disbelief, might be more than I could have expected from a human.

I leaned into her and pressed my face into her hair, taking in the sweet scent of strawberries and mint. I had a feeling I would never look at those two items quite the same again.

"Are you sniffing me?" She pulled back enough to meet my gaze, her eyes a little more vibrant than they were before.

"Aye." There was no point in pretending. "I like the way you smell."

She scrunched up her nose and the smattering of freckles looked like they were going to pop off her face. "That's pretty freaking weird."

"Not among our kind. Dragons are ruled by all our senses, and even with mine not working like they should, they still work better than yours. And it so happens that I really like strawberries. Mint, on the other hand, that's normally not my thing. But on you I might have to make an exception."

"Huh. You don't like mint? That's weird. Have you ever tried a crunchy mint cookie coated in chocolate? Like the ones from American Girl Scouts? Especially right out of the freezer? Those are insanely good and I thought everyone loved them."

I shook my head. "I have no clue what a crunchy mint cookie is, let alone why girls scout for them. Are you still speaking English? Or is this some overtired delirium taking over?"

She slapped at my chest as a weird pressure built. Suddenly, my entire body wanted more from her, and none of it seemed logical.

"That's insulting. I'm tired but not delirious. Keep that up and I'll have to add some more valerian into your food tomorrow."

A cloud settled over me. I had no business making jokes or laying in a bed with this woman. My suspicions of her were far from cleared. And while there was such a thing as keeping your enemies close, this would be ridiculous overkill.

"Oh for God's sake. I was kidding. You take things too literally. Now that I know how harmful valerian is to you, I have no intention of getting any of it near you."

"I'm going to burn it." I moved to do just that, but she grabbed me with a surprisingly strong grip.

"No." The panicked edge in her voice grabbed my attention and forced me to turn back.

"I must. We can't take a chance that any of that poison is airborne at this point."

"It's not." She pushed up, craning her head in my direction.

I lifted my brow, making my doubt as clear as if I'd said the words.

"Believe me. If there is one thing I know, it's my own plants." She dropped back into the crook of my arm. "In that you can trust."

"Trust is a dangerous word. And I have little evidence to this point about your trustworthiness."

"That goes both ways, you know."

I cringed a little at the resignation in her tone.

"You may think to imply that you don't trust me. But your body curled up against mine tells a very different story. Do you wish to deny it?"

She snorted. "Nope. In fact, I only have one other question for you and then we can settle this once and for all."

I couldn’t wait to hear this. "And what's that?"

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