Jacqueline nudged her. “Well, you know him best. Can you see him poking around using children’s pool equipment as underwater breathing apparatus?”
“I—Corin?No.” Maya frowned. What was Jacqueline talking about?
Jacqueline grinned and turned her attention back to the hill. “Some people are taking bets on what everything being delivered is. We think that’s a refrigeration unit on the back there. And moving vans for furniture, obviously. The black vans are pretty ominous, though.”
“Oh. That’s, um. Corin’s preferred interior design company.”
“He has apreferred interior design company?”
Maya winced. “But what are they doing here?”
“I don’t know what to say to you, hon. Looks like we’ve got another dragon moving in.”
8
Corin
Everything was going to plan. The contractors were all experienced, and had worked for him before—they knew their business, and he could safely leave them to it.
It was time for him to do what he came here for.
He left the house, turning his face to catch the morning sun.
Suddenly, his dragon leaped to attention. He turned in the direction it was prodding him to look in, and—
“Corin!”
She’s here.
The relief that rushed through him made no sense. His dragon sniffed at it. Of course she was still here. Why would she leave?
Other than to get away from me?
Maya was walking between two of the vans parked outside his new property. The morning light was in her hair. She was wearing worn-in jeans that clung to her thighs and a t-shirt just loose enough to let his imagination run wild.
And she did not look happy.
“Good morning, Miss Flores,” he said, silently bracing himself.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. “You bought ahouse?”
“I told you I had my accommodation already organized. Did you think I was planning to sleep in a cave?”
“I thought—I thought…” She pressed her palms against her eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. Of course you buy a house like it’s nothing. It doesn’t mean anything. You have whole vacation islands you’ve never even set foot on.”
Because I’m holding them in trust for others in the clan who need them.Younger dragons with less control over the duskfire, who needed a safe place to stay where they wouldn’t risk bringing buildings down on top of everyone around them.
But that couldn’t be what was really worrying her. “You already knew I was planning to stay. I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”
“I—” Her mouth snapped shut. Her eyes flicked from side to side, and he shared her sudden, awkward awareness that they weren’t alone in front of his house. Half a dozen of his workers were carefully avoiding eye contact. “Let’s discuss this elsewhere.”
He gestured towards the front door. “Avi can prepare us drinks and a snack.”
“You brought yourprivate chef?Why would you do that?”
“In order to eat.” He raised one quizzical eyebrow. “You’re worried people will gossip about the dragon who refuses to even cook for himself? Let them talk. I’m not here for them.”
“But I have to live here, and it’s hard enough—” She bit her lip. Then her eyes flicked up to his, and she came to a decision. A decision it pained her to go through with, given the way she spoke through gritted teeth. “It’s hard enough everyone knowing you’re the reason I’m here without you turning up and acting like an ass.”
