Page 79 of Phoenix's Fire

He shrugged. "Clothes?"

"I have plenty," I reminded him.

"Weapons?"

I thought about that. "Okay, then I could have blades like yours?"

"Or you can have some made to fit you better."

I sucked in an excited breath. "Can I get some krael? Those helped you so much with the bear."

That made him look over quickly. "Yes, but I'd suggest you get a better spike on the end, more like Kanik's. You should stab more than cut right now. Takes less strength to do damage. That also won't make a dent in your new fortune."

"Oh."

"I mean, you could buy a dog," he teased. "That'd use most of it."

His words made me look over. "A dog?"

He shrugged. "They aren't cheap, but the Dragons who have them act like they're the best things ever."

"I don't know what to do with a dog."

He smiled at me. "So maybe ask Lansin at the cookout?"

I groaned just as we turned down our street. "Zasen, we didn't get any meat last night."

"I'll handle it," he promised. "We didn't plan for the bear, and it scared away most of the game."

"Game?" I asked, just to be sure I wasn't missing another one of their phrases.

"Animals to hunt," he clarified. "Not entertainment."

"Ah." I nodded, then angled my feet to cut across our lawn, heading to the front door of our house. "But you said I could get a house. Does that mean I should save the money instead? I wanted to put some in the house pot."

He reached up to press a hand against my good shoulder, guiding my weary body forward. "No, you shouldn't get a house. We all like having you here, and we just got your room done. But you know what you could use that money for?" He paused to open the door, letting me step in first.

"What?" I asked as I crossed over the threshold.

"Spoiling Meri. That baby is going to need clothes, and she'll need supplies for it - never mind for herself. You two can even go do things together if you want."

"She won't want to," I said, pausing in the middle of the living room to set my things on the table.

Zasen snagged my bow, then bent to unstring it. "One day, she will, and the money will keep." Then he jerked his chin up the hall. "Go have a bath, but leave the door unlocked."

I started to walk away, but his last words stopped me. "Why?"

"I'll knock first, but there are leaves and dirt in your wound. I don't want it to get infected. That's all. It's easier to wash you in the tub. Just keep a towel beside you and cover yourself if you want. Ayla, I promise I won't hurt you."

I glanced down, but nodded. "I know, Zasen." Then I pulled in a breath and lifted my eyes, surprised I wasn't blushing. "And I trust you. It's just hard. I'm used to saying no, and that makes saying yes even harder."

"And you're still allowed to say no," he reminded me.

I nodded to show I'd heard, but I needed to let him do this, so I just walked away. Still, the idea made me nervous, and yet Iknewhe'd never hurt me. Zasen always tried to make me stronger in some way. He might be a man, but he wasn't like any I'd met before. Even Rymar and Kanik were different. Dragons were just different, and that made these new - and intimidating - things easier to accept.

By the time I was rinsing the water from my hair, he knocked. Grabbing the towel from beside the tub, I pulled it over my chest and hips, not caring that it was getting soaked, then yelled for him to come in. From the look of him, Zasen had done little more than wash his hands, but he carried a soft cloth, a bar of brown soap, and a small pair of tweezers. His eyes flicked across my body, and he moved to sit on the side of the tub.

"Turn your back to me," he said gently.

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