Page 13 of Whispers of the Dragon
“Yes, your fault,” she reiterated, knowing it was true. “Because each time I’ve had one, I’ve woken up to you staring at me. And don’t try to tell me it’s a coincidence, because coincidence, I think not—”
“I wasn’t going to,” he answered, as if deep in thought now.
“Oh.” Clearing her throat, she did some softening herself. “W-why do you think that is?”
“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly, still trying to figure it out. “But I’m sorry if I am causing it.”
Reading the worry on his face, she hadn’t meant for him to feel bad. “It’s okay. I’ll be all right.”
“When we go back to my village, I think I know someone who can help.”
Eira blinked back at him. “Whenwego back to your village?”
“Yes.” He nodded like it was already a done deal.
“And where is that?” She couldn’t bite back her sarcasm. “Ine? Where you teach martial arts to sweet little children?”
Ryu cleared his throat. “Idoto teach martial arts to children.”
“Sure, you do.” She laughed, unconvinced. Ryu’s code simply made him a terrible liar. “Are you at least going to tell me the name of the village you really live in?”
“Nope.” Standing up, he reached for the lamp to turn the soft glow back out. “I’m going to show you.”
“Sure, you are.” She laughed, convinced he had fallen from the sky at this point. She only stopped laughing when she sneezed.
“Bless you.”
“Are you”—following his voice and squinting in the dark to see his voice had come from the floor, she could barely make out he had moved the blankets and pillow her grandmother had placed on the couch for him, to sleep right outside her bedroom door—“sleeping on the floor?”
“Yes,” he replied unapologetically.
“Were you sleeping there before?”
“Uh-huh.” Still no remorse in his tone.
Eira just shook her head in the dark, knowing it was pointless to talk him back into sleeping on the couch. Again, her mind tried sending alarm bells that the strange man was now sleeping right outside her door, but her heart simply warmed as she snuggled deeper into her bed. “Well, could you at least close the door?”
“Not a chance.” Ryu rested his own head softly on his pillow. “Good night, darling.”
She only hoped the smile that touched her lips couldn’t be heard in her voice. “Night, Ryu.”
8
Too Stunned to Speak
Death.
That was how Eira felt when she awoke. For once, she had slept without dreams, but she knew it had been too good to be true as soon as she felt the tingle in the back of her throat.
“Ahh—”
Oh, no.
“—choo.”
Thankfully, Ryu must have closed the door sometime. She hoped her grandmother hadn’t heard her sneeze through the thin walls, but she knew that was also too good to be true when she heard a knock on her door.
“Eira, honey, are you all right? It’s almost noon.”
