Page 9 of His Greatest Treasure

Blaze actually spun in a circle in the centre of the den, encompassing everything inside, and I grinned hard. Pride reared up inside me that I’d been able to help him.

“Oh, here, you can have your bananas back, too. Is that going to be enough? I can try to get you some more food.”

He looked at me and his eyes were amber, with gold flecks in them. They were the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. I nearly didn’t hear what he said.

“I would like some more food, if you can get it. I’m a bit hungry.”

“Okay, I can do that. Oh. Actually, I might get caught. It depends whether everyone knows Father told me not to leave the castle tonight. Oh, shit, Father told me not to leave the castle tonight.”

My stomach dropped like it was weighed down with a rock and guilt swept over me.

Blaze, bless him, looked worried.

“Why aren’t you allowed to leave?”

“Because there was an intruder and we don’t know if they’re a danger or not. I was meant to wait inside until Glimmer found them.”

“You don’t think I’m dangerous, do you?” asked Blaze.

And that was when it occurred to me that Blaze was the intruder.

Somehow, I’d forgotten that. He just didn’t seem to be a threat and I liked him and he liked my den and all he wanted was somewhere to sleep and some food, so it didn’t seem bad to let him stay.

Slowly, I said, “No, you don’t seem like a threat. You could be, though.”

Blaze walked up to me, and I looked down into those stunning amber eyes and was captivated. When he spoke, I could feel his breath against me, but only just. I wanted to lean closer and feel him against me but I restrained myself. That would probably be weird. I didn’t normally have such a hard time keeping my hands to myself. The Somervilles weren’t a family that had much physical touch, so I don’t know why I was suddenly craving it now after nineteen years of being fine without it.

“Thank you, Alfie. I promise I won’t hurt anyone in your clan.”

I believed him. Even though I knew it was probably foolish, I believed him.

The bond I’d felt, the one I’d followed as he hid in the pantry and ran into the woods, glowedbright like a flame and flickered. It wasn’t solid like the others I had, the ones I’d had since birth, but it was there and it felt warm and special. I believed him.

Chapter 5

Blaze

I’d thought I’d be afraid of a dragon if I got up close to one but Alfie didn’t frighten me at all. I was actually embarrassed that I’d run.

On the other hand, it was Alfie that I trusted, not any of the others. I wasn’t so sure I’d feel safe if that other dragon had found me, the one who patrolled the boundary and the sky.

That was why I stayed inside the den. Alfie had loitered with me for a while and then he’d gone back to the castle, telling me that he needed to sneak back inside for dinner before anyone noticed he was missing.

I sat in the den and took a good look around. It was very basic and obviously home-made. The walls were solid, though, and there were no bigcracks for the wind or the rain to get through. The roof looked watertight. It was basically a very large wooden box. The floor even had floorboards so the damp from the ground wouldn’t get on my feet.

On one side of the room, there was a small table with two wooden chairs pulled up to it. Above the table was a little shelf where there were books piled up as well as a couple of mugs and a jug.

I sat in one of the chairs and peeled a banana. I was so hungry. Fire spirits needed fuel. It had been ages since I’d eaten. Hours. Maybe even a whole day.

I ate two of the bananas before I forced myself to stop. I’d wait for Alfie to get back with some more food.

Outside, it grew dark and the air became chilly. I shivered, wishing I could become flame but I didn’t dare. In the darkness, any fire would be visible from a distance and that patrolling dragon would see me. At least, they’d see the flames and investigate.

I paced around the small den, but it wasn’t very big and it only took a few steps to cross it.

I wasn’t usually this restless. I liked staying still and as long as I was warm and comfortable, I couldsit still and burn for hours. Even in my human form, I liked to curl up and watch the world go by.

As I paced, I tried to tell myself that it was just a natural reaction to the changes in my circumstances. I was still adjusting.

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