Alashiya concentrated on her sauce as she tried to picture what that would look like. Casting him a quick look, she asked, “Do you?”
She really wasn’t sure how he managed it, but the dragon looked downrighthaughtywhen he nodded again. His upper lip curled, too, like he was offended she even had to ask.
“I’ve never seen a skyscraper in person,” she admitted, leaning over him to stir her vegetables and add a splash of olive oil. “I wonder what it’s like to live so high off the ground.” She flashed him an embarrassed smile. “But you can fly, so I guess it all seems really second nature to you, doesn’t it?”
The dragon said nothing, of course. He watched her silently, his great body occasionally wracked with tremors. The bandagesshe’d painstakingly reapplied stood out starkly against his dark skin. It was really difficult to remain wary of him when he was sprawled on her kitchen floor like that, but his expression was hard to decipher. She really couldn’t tell if her chatter was annoying him or not.
Hunching her shoulders a little, she focused on finishing her dinner. “Sorry if I’m bothering you. I should probably be letting you rest in quiet, not talking your ear off and asking questions you can’t even answer right now.” She flicked the dial on the stove, turning off the gas, and then began to spoon her dinner into an earthenware bowl. “I don’t get visitors and I don’t have any pets, so it’s nice to be able to talk to someone.”
Lifting her bowl off the counter, she sucked in a quick breath and turned to give the dragon a nervous smile. “You really should get some sleep, so I’ll eat in my room.”
She’d only taken a step or two when that coiled tail snaked across the floor to drape across the doorway, barring her exit. Alashiya shot the dragon a confused look over her shoulder and found him peering at her intently, his lips peeled back from his teeth and a low rumble emanating from his throat.
“What?” She looked back and forth between the dragon and his tail. “Do you not want me to eat in my room?”
He shook his head. The small action seemed to cost him, as he almost immediately laid his head back down on his forelegs. His gaze went in and out of focus for a moment before he blinked and let out a chuff.
A rush of weightlessness made her head spin a little when she whispered, “Do you want me to stay with you for a while?”
The dragon gave her a tiny nod and dipped his chin toward the floor in front of him. Alashiya hesitated a moment. He seemed to be telling her that he wanted her to sit with him, but she’d been wrong about reading him before. The urge to ask for clarification prompted her to open her mouth, but it closed just as quickly when another set of tremors shook his powerful frame.
Empathy squeezed her heart in a vice.
“Okay, I’ll just…” Alashiya shuffled toward the dragon and slowly lowered herself to the floor. She didn’t dare sittooclose, but she didn’t sit as far away as she could’ve, either.
The floor was cool under her bare legs as she folded them beneath her. Settling the warm bowl in her lap, she got into a more comfortable position and peeked at the dragon through her lashes.
He watched her from beneath lowered lids, his pupils huge and quivering against the backdrop of his violet irises. His nostrils flared with every breath, and as she arranged her skirt over her thighs, his tail dragged sluggishly across the floor to loop loosely behind her. She couldjustfeel it against the base of her spine.
Goosebumps broke out along her arms whenever she felt that glancing contact, but she didn’t move away. Flustered, Alashiya tried to ignore it as she picked up her fork and began to eat.
It was more than a little awkward, sitting there in silence and being watched while she ate, but the dragon looked more relaxed than before, so she hoped that meant he was happy. A warm glow suffused her at the thought that she’d brought a little comfort to him.
Pushing her food around her bowl, she said, “You know, you really scared me when you first got here, and you were definitely a little rude, but I’m sorry you’re in pain right now. I wish I could do more to help you.”
The dragon made a soft rumble deep in his throat. It was a comforting sort of sound, though she couldn’t exactly put her finger on why that was. His tail pressed more firmly against her back. Alashiya looked away quickly, embarrassed by the way her eyes went misty. It felt a lot like a hug.
It’d been a very long time since anyone hugged her.
Clearing her throat, she set aside the remains of her dinner. Her stomach did somersaults as she scooted just a bit closer to him. The dragon’s gaze sharpened with interest. Lifting his head as much as he was able, he gestured toward the spot on the floor right beside hisforeleg.
“Um…” She hesitated, already embarrassed that she wanted to be near him at all. He was a stranger who couldn’t even communicate with her properly. It wasn’t appropriate to get up close and personal, let alonesafe.Who knew what he was really capable of? Sure, the evening had been pleasant enough, but anyone could pretend to be friendly. It didn’t mean she should ask for a cuddle.
The dragon’s tail nudged her. When she still didn’t move, he let out a huff and made what looked like a great effort to roll slightly to one side and stretch his neck toward her. Before she’d properly grasped his intentions, he’d laid his head in her lap.
It was damn heavy. Alashiya grunted and adjusted the position of her legs under his bulk. Her heart lurched just as it had that morning, when he did the same thing as she changed his bandages.
Her bruises still ached and her knee was painfully swollen from their rough introduction, but it was hard to squarethatdragon withthisone, who seemed to crave comfort and her nearness so openly.
It was a little strange to think that a being so fierce could need those sorts of things. She’d always thought that if she had claws or could breathe fire, she’d never fear anything again, but that didn’t appear to be the case. Apparently even dragons needed soothing every once in a while.
At least, that’s what she thought he was after. It was entirely possible he just needed a pillow.
Not really knowing what to do but drawn toward him anyway, Alashiya hesitated for only a few seconds before she tentatively traced the shape of one great, arcing horn. Her breath stalled as she followed its elegant curvature.
Seemingly pleased with her nervous exploration, the dragon pressed one side of his face into her middle like a great, attention-seeking cat.
A breathless laugh escaped her. It quickly changed into a squeak when the dragon didn’t stop with a nudge, but rather used his considerable bulk to tip her backward onto thefloor.
