Page 13 of Dragon Compelled
Food. Real, hot, delicious food.
We’re just pushing the break room door open when Fred, one of the gnomes, jumps off the counter, does a somersault, and lands on Kitty’s back. The racoon couldn’t care less given that her face is currently buried in a half-empty bag of sour candy. Ted, Ned, and Zed are all sitting on the counter, each with their own pile of sour gummies.
“Hey, guys,” I greet.
All four of the gnomes turn to look at me and narrow their gazes. “Let’s go,” Ted snarls.
“We don’t need the negativity,” Fred adds, standing and stuffing the candy into his pockets.
“Yeah,” Ned interjects as he and Zed gather their candy and head for the door.
Guilt lands square on my shoulders. Clearly, my short temper the other day has upset them. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I’m stressed.”
None of them spare me a single glance as they push out of the break room, leaving me staring at a closed door.
“They aren’t still mad about you summoning your own book boyfriend, are they?” Blossom asks.
I shake my head. After my visit with the library herself, I’d wanted nothing more than to tell them all about her, but she swore me to secrecy. Instead, I told them everything else. Blossom, Mag, the gnomes...even Bingo—they all know the story of how I accidentally summoned a dragon king with nothing but a spilled pumpkin spice and my own dumb luck. The gnomes were mad at first, trying to make me promise to summon them three more Kitties—one for each of them—but when I refused, they forgave me anyway.
“No,” I say on a sigh, “This is something else.”
“Don’t take it personally,” Blossom says as she sets the pizza box on the table in the center of the room. “Mag told me they hated Hoc at first, too.”
“Really?” I ask. It’s silly, but knowing that somehow makes me feel closer to Hoc. He’d been a brand new head librarian when Mag was sentenced here. The gargoyle had actually been Hoc’s replacement after his promotion.
She nods and opens the lid. “You know they were here before all of us—even Bingo. I think one of them expected to be promoted to head librarian, so when Hoc got it, Mag said they werepissed.” She barks out a laugh. He said that eventually, they came around. That is until Hoc tried to cut off their candy addiction.”
“Really?” I try to think back through the memories I’ve been given—memories I’ve yet to tell anyone I actually have—but they’re all about the library’s systems. Nothing about his personal relationships with the residents here. Though, there are several memories revolving around staff meetings where the gnomes attempted to play practical jokes on Hoc—every single one of which was thwarted by the clever troll.
“Oh yeah. Apparently, they snubbed their noses at him for a long time after that. Fred even tried to push a stack of books over onto his head.”
I chuckle, the image of a tiny gnome trying to push books onto the head of a troll a surprisingly happy one. “I imagine that was quite a sight.”
Blossom hands me a piece of pizza, the cheese dripping off the end. I don’t hesitate before taking a bite, and the moment it hits my tongue, I moan like it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Warm, cheesy, salty goodness dances in my mouth. “That is a sound I did not need to know you made,” she says.
I grin, the first uninhibited smile I think I’ve had since Hoc disappeared. “Then you shouldn’t bring me such amazing food.”
Blossom laughs and takes a bite. “Speaking of amazing, how are things with your dragon king?”
And those words might as well have been a bucket of cold water. My smile slips. Since the moment she learned our whole story, she’s yet to miss an opportunity to ask me about my future plans with Aries. I thought she’d be angry at me for keeping more secrets from her, but instead, she seems only more determined for me to find a way to be happy.
“That good, huh?” she asks, brow arched.
I sigh. “He expects a lot of me right now, and I want to give it to him, but I don’t know how. Not with everything else going on.”
“Doesheexpect a lot of you? Or doyouexpect a lot of you?”
I shrug. “Both maybe?”
Her brows go up. “The guy wants you to eat and shower on a regular basis; you can’t be too mad about that.”
“Eat and shower.” I laugh, but then another thought dawns on me and I look at her sharply. “He ask you to talk to me?”
“Nah, but I know men.” She takes another bite then gets up and walks to the mini fridge where she retrieves two bottles of water. “And they typically appreciate it when you shower.” After offering one to me, she cracks hers open and takes a drink. All while maintaining a knowing smile.
It hits me.
“Wait a second. You’re seeing someone!” I accuse.
