Page 9 of Whispers of the Dragon
“So, what will it be, darling?” he asked, still sneering.
Giving her own smile, she made him a promise that only she could keep. “Fine. I promise thatIwon’t ask you to leave when we get to the bottom of the mountain.”But I make no promisesmy grandparents won’t leave your ass in the rain when we reach my house.
His strange, glowing eyes slightly squinted at her, as if he sensed a catch, but then he nodded, keeping the agreement they had already made. He even stayed true to his word when Eira took only a few steps forward and met the wet, muddy ground again.
The laughter cutting through the storm might’ve pissed her off, if it didn’t prove just how honest he was.
“Well, at least I know you keep your promises,” Eira mumbled under her breath, not even bothering to wipe the mud off her hands this time.
“Always,” he assured her.
What the—
She couldn’t understand how he could’ve possibly heard her. Something was definitelyoffabout him, but her attention went to his word.
Always.
That word had her heart, which trusted him, practically thumping out of her chest. Her body, which didn’t want to leave him, might’ve been happy, but her mind still couldn’t help but think how long exactly he planned to stay with her …
She tried her best to put it out of her mind so she could make it to her house without a fully black and blue bum in the morning. As she did so, it was weird how quickly she began to relax around him, knowing he wouldn’t touch her. All the pressure of when she usually first met a stranger had evaporated.
For once, she feltfreein the presence of a stranger.
And for once, she finally had trust in someone.
But now, as they reached the base of the mountain, it was time for her mind to finally win out.
Eira had only barely touched the doorknob when it was slung open.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Stepping inside, she felt like a cold, wet dog as she continued to get berated. “Grandma, there’s—”
“I told you to be home before the storm!”
“Grandma!” She tried to tell her there was company waiting outside the door, but her grandmother continued.
“I’ve been worried sick!”
“Ahem,” Ryu coughed, letting his presence known.
She suddenly stopped mid-reprimand at the sound, and her grandmother’s gaze went to the man still standing in the pouring rain. Then …
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my—”
6
Storms and Dragons
“Hello, I’m Ryu.”
She watched him introduce himself sweetly, like he had with her before he revealed his true self.What a load of garbage.Hell, Eira was sure she hadn’t seen the real,realRyu yet, either. She imagined he had only shown her the tip of the iceberg.
“I met Eira at the market and just wanted to be sure she made it home safely in this storm.”
What a double load of garbage.
“Oh.” Grandmother tried to pull herself together but was too enamored at the sight of the tall, beautiful man at the door. “How sweet of you to do that for my granddaughter.”
