“Tell me lizards don’t talk.”
“Lizards don’t talk,” Nicky parroted.
I almost sighed in relief until I heard that damnable voice.
“How many times must I tell you that while lizards don’t speak, dragons do.”
Nicky’s eyes widened.
“Did you also hear that?” I whispered.
Rather than answer me, Nicky crouched with Zaza still on her hip. “I’m sorry, Percy, could you repeat that?”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to be like Bruce and start babbling you’re insane because it’s tedious.”
“How…That is…”
Percy sighed loudly and then began speaking in what I assumed was Italian because Nicky replied rapid-fire.
When she finally stood, looking shell-shocked—an expression I knew well—she murmured, “I think we need to go inside and discuss this further.”
“So long as it involves food,” Percy insisted. “I’m hungry.”
I stumbled over the threshold and stripped off my outerwear as Nicky took care of Zaza. Percy simply shook that little body and stalked into the kitchen, exclaiming, “What smells so good? I want some. Now.”
Zaza went toddling after Percy and Nicky glanced at me. “You have a pet dragon?”
“I didn’t know. I told you we just met.”
“I heard that,” Percy hollered. “And I am not his pet. If anything, Bruce belongs to me.”
“What?” I blurted.
“You really should get your hearing checked because I’ve already told you that you’re my human. Although, I wouldn’t call you pet. Pets are useless creatures meant for companionship, whereas you, as my servant, serve a purpose. Mainly, taking care of me.”
“I am not your fucking butler,” I growled, my shock evaporating in the face of Percy’s arrogance.
Nicky snickered. “You kind of are. After all, you do feed Percy, and you did have to clean up the shed skin.”
“I wouldn’t laugh, woman,” Percy stated. “You also serve me. Congratulations on your role as dragon chef.” The statement rounded Nicky’s mouth. But Percy wasn’t done. “Now do your job and feed me.”
“Hold on a second. Before you stuff your snout, I have questions,” I interjected. “Why is it you’re suddenly talking to us?”
“Because I had to learn your languages first, which wasn’t easy. Before coming across you, I only had a smattering of Italian, and most of those words were along the line of ‘shoo,’ ‘begone,’ and ‘die, you ugly critter.’ So rude. I am not ugly.” Percy didn’t hide the affront. “The bulk of my learning came from Zaza’s informative videos. They helped me to decipher the conversations I’d already absorbed.”
“You speak awfully well, considering. Shouldn’t your vocabulary be more limited?” I pointed out.
“My kind is gifted with different abilities, but we are all exceptionally intelligent. Some more so than others. Like me. I seem to have a knack for learning and extrapolating.”
“No way you learned English in less than two days.” I shook my head.
“I did, as well as Italian, which, linguistically, is similar in many respects.”
Nicky took a turn to ask a question. “Why do you call yourself a dragon?”
“Because that is what I am. Hatched in the magma of a volcano?—”
“What volcano? There’s none for hundreds of miles around,” I pointed out.
