A yip sounded from behind her, the pup pleased to see her.
She smiled and crouched beside the wolf to scratch behind her ears. “It looks as if we’re on our own, pup.” At least for the morning while Leo took care of shifting his cattle. “Let’s find something for you to eat.”
By the time she’d fed the wolf, and herself and cleaned up, the morning was well advanced. The pup followed her around, and Gwenyth even took her for a brief walk outside.
Gwenyth made a pot of tea and settled to enjoy the view of the valley. With the warm sun shining on her face, she drifted close to sleep.
A loud thump jerked her upright. The wolf-pup darted behind her legs and growled. Gwenyth bolted upright to gape at the scarlet dragon hovering before her. The creature sat on the balcony, his wings wafting the air.
The dragon wasn’t as big as Leo in his beast form, but the red creature loomed. Its narrowed eyes and pissed attitude raised her hackles.
“Who are you?” she demanded. “What do you want?” She eyed the dragon and frowned at his enormous maw. Sharp white teeth sparkled in the light, and Gwenyth swallowed her alarm.
Belatedly, she noticed the dragon carried a leather pouch. The bag dropped at her feet with another noisy thud. Gwenyth started. She edged away, fear growing as the dragon’s eyes glowed red to match its scaly hide.
The creature’s scales shimmered, and it shifted in front of her to reveal an older man. A naked older man with an irritated expression. After one quick peek, she kept her gaze at face level.
“Who are you?” the man demanded. “Where is Leonidas?”
“I asked first,” Gwenyth snapped.
The man drew himself up, his raised chin displaying arrogance and disinterest. “I am the butler to Tudoarreo, The Dragon Lord, and Qille, The Taker of Life, the parents of Leonidas, Champion of the Skies.” With this pronouncement, he scooped up the leather pouch and opened it. Seconds later, he produced a paper tube. A ruby-red seal ensured tampering wouldn’t go unnoticed. “Where is Leonidas?”
“He is busy shifting his cattle,” Gwenyth said.
“You are?”
“I’m Leo’s wife,” Gwenyth said. If he was Leo’s parents’ butler, shouldn’t he know her identity already, or at least know of her?
“Leo doesn’t have a wife,” the butler spoke in a harsh voice, and wily amusement seeped into his features. “Ah, I understand now. He’s a sly one. You refused to sleep with him, so now he’s stringing you along.”
“That’s not true,” Gwenyth said, stung at the dragon’s implications.
“Whatever,” the butler said with a shrug. “Make sure Leonidas gets this communication from the castle. It is most important.”
“Of course,” Gwenyth said, accepting the tube.
Indignant heat flushed her cheeks. Angry words tickled the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back, not wanting to give this arrogant naked butler the satisfaction. The cruel twist of his lips told her, he didn’t care if he’d hurt her. He reveled in the pain and confusion she hadn’t hidden.
She lifted her chin. “If that’s all, you can go now. I’ll make sure Leo receives this.”
The butler sniffed, even as he shifted forms and increased in size. A puff of smoke drifted toward her, and the butler curled his upper lip a few seconds before he spread his wings and used his back legs to spring from the deck.
Gwenyth watched the red dragon until he vanished.
Not married.
The butler had spoken with certainty. Gwenyth paced, her agitation increasing instead of reducing. On realizing she was crushing the correspondence, she took it inside and flung the tube onto the counter. She scowled at it for a long moment before stomping back outside. The wolf-pup released an anxious yip, sensing her unease.
“Shush, sweetie.” Gwenyth squatted beside the pup and scratched her behind the ears. “We need to give you a name. That will give me something to think about instead of wanting to yell and shriek.” As she continued to pat the wolf, her ring finger caught her attention. That faint white indentation she’d noticed earlier. Her list of questions continued to grow.
She walked to the end of the deck, her gaze gliding over tree-covered hills as far as she could see. Sunlight glinted on the water in the stream. She scanned the sky and was relieved to find it free of dragons. The last thing she needed was more unexpected visits from dragons who were big enough to eat her in two or three bites.
Funny, but Leo didn’t scare her in the manner of this mystery butler. He hadn’t given her his name, just his position. Another question for Leo. Did she have a title? Everyone else seemed to have one.
The hours passed, and she and Jenny—the wolf-pup—went inside to think about cooking dinner. She found herbs and spices and other ingredients plus utensils and pots by trial and error. Frustration bubbled up when it took several attempts to locate a wooden spoon. These were tiny things, yet her lack of familiarity filled her with irritation. She and Leo spent a lot of time here and minimal at his parents’ castle, so shouldn’t she recall where she stored things? Nothing about this situation was logical. Nothing slid into her memory with a relaxed awareness. Nothing screamed routine.
Right now, her world comprised of a blank, and it was the most vexing thing.
