Then I would sit at the other place across from her, watching to make sure she ate enough calories. It was important to regain her strength. I didn’t like how little Milly seemed to care. She wasn’t pushing herself. That wasn’t my Milly.
Something had broken in her during her time in Bryna’s “care.” I could only hope it would come back as she recovered.
“Hey, I think someone is coming,” Milly called.
There was a pause so strong I could all but hear her eyes squinting as she tried to focus her vision more. Her eyebrows were probably halfway down to her cheeks.
“Three dragons on approach!”
Durion was already there, appearing from upstairs with blinding speed as he went for the door. He shouted for Kolar as he pulled it open, and the other dragon appeared a heartbeat later, charging up from out back of the chalet, where he had likely been hanging by the miniature lake.
I flipped the eggs and tossed a fresh spread of bacon in the other pan, swapping toast out as well. I used a pair of plates to keep the ready food already warm in a makeshift porcelain sandwich.
Like clockwork. You’ve got this.
“It’s Caz,” Durion said, poking his head in thedoor to make the announcement. “He’s got Dirk with him.”
“Who’s the other?” Milly asked.
Durion shrugged. “No idea. I don’t recognize them. Never seen a dragon with scales like that before, though. That’s for sure.”
I rubbed at my head.
“You okay?” Milly asked again.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit of a headache. Probably our unexpected guests ruining my neat plan for breakfast.”
Milly eyed me but nodded. “Well, if they show up announced, they can feed themselves. You don’t need to worry about that. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
I flashed Milly a smile, which turned into a grimace as another spike of pain bored into my left temple.
What kind of scales?” I glanced at Durion, eager to change the subject.
I had thought the headaches a thing of the past, and I didn’t want to deal with a million Milly questions right now.
“White as snow, but with a sheer purple tinge to them in places,” Durion explained. “It’s quite pretty.”
I peered out the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the dragon he was talking about, but from where I stood near the stove,the angle was all wrong.
“Purple?” Milly sat up straight, looking from the window to me.
“What?” I asked, trying to shrug aside the pressure building in my head. The look on her face said she expected me to be on the same wavelength as her.
Milly lifted her eyebrows. Evidently, I wasn’t doing as good a job hiding my discomfort as I thought. “Annahas purple eyes, my normally observant best friend. Or did you forget that?”
“Our Anna? You think she’s magically decided she could shift? That this dragon is her?”
“Unusual purple scales. Unusual purple eyes. Is with Caz and Dirk.” Milly ticked her fingers up one by one. “You do the math, smarty-pants.”
I stuck my tongue out at her, just as a blinding flash of pain hit my head, causing me to bite it.
“What’s wrong with you, El?”
“Nothing, nothing. Just this stupid headache. A remnant of that thing,” I said, touching my neck. “One more thing for you to look forward to.”
“I thought you were recovered.”
“So did I,” I muttered, focusing on the food. If I lost my place now, it would screw up the order, and food would get cold while the rest cooked. “Why don’t you go find out? Some fresh air would be good for you.”
