Page 47 of Ava's Legacy of the Dragons
Smiling, she rubbed her forearms, searching for words to say goodbye. A simple "bye" felt wrong somehow. "See you... later?" That wasn't really any better.
His gaze flitted to her lips, but that could have been coincidence. "Take care of yourselves."
When she nodded, he turned away and left the room. She didn't hear him open and close the door. Lilly turned to her side and almost placed her hand on the dragon egg. But she paused just before, tucked her hand under her head, and snuggled into her pillow.
Strange.
The flood of questions immediately came back to life, making sleep unthinkable. She lovingly stroked the scales of the egg.
"I'm going to get something to drink. Is it okay if I leave you with Lilly in bed? She's sleeping right next to you."
"I know, I can see her."
Right, she had forgotten that. The hatchling could see through her eyes. Did that mean it had also witnessed the dragon fighter's intense looks?
"Feel free to leave me with Lilly, she's kind and warm. But if you go away, please take me in your bag. Because I haven't hatched yet, we can't talk to each other once we're too far apart. I couldn't bear to be separated from you."
Smiling, she ran her hand over the scales. Once again, she wondered what the dragon would look like when it hatched. "Don't worry, somehow I can't bear it either. Sweet dreams."
A humming sound emerged, as if the hatchling was sliding into deep sleep with a kind of whistle. She placed a pillow next to it so Lilly wouldn't accidentally push it off the bed—although her instinct told her that would never happen. She considered getting her sweater from the bag and putting it on, but the cool air felt good, so she went outside in her tank top.
Barefoot, she padded through the darkness, drawn by the scent of freshly brewed coffee. As she let herself be guided by the smell, she ended up in the kitchen where Marcus was pouring coffee. With a broad grin, he turned to her.
"How lovely, you're an early riser too." He gestured to the cups stacked in a finely carved wooden shelf. With the many burning candles and string lights decorating the walls, she could see each one clearly. Each had a different color and pattern, some painted with dragons, others with trees or herbs. "Which one would you like?"
It didn't really matter, but the color of one cup reminded her of the purple hue of the dragon egg, so she reached for it. "This one's pretty."
"Good choice. That means you have a good heart and an honorable character."
"You're judging my character based on my cup choice?"
"Of course."
"If that's the case, you should also offer less colorful cups. After all, these all look bright and friendly. How are you supposed to spot a grouch?"
"You can tell who those are because they sneak out of the house before their first coffee." Winking, he stepped towards her, poured her a cup, and offered her milk, but Ava politely declined.
"At the risk of you thinking I'm evil, I prefer my coffee black."
"Even that can't distract from the enchanting radiance that surrounds you." He winked at her.
"I didn't come here to flirt."
"No? Then perhaps to watch the sunrise with me? It's about to happen any moment."
She looked back towards her room, to where the dragon egg was and where Lilly was sleeping. "Do we have to go far for that?"
"Just to the roof."
When she raised her eyebrows questioningly, he grabbed her free hand and pulled her out the door. "Trust me!"
Taken aback, she let herself be led along.
Outside, he pointed to an inconspicuous staircase made of natural stones, only recognizable as such upon closer inspection. "After you, o?—"
"If you call me 'fair Dragon Guardian again, I'm going back inside."
He grinned. "You're not big on honorific titles, are you?"
