Chapter Nine
Blake spotted Christy the next morning; she was clearly headed somewhere, and he moved fast, catching up to her just as she was about to head up the staircase. “Good morning.”
She gave him a wary look, “Morning.”
He said, “I was hoping to see you in the kitchen this morning.”
“I was there.”
Yes, and clearly, she had gone early enough to avoid him. He had seen the signs that showed she had been there: the tea kettle on the stove, the cup in the sink. Her smell still in the air. She’d drunk her tea and bolted, but was that because she was avoiding him or because she had just gotten up too early and he had gotten up too late?
He said, “Oh. Sorry I missed you.”
She shifted from foot to foot. She kept one hand on the bannister, and it was clear she wanted to go. He cleared his throat and added, “Listen I was…do you want to go on a picnic?”
Her eyelids blinked up and down. “A picnic?”
He said, “Yeah, you know, food, a basket, a blanket, wine…”
“You had me at wine.” Her lips curved upward. “I didn’t know you had it here.”
“Are you kidding? We have great wine. The only reason nobody’s offered you any is because there’s some notion that in your world water’s the only thing people drink. Well, that and coffee.”
“We do tend to love our water, especially if it’s bottled or whatever.” Her grin was sunny. “But wine…I could really go for some wine.”
He sent her a wicked smile, “You want it now?”
Her tongue stroked across her bottom lip, and all of his senses lit up like someone had thrown flame at his skin. She said, “Yes, but no. I promised Marlene I’d help her again today and I don’t think being drunk would be a good thing.”
He let his smile lift the corners of his mouth high as amusement struck him. “Is she trying to come up with some recipe that will topple our cook? You do know the cook is a dragon, right? And I don’t mean just a dragon in the kitchen either; she’s a dragon. Also, Marlene’s playing with real fire. The last time she pulled a stunt like the one I’m sure she’s about to pull, the cook singed Marlene’s eyebrows off. So, you should be careful.”
Christy’s hand flew to her face like she was trying to make sure her eyebrows were still intact. “Oh shit. That’s…um. Yeah. Okay. I’ll make sure she doesn’t mention my name. Besides, as far as I know, she’s mixing up potions. I’m just grinding the herbs for her.”
His amusement just grew as she spoke. “Yeah, let’s go with that. But also, maybe we should have our picnic around dinner time, just to be sure you are safely out of the cook’s sight and fire line.”
She gave him a smile that was not only impish but friendly. “So, you are trying to save me?”
“And I have wine.”
“That’s a pretty irresistible combination.”
“You already said yes.”
She nodded. Her smile did not fade. “I did. I’ll see you at…where should we meet up?”
“How about on the side of the courtyard, where the tables are?”
“Great. I’ll be there.” She headed up the stairs, and he stood there, watching her gown press itself across her skin and then release again with every step she took. His heart beat faster and his rod gave a little twitch that made him have to shift his weight around.
He turned and headed for the hall but was stopped by Max and Aura. Aura wore an expression that said they had to talk, right then. Blake looked at Max and saw lines of worry carved onto his face. “What’s happening?”
Max said, “We have to go on a mission. We need to see where the Orcs are and try to get a good idea of just how far into our territory they have come.”
Blake nodded. He had expected that. The Orcs infringing on their territory was a very obvious sign that the loathsome creatures were ready to start a new war.
He set off, taking flight along with the others. Despite the very grim situation, a smile was on his lips. He had somehow managed to get Christy to agree to go on a date with him.
