“I’d like to have lunch with you one day.”
“Really?” Dimples appeared on both cheeks this time. So not fair. How could Jules possibly resist? “That’s great.” Elouan pulled out a cellphone. “Can I get your number?”
Now came Jules’s turn to blush. “Most people don’t believe me when I tell them, but I am living my life just fine without a cellphone. Sad, I know.” Oh, how he’d love to access the internet from home. Or order a pizza.
“You don’t have a cellphone?” Furrows formed on Elouan’s brow before the confusion morphed into disappointment. “Be honest. You’re not just saying that to blow me off, are you? ’Cause I’m a big boy and can take it if you say you’re not interested.”
“What? No! I mean…” Jules stared at his feet. He hated moments like these when words circled his brain in a jumble, refusing to form a cohesive order. Another part of his brain pumped its fist in triumph.He asked us out!
Jules’s inner dragon managed a tired thumbs up.
A warm finger under his chin coaxed Jules’s chin upward until his gaze met Elouan’s. Understanding shone in the man’s eyes and the warm beginnings of a smile. “It’s okay. How about I give you my number if you ever want to use it?”
Thank the Goddess of Fire! Jules whipped off his backpack, grabbed a pen and a notebook, and thrust them in Elouan’s direction.
Elouan took them with a laugh. “I feel like I’m a rockstar or something, and you want my autograph.”
In a way, Jules did. He understood about rockstars. Moira discouraged television, but that didn’t stop Jules’s curiosity. She’d insisted on homeschooling until university, so he’d missed much about human culture. Still, he read frequently and took advantage of the library’s computers and magazines.
Moira accused him of hoarding knowledge, much as his ancestors hoarded jewels.
Elouan scrawled on the page, and Jules reclaimed the notebook. An awkward moment followed until Elouan said, “Well, good night. I’ll wait here until I’m sure you’re inside.”
Jules nodded, forcing his feet to move toward the house. If he had his way, he’d stay with Elouan—felt compelled to stay with Elouan.
Though he couldn’t say exactly why.
Moira opened the door the moment Jules climbed the front steps. She poked her head out, looking right and left before settling a disapproving glare on Jules. Her scowl added additional wrinkles to her already-weathered face. “You’re late. I worried.”
Guilt struck Jules right in the feels. While she might be strict, Moira did her best to take care of him, though she’d hired someone to buy him clothes, had groceries delivered, and only let him attend college under extreme protest.
Just Jules's luck, his brother selected a captain in the royal guards with a slight dose of mage craft and a deathly fear of humans as Jules’s protector.
“I’m sorry, Moira. I was in the library and lost track of time.” An idea hit. “You know, now that I’m out of the house more, maybe we should think about getting cellphones.” Jules followed Moira into the living room, settling on the couch while she took her favorite chair. A single dim lamp on the end table cast a feeble glow around the room.
Because of the spell, Jules couldn’t sense Moira’s dragoness, and since he’d always been under a spell, for all he knew, she’d made the whole thing up.
Except for his witnessing her in dragon form while vacationing in remote mountains.Yeah, that was pretty real.
“Cellphones are a human thing,” Moira replied, like so many times before. This time, though, she hadn’t spat the words. “We have no need of them.”
“But if you could call me when you’re worried, doesn’t that mean wedoneed them? You tell me money isn’t a problem and my parents’ hoard covers my expenses.” Yet, Moira only gave him enough pocket money for coffee and lunch. He couldn’t even buy Christmas gifts for her and Radomir. But then again, had he ever asked for money other than for books and tuition? “Shouldn’t I have a say in how it’s spent? In the human world and our own, I’m considered an adult, yet you still make all my decisions.”Nice, Jules! You didn’t whine this time.
He hated adding more worries, but asked honestly, “What if something happens to me while I’m out and I need to reach you? The landline can’t go everywhere you do. The stone you gave me will only alert you to imminent danger. What if I simply need to tell you I’m going to be late?”
Moira sat with her hands clasped in her lap, a severe expression matching the severe bun at her nape, now more silver than blonde. While she might be more muscular than the average human woman her age, she’d softened over the years, at least in body. An aging warrior.
She studied Jules intently, dark blue eyes missing nothing—well, one thing Jules hoped she missed. “My job is to keep you safe until your brother sends for you.”
“You’ve told me this ever since I can remember. Who is coming for me and when? You told me long ago they’d come when I turned eighteen, then you said twenty-one. Have you ever considered that they’re not coming?” Each time he saw a young couple holding hands or kissing twisted the knife of his loneliness. Why was he longing for affection for the sake of someone he didn’t even know? Was his mysterious future mate languishing alone, with no one to care? Was their bed empty every night?
“Jules! Don’t say that. Your brother cares for you deeply, which is why he sent you here. When the time is right, he’ll send for you.”
How could his brother, Donovan, love someone he didn’t even know? Jules hated to be the one to say the words, but he must. “You said you left during some kind of civil war. Have you ever considered that my brother might be dead?” While it hurt Jules to acknowledge that perhaps he had no family, he couldn’t remember having a brother, so losing him felt more like a concept than a reality. “Or what if he changed his mind, and no longer wants me to marry whoever he picked out? I mean, he hasn’t seen me since I was practically a hatchling and doesn’t know who I am now! When was the last time you even heard from him?”
Normally, Moira would deliver one of herI know best!lectures, but she parted her lips, no doubt to unleash a tirade, then closed her mouth without speaking. Finally, after what must have been lengthy consideration, she said, “It has been a while, years even.” Her mouth curved downward, a haunted look filling her eyes. “Three long years, at least. Not a single word in over three years. I don’t know what’s become of your family ormine.” She gave a hard sniff, then straightened. “I’m sorry for being so maudlin tonight. I don’t know what’s come over me.”
At least she had her mate Radomir, though she’d left two grown offspring behind.
