He shook his head again.
Fascinated, but also not entirely certain that could possibly be correct, she pressed, “What about water?”
Another shake of his head.
“How long can you go without?”
It wasn’t a yes or no question, which made things rather more difficult for him. The dragon let out a series of chirps andlifted his chin. Alashiya frowned and decided to work backward from an impossible starting point. “A year?”
The dragon shook his head.
“Six months?”
Another shake.
“Three months?”
The dragon didn’t answer right away but appeared to think through her question before slowly shaking his head.
“Three months is closer,” she surmised, strangely fascinated by his answers. “What about two?”
The dragon’s face wasn’t very expressive. Not in any way she could decipher, anyway. But he somehow managed to look haughty when he nodded.
“Two monthswithout food or water?” Alashiya rocked back on her heels. She could only imagine what it must’ve been like to be such a powerful, resilient creature. Wryly, she noted, “Nymphs need to eat all the time — unless we’re hibernating. It must be nice to not have to worry about that.”
The dragon’s long neck moved sinuously as he leaned toward the fire. Ashwushdrew her attention to his tail, which had slithered across the floor to make a slightly tighter ring around them.
Those great, violet eyes stared at her as his nostrils flared. She got the sense that he was speaking to her, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what he was trying to say. The best she could do was decide he looked very intense — a bit like a dog who knows better than to outright beg his owner, so instead waits with bated breath for a food scrap to fall.
Alashiya cleared her throat and looked away, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. “Well, um, I could still make you a pot of broth, if you’d like.” She eyed him speculatively.Would he just stick his snout in it?That wouldn’t be a dignified sight, which somehow felt deeply wrong, but dignity didn’t have a place at the table when survival was on the line.“A big one. You might not need it, but it wouldn’t hurt, right? A good broth can fix anything.”
The dragon shook his head more quickly this time as hedrew back. The thick, scaly skin above his eyes lowered in what she could only assume was a deep frown.
Compelled by manners she thought were long forgotten, she assured him, “It really wouldn’t be any trouble. I have a huge stock pot and I keep all my scraps. I could bring it over and?—”
It seemed impossible for something as big as the dragon to move as quickly as he did, but one moment he was across the fire and the next his snout was a few inches from her face. A growl rumbled from deep within his monstrous chest. With deliberate slowness, he shook his head.
No,he seemed to say.And quit asking!
Heart jammed in her throat, Alashiya squeaked, “Do you hate broth?”
The huff he released was nearly strong enough to knock her off her feet. His massive snout pressed against her middle. She stumbled back a step as he gave her a firm nudge. Whether he was trying to push heroutor down to the ground, she couldn’t say. Either way it was a clear sign that he was done listening to her.
I’m annoying him,she realized. Her cheeks warmed.The nerve!
Alashiya forcefully smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress and announced, “Fine, I get it. I’ll leave you alone. I need to get work done anyway. Goodnight.”
Chapter Six
Embarrassment was searing.It’d been a long time since she felt it so acutely, and Alashiya didn’t enjoy it at all. Flushed to the roots of her hair, she fled the barn as fast as she could without sprinting. The dragon made noises behind her, great chuffing sounds and growls from deep within his chest, but she didn’t pay them any attention.
An unwanted guest was bad enough. She couldn’t let go of the feeling of exposure, the sense that at any moment he might turn his massive jaws on her, but what shereallycouldn’t stand was the pang of hurt she experienced when he turned down her hospitality.
For one shining moment, she’d almost enjoyed herself in his company. It didn’t matter to her that he couldn’t speak. It was probably better that he couldn’t. It allowed her to feel somewhat in control of the interaction, despite their obvious power disparity. If he hadn’t been so rude about the damn broth, she might have asked a dozen more questions. Which was, she realized with another jolt, probably why he’d shooed her off in the first place.
It wasn’t every day that she met someone new. In fact, it wasn’t everydecade.She’d almost forgotten how much she liked to talk.
But he’d spoiled it. Perhaps he had good reason to — maybe dragonscouldn’teat in their beastly form, or perhaps he just hated broth. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter to Alashiya as she limped back to the house.
