Taking a step forward, the Black Bear narrowed his eyes and directly inquired, “Okay, so drop the other shoe. What happened next?”
Once again, the Guardsman scratched at the stubble on his chin. “Well, she stomped off, and the next thing I heard was her truck peeling out of the driveway.”
“But you were at her house.”
“Yeah, I know.” Cyrus nodded, feeling his eyes get almost as wide as Luke’s were narrow.
“What did you do?”
“I sat there for about an hour. I was sure she would come back. She always had before.”
“Y’all are all fire and passion, huh?”
“Yeah,” Cyrus sarcastically snorted. Inhaling deeply, he thought about that night for the first time in a long time. Then he continued, “But she didn’t come back. So, I put out the fire, locked up her house, and left.”
“You didn’t go after her?”
“I did not. She’s the one who ran off. If she wanted to talk it out, she could’ve come back. When she didn’t, I decided that was that.” Pushing the hurt back into the box he’d shoved it into that night and snapping the metaphysical lock shut, Cyrus rolled back his shoulders and stood tall. “And I hadn’t heard hide nor tail of her until you said her name a couple of hours ago.”
Scratching at his beard with his right hand, Luke pointed with the other. “Now, let me get this right. Y’all were havin’ a finetime, and all hell broke loose without the slightest provocation from you?”
“That about sums it up.”
“And when she called you a stubborn Neanderthal, you told her she was gonna get herself killed if she kept helping people.”
“Yup.”
“But isn’t that whatyoudo?”
“What? Not run after a woman who just called me a Neanderthal?”
“No, dude,” the Black Bear scoffed and rolled his eyes. “What I meant was that you’re a Dragon.”
“Wow, nothing gets past you.”
“Alright, smartass, just let me finish.”
Giving the Black Bear a single nod, he motioned with his hand for him to continue and added, “Yeah, you’re right. I am a smartass. Nessy called me that more than once, too.”
“She sounds like an intelligent woman.” Once again, Luke’s self-assurance danced all over Cyrus’ rattled nerves.
“And that is not the Bear’s fault,”Domnahall, Dom to those who truly knew him, the Dragon King with whom Cyrus shared his soul, chastised.“He’s getting to the heart of the matter, and you don’t like it.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear ya’.”
“Good.”
“But I don’t like it.”
“Something's never change.”
Tuning out the Dragon King and paying attention to Luke, Cyrus was just in time to hear his new friend say, “What I meant was, as a Dragon Guardsman, don’t you help anyone who needs it? Isn’t that kinda y’all’s gig?”
Dropping the hand, the Black Bear patted at the air filling the space between them. “And before you blast me with Dragon Fire or turn all scaly and take off, what I mean is…”
“What you mean is that since I’m a Dragon Guardsman, one of the Universe’s Chosen Warriors, I was quite literally put on this earth to protect anyone and everyone from anything and everything?”
“Well, yeah.” Nodding, Luke added, “Am I wrong?”
