Page 4 of Dragons & Dumplings
“Just keep it clean and covered, and re-apply the aloe vera gel whenever it starts feeling too warm,” I instructed, gathering up everything except the gel.
“You’re…giving this to me?” He looked at the gel like it might bite him, his slitted pupils dilating.
“Yes, I have plenty more at home. Besides, you need it more than I do right now.” I moved to leave, but the ice dragon caught my wrist in his uninjured hand. That strange sensation zipped through me again.
“Thank you, Mei,” he said so quietly I barely heard him. “And…I’m sorry for what I said…earlier.”
My pupils slitted again as I narrowed my eyes at him. An apology was the last thing I had expected to hear. He seemed genuinely remorseful. With his soothing ice cooling the heat of my temper, I almost felt inclined to forgive him.
Almost.Maybe I’d reserve judgment until I saw what kind of tip he left me.
“I appreciate that, Mr…?” I trailed off expectantly.
“Yuri. Yuri Glacien.”
Chapter two
Ice & Intrigue
Yuri
Icarefullyslatheredmoreofthe soothing ointment the fire drake had given me over the tender pink skin of my palm. The hint of unbearable heat instantly faded away, and I sighed in relief. It was hard enough staying cool this far south of the permafrostwithouthaving burned skin.
I had been so tired after arriving in Willowmere last night, but I had still stayed up till two in the morning working on this article that had been due at noon. I had only been evenmoreexhausted when I got up a few hours later to continue working in the diner, whose wifi was more reliable than the inn’s. If only I hadn’t been so sleep-deprived, I would have heard the waitress’ warning about the hot plate, or failing that, I would have kept a layer of scales on top of my skin. But that took a lot more concentration, and I had just felt so exhausted…
My older brother would have taken me to task for making such a foolish mistake, and for not keeping a protective layer of scales over my skin when a fire drake, our ancient enemy, was near. Fortunately, he was far from this place—at least, for now.
As I rewrapped my hand with the cloth strips, my mind kept returning to the way Mei had drawn the painful heat out of my hand. The amount of control and precision that must have taken was astounding—one misstep, and she could have seriously injured me—or herself.
And I couldn’t get her question out of my head either:“I just…drew the heat into myself, with my magic. Don’t ice dragons do the same with the cold?”
If ice dragons really could do that, it was news to me. Was that sort of magic not possible with frost? Or was it simply that no one in my fleet had ever bothered to do so forme?
With a sigh, I lay back on the inn’s much-too-soft bed. The ceiling fan rotated in lazy circles above my head, but at least it kept the air moving and the temperature mostly bearable.
At least I had gotten the article in on time. With the payment from it, I should have enough to last me a couple of weeks—if I spent it exclusively on the room and some food.
Freelancing was challenging, but I would take human clients with unrealistic expectations over an entire fleet of snickering and sneering ice dragons any day.
I clutched the bottle of gel in one hand, running my fingers over its cool plastic shell. Hopefully, the tip I had left Mei would help cover it—even if it meant skipping dinner today.
My stomach growled, but I ignored it. Instead of protein, tomorrow I would order something a bit more filling. Maybe something with lots of bread, or pasta.
But then I scowled. Why was I planning on returning to that ancient-looking diner?
Sure, there weren’t exactly very many options in a town as small as Willowmere, but therewereother options. Options that weren’t absolutely loaded with spice and served on burning plates.
My fingers tightened around the plastic bottle. It would be rude not to return it to her, once the burn was healed…which would most likely be fairly soon.
I grimaced as I recalled my overreaction from earlier. The burn was honestly quite mild, and it hardly hurt compared to most of the injuries I’d had in the past. I had simply been surprised while I was under a lot of pressure.
Still, I really shouldn’t have lost my temper like that. I laid my arm over my tired eyes. Mei had seemed calm on the outside, but I remembered the way her jaw had flexed in anger, and how the temperature around her had risen so sharply.
Maybe tomorrow, I would go to the Italian restaurant to work and get my load of carbs for the day. It would be better if I had fewer…distractions while I resumed working on my book.
I set the gel on the bedside table, made sure my laptop was plugged in, and turned out the lights. I was determined to write a full chapter tomorrow.
And yet, despite my bountiful motivation from the night before, the following afternoon I found myself sitting in front of a blank screen. Even the stupid cursor had stopped blinking at me, as if it had given up entirely on waiting for me to type something.
