Page 23 of Taming
I slip out from beneath the sweet dragon before dawn even strikes the horizon. It only takes an hour of my time to run my errands this morning. Once again, I buy a couple pairs of jeans and shirts for the guys, but then, before I head home, I make one more stop. Grim saunters toward me as I trail up the worn path to the front door.
“Good morning.” I can’t help but always talk to him like a person. I probably talk to my little hellhound more affectionately than I do other people.
His soft fur meets my palm as I push between his ears, and he hums an approving sound. The warmth of his body skims against my legs as he leans into me before I slip inside. Bright lines of sunlight cast across the old boards and Chaos lifts his head from the blankets as the door clicks closed behind me.
“You left?” Confusion lingers in his eyes. “Without me? The whole point of me being here is to protect you from that mage.”
Aww. He’s trying to protect me from myself. Good luck.
“I got us breakfast.” I easily ignore his frustrated tone and the mention of food seems to be the perfect distraction.
He holds his curtain in place around his hips as he slowly makes his way toward me.
“What’d you bring?” The checkered cloth on top of the basket is pushed away as he peeks inside. His lips curl slightly. “Grapes? You got us grapes.”
I take a look myself, making sure I got everything I asked for. “And apples.”
His pretty eyes search mine as if this might be a cruel joke.
“I—I’m a dragon, Low.”
Wow. He’s playing the dragon card right now.
“Oh. I assumed you were a man too who needed more than just meat to survive. I guess I’ll just eat this myself.”
His fingers grip the edge of the basket as I start to pull it away.
“No. No, grapes sound—” His voice cuts out slightly like he can’t bring himself to say it. “That sounds really good. Thanks.”
A small smile pulls at my lips. It makes me happy that he’s willing to eat something he obviously doesn’t like just because I got it for him.
I pull out a chair at the table and he takes down two white plates for us. The ones with the chips and cracks in them. The only ones I have. But he knows exactly where they are.
Because, in his head, he’s lived here for months.
“What’s dragon years compared to human years?” I cut an apple for us and divide it out on a plate as he steals a grape and pops it into his mouth before sitting down.
“Um, I don’t know. I’m twenty-five, but my dragon feels older. Wiser. If you can believe that.” He winks at me and smiles even more when I roll my eyes at him.
“Thatishard to believe.” I nibble on a slice of apple as he puts the whole thing in his mouth and chews approvingly.
“This is really good.”
I can’t help but smirk. It’s just an apple, but he’s sweet enough to show his appreciation.
He’s different from the other two. Less guarded.
“How long have you guys known each other?”
His gaze shifts to the sunlight outside, and I wonder if he’ll cut our small talk short and avoid my prying questions.
“Since we were kids. My mom and Kain’s mom grew up together; therefore we grew up together. Brothers by bond, I guess. We met Rime when we were teens. He’s from the north originally. When we met him, he … was alone. A lot in his life. And it showed.” A sigh skims from his lips like he doesn’t want to say more but he wants to explain too. “Rime isn’t good with trusting people. He’s never had to really. While Kain and I grew up as playful children, it was safer for Rime to grow up … as a dragon. He was alone, and to protect himself, he rarely ever shifted into his human form.”
My brows arch at his words. Rime’s more beast than he is man. How terribly sad. I’m not the same, but I do know what it’s like to be alone and afraid.
What happened to him to make him so distrusting?
“I can’t imagine not having at least a family.” My lips part as I realize I said those words aloud.
