Page 31 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“Oh.” She blinked. He did care.
“There was another reason I thought it best to stay away,” He trailed off, unsure. “I don’t know if it is my place to tell you, or perhaps you already know, but I was also hesitant to spend time with you because well … I thought you’d hate me if you found out.”
“Found out what?”
Aiden swallowed. “Saphira, your mother died while racing on a poached dragon.”
Surprise rippled through her at the statement. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
“I’m sorry to have brought it up, but I don’t want to keep any secrets from you,” he said, voice miserable.
Saphira’s mother had died when she was only a few years old, so the grief of losing her had been dealt with a long time ago. As such, Saphira wasn’t entirely shocked by the information, but it was still jolting to hear. Nani-Ma had always skirtedaround the topic of Saphira’s mother’s death, but Saphira had gathered that it involved bad decisions on her mother’s part, a situation that could have been avoided. To find out now that she had died while dragon racing filled that blank in a way that made sense.
“I didn’t know exactly how she died, but my grandmother did tell me that my mother got involved with the wrong people, which led to her demise,” Saphira told Aiden after a moment.
Nani-Ma also always mentioned it was Saphira’s mother’s love of dragons that had led her astray, but she did not want to say that to Aiden. She was scared he would think the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, but she knew she wouldn’t be as reckless as her mother. She loved dragons too much. Training a baby dragon was different than acquiring an illegal dragon off the black market and participating in dangerous races.
“Again, I’m sorry to have brought it up,” Aiden said, looking both guilty and concerned. “I found out about it recently, and I didn’t know if you knew, and I didn’t want to know something that you didn’t.” He swallowed. “Are you alright?”
Saphira thought about it for a moment before replying. She did appreciate Aiden not wanting to keep any secrets from her, and it really was so long ago, now.
“Yes, I’m okay,” she finally said, nodding. And really, she was. “Just surprised that my grandmother never told me, or that the information never came from anyone else in town.”
“Gossip like that tends to stay within the Drakkon circles,” Aiden told her.
That made her feel strange. All of these people knew how her mother died, and she hadn’t.
Were they all quietly laughing at her behind her back? Thedaughter of a woman who reached for something that wasn’t hers? The Drakkon families could be intensely snobbish. Saphira felt humiliated then, even though she had no reason to be.
Suddenly, she understood why Nani-Ma never mentioned it to her. It was a shameful way to die, possibly one of the most demeaning ways to go in Starshine Valley.
Drakkon families already had this sense of entitlement around owning dragons, as if there was something special in them and their blood. They already disdained riders who poached dragons, thinking those riders couldn’t handle it, and Saphira’s mother had basically confirmed all those elitist views by dying the way she did.
Embarrassment echoed through her, making Saphira squirm.
“What are you thinking?” Aiden asked, voice soft. His gaze was intense as he regarded her, and though this was surely a difficult topic, somehow she didn’t find it difficult to talk to him.
“Just thinking about my grandmother,” Saphira replied, clearing her throat. “She must have known … she must have held onto it alone all those years to protect me.” She could appreciate Nani-Ma not sharing all the terrible details, but she was glad Aiden had told her now. “Thank you for telling me.”
He looked worried, and she gave him a smile.
“I don’t hate you—my mother’s death was surely caused by her own actions. It had nothing to do with you.” He released a long breath. “And as for worrying about Sparky—that’s a valid concern, but in trying to protect him you’re hurting him. Hewantsto bond with you. So maybe the races are something to worry about later?”
“You’re right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sometimes I get too much in my head about things and it gets all tangled up and then I get weird. Again, sorry.”
He sighed, and she found it terribly endearing how genuine he was. She had initially been nervous around him because she had thought that because he was so rich and handsome and privileged that he would find her to be strange, but here he was apologizing for being weird himself.
“Don’t say sorry only to me, I’m not the one you yelled at,” she said, turning to Sparky, who had been rolling around in the weeds, chewing on grass and entertaining himself.
Aiden whistled, and Sparky looked over. “Sparky, come here,” Aiden said. Sparky gave Aiden what could only be described as an arch glance before ignoring Aiden completely.
“You need to add some sugar,” Saphira advised.
“This is ridiculous,” Aiden muttered, but even so, he stood, going over to the baby dragon.
“Hey, Sparky,” Aiden said, adopting a bit of a baby-voice, which delighted Saphira. He was usually so serious.
Sparky seemed placated by the effort, as well. He perked up, then bounced to meet Aiden, who crouched down.
