Page 33 of Morel Dilemma

“I…” Jildarin looked toward the stage, then toward the back of the seating area. With most people enraptured by the performance, they weren’t paying attention to him, but maybe he would prefer to speak somewhere private? “If you come with me, I will tell you.”

“Okay.” She was enjoying the performance, but curiosity prompted her to follow Jildarin down the aisle, past those seated on blankets in the grass, and toward the magnolia trees at the edge of the field.

What did he have in mind?

10

As Rylana followed Jildarin away from the entertainment and toward the magnolias at the back of the field, she noticed a special seating area had been prepared on an elevated platform in the rear. Blankets and chairs had been placed where they offered a good view of the stage, and elven guards were stationed around them. Someone in a veil sat among numerous elven elders, and Rylana paused, wondering if that might be the queen.

“This way,” Jildarin said quietly, barely glancing at the elves.

Nerves fluttered in Rylana’s stomach as he drew her into the trees. They could still see much of the performance, but the flower-filled branches gave them a semblance of privacy. He stood with his back to one of the trunks and faced the stage, as if he’d merely wanted to watch from a more distant and private nook. She stood shoulder to shoulder with him, waiting for him to divulge whatever was on his mind.

As the music softened for a slower dance scene, Jildarin looked at her. “You are aware that I sometimes fall asleep in my human form before shifting into a dragon, yes? Especially when I’m tired?”

“I’ve noticed that a few times, yes.”

“A few times of late, I’ve even shifted in my sleep, as if, for some reason, my body unconsciously desired to be in that state.”

“That’s interesting.” Rylana had no idea where the conversation was going.

“When I sleep in this form, I find myself waking up with… I believe the human term for an engorged male sex organ is an erection, yes?”

Startled, it took Rylana a moment to find an answer. This wasn’t what she’d expected him to want to talk about back here. “Like the goblin-zerg-stick cakes from the bakery, yes.”

“Correct. I’ve not previously spent so much time in this form, so I am uncertain… Well, in my early days, even months, at the diner, I was barely aware of that appendage, other than for the role it plays in waste excretion.”

Rylana rubbed her face. Had she truly thought he might have romance in mind when he’d brought her back here? That he might whisper his secret adoration for her?

No, he had concerns that he should be taking up with a doctor.

“Lately, it has been more… active,” Jildarin said. “A daily occurrence.”

“Waking up with your zerg stick pointing skyward isn’t that uncommon for males of the intelligent mammalian species. The ogres call theirs trees. Dawn trees.”

Judging by the why-are-you-explaining-this look he gave her, Jildarin wasn’t interested in the terminology of the various species.

“Anyway,” Rylana said, “it’s especially common when you’re younger, but I think it still happens when you’re older.”

“I am not certain what age my body simulates or appears to be when I shift into human form, but it has been approximately two hundred years since I hatched.”

“Pretty impressive that you’re still getting dawn trees then.”

Jildarin sighed at her.

She waved away the term. “If you’re concerned about it, you could talk to a doctor, but I think it means you’re kind of normal and have, uhm, healthy blood flow.” Why were her cheeks heating?

“The frequency has increased since you started sleeping in my lair.” Did he sound… puzzled? Or accusatory? His brow remained creased, and it was hard to tell.

“Sorry. Do you want me to leave?”

“No. But I am attempting to understand this phenomenon. I have heard that human females emit pheromones as part of the process to attract a mate.”

Rylana rubbed her face again. “I doubt I’m doing that, but, if I were, it wouldn’t be a conscious choice.”

“That is what my reading informed me.”

“You’ve looked this up?”